Next morning, we were up and gone from Hamersay House in the blink of an eye. We were off to catch our ferry to the Isle of Harris. This one was much bigger than our first ferry. It carried twice the number of cars and people. We were able to stack our luggage in storage on the car level and then went up top. There was outdoor seating aplenty, plus a large indoor are for ferry passengers. We ran into the cyclists we met on the Isle of Eriskay AND the ones we’d crossed paths with way back on the first island, Barra.

It was breezy outside, but not cold. The sun made everything glisten. Lots of people had binoculars. I heard a golden eagle was spotted at one point. Very cool!

We arrived, found our driver, Peter, and set off for a hike as it was still too early for lunch.

From this point forward, I will have many more pictures for you. I was much less worried about taking care of the group. They were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. All I had to do was stay at the back, be sure no one fell behind me, and would therefore insure not leaving anyone behind. (We’ll just forget that little incident where I forgot Annie was in the bathroom putting on her knee supports. Whoops!)

Peter dropped us at the end of a road, down among some lovely green hills. We were near the shore but couldn’t see it. And then we hiked! I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

I do have many thoughts to share with you about walking here. But I’m going to save them for another time. There are plenty more hikes to come. Know this though – you can be assured that these four elements are ever present: green land, gray stone, sheep, and the nutty, fresh scent that is the combination of all three plus ocean, blooming flowers, nearby bogs and exposed peat.

After our walk, the next stop on our agenda was the hotel. But whaddya know? We had to stop and spend some time on this beautiful beach first.

and at a tiny Harris Tweed museum and shop. And then we got to our next “home” for two nights: Kirklea Suites in Tarbert. What a treat! We had four suites, each with a bathroom the size of my kitchen, complete with oversize bathtub, generous shower and heated floors. Yum. Not like our accommodations had been shoddy until now. They’d simply been very modest. And authentic to their settings in tiny villages and towns through the western isles. However, this was something special. The Hotel Hebrides was nearby and has this one section of very upscale accommodations. Which Heather scooped up for us. (Yay, Heather!!!) When Annie, our suitemate for the night, saw that tub, I thought she was going to faint.

Ah, luxury. What would life be without an occasional visit from you, eh?

We had dinner at the hotel. Another beautiful meal. I finally have a picture to show you. I believe this was the best lamb dinner I’ve ever eaten. Are you drooling yet? (I know, not you vegetarians.)

As I was leaving the restaurant after dinner, I saw this.

And last, but certainly not least, it was Anne’s birthday! We finished off our lovely day with a proseco toast for her good health and many happy returns of the day.

And once again, I must sign off for the night. It’s nearly 11 pm and I must sleep! The sun sets so late here that I’ve been staying up in the evenings reading and writing until all hours. Every day I say I’ll go to bed early and get an early start on the day. Can you guess what actually happens every day instead?

Love to you all.

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