Hills: Beinn Ra and Beinn na h-Uidhe
Date: Thursday 6th April 2023
Company: Just myself
Distance: 11.1km, Ascent: 340m
Time: 4Hrs 20Mins
On Wednesday afternoon, I drove from Tiumpan Head in Lewis, which is probably the best place in the UK for spotting cetaceans, to Horgabost in Harris, to undertake a special trip the next morning. I parked-up for the night at Horgabost campsite.
Room with a view, at Horgabost campsite:
My last special Hebridean trip was to St. Kilda. This time I would be going to Taransay
.Taransay lies 3km from Harris; it's the largest Scottish island without a permanant population. It has been uninhabited since 1974, except for holidaymakers. Taransay became well-known by hosting the British TV series Castaway 2000.
Crossings between Harris and Taransay are dependent on calm weather as there are no harbours; transportation is literally from beach to beach.
Taransay was inhabited as early as 300AD, and probably considerably earlier. Originally home to Celtic pagans, Christianity was established around 650AD. In 900AD, Taransay was taken over by the vikings when they invaded Scotland.
At 9.30 on Thursday morning, I made my way along Horgabost beach with plenty of time to spare for departure at 10.00. The boat to Taransay is run by Borve Lodge Estate.
Taransay from Horgabost Beach, Harris:
Several other passengers awaited the boat's arrival including 'Andy the Highlander' a Scottish content creator and tour guide.
'Andy the Highlander' saluting our arriving transportation:
The crossing was tranquil and within fifteen minutes we arrived at Paibeil, Taransay.
Crossing the Sound of Taransay:
Approaching the beach at Paibeil:
On reaching Taransay, I had no fixed plan other than to ascend Beinn Ra. The trip duration is six hours including crossing times, providing circa 5 to 5.5hrs ashore.
If you are planning a route in advance, forget Naismith's rule. There are no paths, the slabs of Lewisian Gneiss are wonderful, the tussocks and bog are not. Wear boots, not trainers, unless you want wet feet which you may get anyway embarking and disembarking from the boat at the beaches.
Route undertaken:
The PDF map, provided on booking, suggests initially skirting the coast anti-clockwise towards Corran Ra before ascending Beinn Ra. Instead, I opted for a direct ascent from Paibeil via Cleit an Duin. From the outset the views were stunning and would only get better as the day went on.
Looking back during ascent of Cleit an Duin:
It didn't take long to reach the summit of Cleit an Duin where I stopped briefly to apply some sunscreen.
Beinn Ra from top of Cleit an Duin:
Having previously ascended all the Marilyns on Harris, I enjoyed picking them all out from Taransay. There isn't a bad hill in Harris, they all provide great views.
Looking back towards Paibeil during ascent of Beinn Ra:
In the distance I could make out An Cliseam (Clisham) which I have ascended twice previously. I could also see Beinn Dubh the summit of which is a fantastic viewpoint at low-tide for taking photographs of Luskentyre.
Distant view towards Clisham and across the sound to Beinn Dubh:
There isn't a right and wrong way to ascend Beinn Ra. There are no paths or tracks of any kind, so best advice is keep heading up until there is no more up
.Ascending Beinn Ra:
I took several photographs of the view towards Scarasta beach and Ceapabhal. Ceapabhal is an outstanding small hill, a real case of minimum effort for maximum reward.
South Harris hills, Scarasta beach and Ceapabhal:
During the ascent I passed several Golden Plover in beautiful breeding plumage. Having carried my DSLR and 400mm prime lens, photographing this bird made the effort worthwhile.
Golden Plover:
En-route to the summit I passed a small lochan called Loch na Learga. During the final ascent I could see a distant eagle however even with the big lens it was too far away. I was not however fussed given I had seen Golden Eagles and White-tailed Eagles in the days previous on Lewis, not to mention Orca, White-beaked Dolphins, Risso Dolphins and Harbour Porpoise
.Passing Loch na Learga en-route to summit of Beinn Ra:
I reached the summit of Beinn Ra 1Hr 20mins after departing the boat. The views from the summit area are spectacular. As well as taking lots of photos, I also took a 360 degree panoramic video.
