Hebridean Challenge: 12 islands in 12 hours. ScotVlog2017 Ep 10
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- čas přidán 26. 05. 2017
- A new challenge, something I've been wanting to do for a long time, and that is to visit twelve islands within twelve hours. Together with Dougal the intrepid Biker Dog, we set off on our adventure aboard our Triumph Thruxton from the iconic Callanish Stones on the Isle of Lewis. Our aim is to visit 12 islands within a 12 hour time limit. The islands on the list are:
Isle of Lewis
Isle of Harris
Scalpay
Bernerary
North Uist
Baleshare
Grimsay
Benbecula
South Uist
Eriskay
Barra
Vatersay
Some of the islands we reach by ferry, some by causeway, and one by bridge.
We strike camp at the stunning Scurrival Campsite on the island of Barra. The facilities include a fully-fitted kitchen (no need to take a stove or utensils) and private wc/shower rooms - and all for £5 per night. Probably the best value campsite in the Outer Hebrides.
I hope you enjoy the adventure!
I
You should have at least a Hundred Thousand subscribers with the quality of videos you make !!! Absolutely love watching. On vacation now at Pismo Beach California. These CZcams videos are blowing away the CRAP that's on TV these days. Love it 👍
Ah, cheers Steve! Tell all your friends! ;@)
I'm exhausted!! The scenery is just amazing. Great trip.
YOU'RE exhausted! ;) We had to ride back (3 days) then recover! Cheers.
Cracking trip. We did the opposite direction in ten days. You really lucked out with the weather that day. We had all kinds of weather but were happy to have glorious sunshine on the jewel island, Barra :-)
Hi Andrew, Willie's wife here. He has just showed me your 12 island vlog and it is fantastic! Made so much better of course by the brilliant weather...! How did you manage that one?? I love the fact that wee Dougal seems to enjoy all these trips with you, our two borders would love that life too!. Keep us posted on your next intrepid adventures, I am sure they will be well worth watching. Take care, Caroline x
Hi Caroline, I actually had this idea over two years ago, and had to wait till May '17 to be in the islands at the same time as a promised 3-day spell of good weather. There's a lot of planning and waiting goes into some of these vids! Cheers.
You had absolutely astonishing weather. I lived, worked and travelled extensively throughout central and W Scotland for almost 10 years back in the 70's and never saw weather like that, particularly in the Western Isles.
I'll be honest - I first had the idea to do this over two years ago and had to wait until this occasion to be there at the same time that there were a few fine days forecast!
Andrew I really do not understand how you have the patience to do all of that! it is really impressive, You'd be great on the TV doing all these tours around the world. It is absolutely magnificent, keep up the good work . One thing: Hope you weren't speeding!! lol
Cheers! You can see the clocks in most the shots so you can see I'm well below the speed limit, especially as I have such precious cargo in my rucksack!
I love watching your videos. They are so entertaining and informative and it's great to see a nice man enjoying himself along the way.
Thank you!
And good to meet another leather jeans man. There are too few of us!
OK, this is the 1st video i've watched (will b going to watch more after i write this)...i was like "is that a dog??!! , NOOO, wait, It is a dog, WTF" 😁😁🤣🤣 Brill, couldn't stop laughing at his wee head popping out behind your back. It's very obvious the two of you are best of friends and love riding together. Cheered my Monday morning right up. Stay safe (some drivers don't realise the road is for sharing, as you will probably know) Take care Alie xx
Cheers Alie!
Fantastic, loved it. Makes me wish I hadn't sold my bike and given my leathers away. Best wishes, ilona
Great adventure, thanks for the come along. At first I was in fear for your life, what with driving on the wrong side of the road. Then I got my euro bearings and all was saved. LOL Really enjoyed the trip.
Ha ha! Thanks Ginny.
Oh Andrew, you must be exhausted from that journey! I want to play the video on slow motion. It was terrific. The beaches are all the more beautiful for being absent of humans. And that pink! Good grief. I'll bet you can see that place from the International Space Station! Thanks for posting another great one, Andrew. All the best.
Thanks Doro! Yes, it really is an amazing place.
no petrol! yikes! what sort of miles per gallon can you get. stunning scenery. you are doing another one of my must does on my bucket list. am I glad I stumbled across your blogs. I really do appreciate the time and effort and your passion for this wonderful lifestyle. makes you glad to be alive and meditate on life's true values. mega respect to you and dougal.
Ha ha! I get about 40ish to the gallon on the bike - certainly helped by the fact I don't go over 60 with Dougal on the back.
Superb
Beautiful trip Andrew! And that's a lot of hours on a bike. Wow. But the weather was stunning, the scenery was amazing, and every vlog you do in the Hebrides makes me want to visit. What a beautiful place.
Thanks Jon!
Wow, quite a journey and mini-tour. Your dog has the patience to wait but I'm sure he is used to travelling that was as long as he can chase a ball later lol
You're living the dream, lucky man!! Getting our first motorhome very soon. Been everywhere in Scotland except the Outer Hebrides. It's on my bucket list. Love your videos, keep up the great work.
This is the year, then! See you there ;@)
Thanks Andrew for sharing your experiences, I'm so envious!! 👍
Cheers Steve!
Fantastic piece of film and it looks like Dougal enjoyed it too. Wonderful! I NEED to go to Lewis again a.s.a.p.
You should - and don't forget Harris Uist and Barra :)
Wow! Great video. Thanks.
Yaaaay baleshare!
