A lifetime of Islands: Island 10 - North Uist, Outer Hebrides

North Uist (Uibhist a Tuath)

I paid my first visit to North Uist in 1977. In 2006 I visited with a friend and we stayed at night at the Uist Outdoor Centre. I returned on my own in 2016 but stayed in a bed and breakfast on Benbecula. My 3rd visit was in June 2018 when I stayed at the excellent Nunton House Hostel on Benbecula

One third of North Uist is water. The island is 13 miles north to south and 18 miles east to west. The best beaches are on the north and west coasts. The highest point on the island is Eaval at 347 metres. There is one main road running round the coast of the whole island and a minor road that runs across the middle of the island from the north coast at Malacleit to the south coast at Claddach Kyles. Other spur roads run north to the island of Berneray, east to Cheese Bay & Hoe Beg and south east to Locheport & Drim Sidnish.

North Uist is served by a Calmac vehicle ferry from Uig on Skye to Lochmaddy on the north east coast of the island. The island is linked by causeways to the islands of Berneray to the north, Baleshare to the west and Grimsay/Benbecula to the south. The vehicle ferry from Leverburgh on Harris docks at Berneray.

North Uist was ruled by the MacRuairidhs from Viking times until 1495 when it was given to the MacDonalds of Sleat on Skye. They owned it until 1855. Lord MacDonald forcibly cleared the island of people in 1850 to make way for sheep. In 1855 he sold it to Sir John Powlett Ord.

In 2011 the population of North Uist was 1,619. There are no large settlements on the island. The largest village is Lochmaddy.

North Uist has a number of important historical sites, e.g the Neolithic Barpa Langass chambered cairn and Pobull Fhinn stone circle and the medieval Trinity Temple at Carnish. Trinity Temple is the remains of a medieval monastery and college, founded by Beathag, daughter of Somerled. It was extended up to the 16th Century but destroyed at some point after the reformation. It was restored in the 19th Century by Dotair Ban.

The RSPB has a nature reserve at Balranald on the western side of North Uist. There is a small unmanned visitor centre with a toilet next to a parking area and a waymarked walk around the reserve. There were lots of corncrakes making their very distinctive noise when I visited in June 2018. There was also a mobile café at the caravan site to the south of the parking area.

There is a woodland walk at Langass Woods. A chainsaw statue of Hercules the grizzly bear in located in the middle of the wood. Hercules was bought as a cub by wrestler Andy Robin from the Highland Wildlife Park in 1975. He grew up with Andy and his wife Maggie at Sheriffmuir near Dunblane where Andy trained him to wrestle with him. In 1980 while filming a television advert on Benbecula, Hercules escaped and went missing for 24 days, during which time he lost half his body weight. In 1983 he starred in the James Bond film Octopussy. He died in 2000 at the age of 25. The life sized sculpture of him in Langass Woods was unveiled in 2011. In 2015 the remains of Hercules were dug up from the Robin's garden in Dollar and reburied at Langass Wood.

During our 2006 visit we enjoyed visiting the sculptures developed under the Road Ends Project, which encourages people to explore the less visited parts of North and South Uist and Benbecula. I was pleased to see that 10 years later most of the original artworks are still there and in condition. They are collectively called the Uist Sculpture Trail.

Sanctuary Sculpture, Locheport

Sanctuary was designed by Roddy Mathieson and relates to elements within the landscape at Locheport. The bronze sculpture echoes the flight of swans which gather regularly on the surrounding lochs and the shape of boat ribs can also be seen.

Mosaic Mackerel 2016

Mosaic Mackerel, Lochmaddy 2006

Mosaic Mackerel is an outdoor sculpture of a fifteen foot mackerel made by Rosalind Waites in 1996 as part of a year long celebration of the work of William MacGillivray, a famous and much respected naturalist who was brought up on the Isle of Harris. The sculpture was constructed from locally found materials on the shore at Lochmaddy such as quartz, basalt rock, mussel shells and worn down coloured glass. The sculpture reflects the importance of mackerel, and fish in general, to the economy and heritage of the area and is located on the shore by Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum and Art Centre at Lochmaddy. The Art Centre also houses a café and museum. The sculptures High Tide, Low Tide and Hut of the Shadows are also nearby.