I initially visited the trig point and summit shelter and then the actual summit, which according to the Database of British Hills is located 35 metres east of the trig point. From the actual summit, I then visited another viewpoint cairn which provides the best views towards Luskentyre.
At the trig point and summit shelter atop Beinn Ra:
South-west view towards Aird Mhanais:
North Harris hills including Tirga Mor, Oreval and Clisham:
South Harris hills, Scarasta beach and Ceapabhal:
At the summit of Beinn Ra (small cairn 35 metres from trig point):
View from summit of Beinn Ra:
Looking back towards the summit shelter and trig point:
Luskentyre from a viewpoint cairn:
Having reached the summit of Beinn Ra, I now had no fixed plans with circa four hours available. I got out the map and opted to descend towards Loch an Duin, the largest body of water on Taransay. I was hoping to see some Divers but alas there were none. There were however a number of Whooper Swans.
Descent towards Loch an Duin:
Loch an Duin is named after the Dun (fort) in the loch.
Dun:
Looking back to Beinn Ra from Loch an Duin:
As I still had plenty time I next decided to ascend Beinn na h-Uidhe before descending towards the isthmus.
Ascending Beinn na h-Uidhe:
During the ascent, on catching my first glimpse of the beach at the isthmus, my reaction was "Wow"! This is one of the most beautiful beaches I have seen, and I have seen a good number. Having looked at the map, I can't see a name for this beach although the one at the other side of the isthmus would appear to be called Traigh a Siar.
Beautiful beach at Loch na h-Uidhe:
The summit area of Beinn na h-Uidhe has two cairns so I visited both.
The lower of two cairns atop Beinn na h-Uidhe:
View from the summit of Beinn na h-Uidhe:
View from the summit of Beinn na h-Uidhe:
My starting point, Paibeil, was one of three former settlements on the island. The building seen in the next photos was at the settlement, Uidh.
Descent towards beautiful beach:
The descent to Uidh was the trickiest terrain of the walk due to the steepness and amount of Gneiss. There is no need to put hand to rock, just need to pick out a good route.
Uidh:
I didn't spend long at the beach as I was conscious of time and didn't want to be late back. I therefore took some photos and started the walk back round the coast.
One of the nicest beaches I have seen:
Skirting back round the coast:
Looking back while skirting the coast:
While Taransay is an absolute jewel of an island, it unfortunately suffers in the same way as other coastlines. During the walk back I encountered fishing nets on the shore and loads of plastic including lots of very old plastic bottles. Most of these were above the tideline so I am not sure why and when these were abandoned here.
Looking back:
The final section back to Paibeil was tricky in that I encountered a number of fences and very wet ground. I suspect the fences might be there to keep people from straying into the very wet ground.
On reaching Paibeil, I had a look at the accommodation, current and ruins, before wandering back down to the beach to just chill while awaiting the return boat.
Accommodation at Paibeil:
Building remains at Paibeil:
Accommodation at Paibeil:
More building remains:
Beautiful beach at Paibeil:
Paibeil beach:
On speaking with the boat crew, they advised we could not return to Horgabost until 16.00 due to the tides. I had the option of waiting until 16.00 or instead returning in the boat at 15.00 to Ardhasaig from where I would get a lift back to Horgabost. I opted for the earlier return to Ardhasaig as I would never turn down a longer, very scenic boat trip. During the return, I spotted Common Scoter and Great Northern Diver.
This is an incredible trip. If you want to visit Taransay book via Borve Lodge Estate.
Looking foward to my next visit to the Hebrides when it would be great to visit the Shiants, Scarp and Pabbay. I just need a boat
.