High Tide, Low Tide, Lochmaddy

The dome shaped structure, which is located on the shoreline near the Lochmaddy Museum and Arts Centre, has a steel frame covered in concrete, which is covered in particles of glass. These reflect the sunlight and resemble salt crystals.

Reflections at Claddach Baleshare

This S-shaped ceramic tiled seat is located at Claddach Baleshare on the south west coast of North Uist at the former crossing point to the island of Baleshare (until the causeway was built). It was designed by Colin Mackenzie from Dingwall. It is wrapped around a natural rock outcrop and echoes the shapes and colours of its surroundings e.g. ripples on the sand at low-tide are mimicked on its surface. The structure, which is made of concrete, is covered in individually made tiles, which have been glazed to reflect the colours of the surrounding area: blue with splashes of grey and green reflects the sand, water and rocks.

Lobster Mosaic on the wall of Langass Lodge

As far as I am aware, this lobster is not part of the Uist Sculpture Trail.

View from North Uist Outdoor Centre on a calm evening

Balranald RSPB Reserve

http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/b/balranald/index.aspx

I'm sure this is a magical spot but on the day we visited in September 2006 it was raining horizontally, so we didn't hang around to look for birds or to admire the beach. It is apparently a good place to see otters and hear corncrakes and it is a breeding ground for ducks and wading birds.

Balranald Visitor Centre - sunny day in 2018

Looking north to Eilean Trostain from the Balranald Nature Reserve

Traigh nam Faoghailean - close to the Balranald Visitor Centre

Derelict house close to the Balranald Visitor Centre

Pobull Fhinn Neolithic Stone Circle

Pobull Fhinn

- Neolithic Stone Circle

Nearby is the Barpa Langass Chambered Cairn.

Trinity Temple at Carinish

Trinity Temple is the remains of a medieval monastery and college. It may be Scotland's oldest university. It was founded by Beathag (also known as Bethoc and died c1207), who was daughter of Somerled (c1117-1164). It was extended up until the 16th century but was destroyed at the time of the Reformation. The site was restored in the 19th century by Dotair Ban.

Ditch of Blood at Carinish

The last battle in Scotland to be fought without firearms was between the MacDonalds and the MacLeods at Carinish in 1601. This sign commemorates the event.

Hercules the Bear Sculpture at Langass Woods

Hercules the Bear's grave in Langass Wood

Sad trees in Langass Wood

Air Ambulance Cairn at Clachan an Luib

This cairn commemorates the first landing of an air ambulance in the Outer Hebrides. The air ambulance, which was piloted by Captain Jimmy Orrell, landed on the beach in front of the cairn on the 22nd May 1933. It brought home the seriously ill Rev. Malcolm Gillies from the mainland to the manse at Clachan, close to the cache site.

Drs Macleod Commemorative Plaque at Clachan an Luib

From 1932 until 2000 three members of the Macleod family were at the heart of general practice in North Uist and its adjoining islands: Dr Alexander Macleod, his wife Julia and his son John.

North Uist - a typical view

Hedgehogs were introduced to the Uists in 1974 by an islander who wanted to control slugs and snails in his garden. However they soon multiplied and moved on to eating the eggs of wading birds and affecting their populations. There were reckoned to be 5,000 of them by 2002 when it was decided to cull them. 700 were killed but there was an outcry from animal lovers and wildlife charities and in 2007 the cull was stopped in favour of relocating them to mainland Scotland, where they are native. I spotted 2 squashed hedgehogs on the main road through Benbecula in 2016, so the task of removing them isn't yet complete.