Stop rubbing it in Steven! ;@)
What a wonderful day, in absolutely stunning scenery. Not jealous at all. Not one bit. Nope.:-)
Nothing to see here. Nothing at all. Nothing to see... ;@)
This was spectacular. Two thumbs up. That big sandy beach was calling my name. It also looked like you had the roads totally to yourself. Bet that was nice.
Thanks Julie. Yes, the roads are pretty quiet up there.
Stunning! Lots of my own memories being triggered watching that, must go back soon. Brilliant 👍🏻
Hi Andrew, thanks for the video and the reminder of how beautiful the islands are. I spent two weeks in August in Harris and one week also last February. I love the place. The beaches are jaw dropping. I am now on a mission to buy a Panel Van conversion as I have mainly self catered in the Island over the last five years. I love your videos, Truly inspirational. Please let me know if you are ever around Glasgow area.
Cheers William! Glad you enjoyed, and good luck with the van conversion. There is hopefully going to be some Scottish Van Life coming up in a couple of months on my channel, so watch this space! All the best.
I probably will buy one of the major brands. Vantage Motorhomes, Autosleepers, are currently the favourites but who knows if I'll get there. Seriously if you are staying overnight at Strathclyde Park we live not far for there and my wife is a fabulous cook (we eat a lot of veggie stuff :>) keep in touch if you are passing. Also I have some great pictures of our border terriers on the beaches in Harris. Let me know if you want me to send you any. Best wishes...
wow - is the weather always like that ! - loving the drone footage - more please
Will try my best Ian, but once I leave the islands, there are so many 'congested areas' and 'no-fly zones' that it will be hard to include any at all, but I'll try.
Very enjoyable video, thanks for making it. We have family on Barra so lovely to see familiar countryside and glad you were blessed with good weather... Campsite views are amazing!!!....so glad I tuned in! :)
Cheers Janice, hope you get back to Barra again soon.
You have a wonderfully designed life my man. Great Job.
Thanks George! It's not all roses, but I certainly wouldn't want to swap it for the daily commute!
I had always assumed the color of the ocean in that realm was very dark. Glad to know different now. It's beautiful. Thank you, Andrew and Dougal!
When the sun shines it's as turquoise as the Caribbean!
Great film, you really scored with the weather, it isn't always like that. It's a special place though, whatever the weather.
Thanks Mark. I'd been wanting to do it for two years but waited for the 'right' week weather-wise.
That even beats the Five Ferries Challenge. Great fun.
By the way, the aerial images are expectaculares, and if they look like beaches of Spain. The bad thing is that the water will be a little cold
More than a little cold Pedro - very cold! :)
Andrew another great video. Doing the journey by bike looks wonderful.
Spectacular!!!
The scenery and the sea are just spectacular make me want to be there but a really good video Andrew 👍
Cheers Jack!
love your vids keep them coming
I've just returned from the Uists and Barra. It's such a gorgeous place.
There are a few more islands that you could have easily picked up though, probably still well within 12 hours.
1. Starting in Calanais, you're only a short distance from Great Bernera. In fact, maybe next time, start there instead of Calanais.
2. Depending on the tides (and how much you value your bike), you could have hopped across to Vallay, shortly after getting on to North Uist (right at the junction, towards Sollas).
3. Just after you get to Grimsay, turn left, then left again. Within a mile or so, you're on Fraoch Eilean.
4. Just after you get to Benbecula, turn left. A few miles along, a causeway leads over to Eilean Flodaigh.
There's a challenge for you next time :) And you can still make 15 islands without having to count Harris and Lewis as two!
Excellent stuff! No way would I take the bike to Vallay but maybe I'll walk it some day. You've named three islands (on the Uist Chain) I've never even visited, so that sounds like a plan for next time... how about 10 islands in 10 hours with no ferries? Now there is a great budget-friendly idea. Thanks for the tip! ;@)
We walked over to Vallay 10 days ago. Take your wellies if you walk it, or be prepared to get wet feet (as I did when I first did it 4 years ago). 25 minutes or so each way. I wouldn't take a good vehicle, but it's firm sand, and at most 10cm of water in one or two leads which don't drain. But I can understand you not wanting to take a good bike over there.
Yes, 10 islands in 10 hours is certainly doable.
Absolutely spectacular Andrew! It must have been cold camping in a tent...
I can't lie...yes it was! I ended up sharing my Mummy Sleeping Bag with Dougal which was a very tight squeeze :)
Great video Andrew. Loved the drone shots at the beginning. Seems like life apres-Eurostar is going well.
Cheers Gary! Not missing the Stupid o' clock starts! ;)
Guau very beatiful trip
Beaches look good Mate 👏
Absolutely loved this Vlog. I’ve kept it so that I can plan a future trip, although we hope to have a little more time to explore, as you suggested. I wonderif we can order the same weather you had!! Thanks again for your tips.
I'll let you into a secret. This trip had first been conceived in 2015 and we had to wait 2 years for a visit to coincide with enough good weather to do it! :-/
Andrew Ditton we went to the Highlands at the end of September last year in a hired motorhome. Other than one day, we had glorious weather. We were so lucky. We are off to France this September in a hired VW camper. Hopefully southern France should have good weather. Desperate for some sunshine. We are trying to make a decision whether to buy a motorhome or VW camper. We are going around in circles! Not literally of course. I’m trying to persuade my husband to go full time touring in 2 years when he retires, but it’s taking some convincing. We will be in our early 50’s so a great opportunity to live the life I’ve wanted to live for years. If I can persuade him then obviously the motorhome is the better option, but I quite like the idea of being more able to explore and park up in a smaller vehicle. Decisions decisions!,! Sorry for the long message it’s just so nice to chat to someone who really understands. I think that’s why I love your Vlogs so much :-)
Nice ride, now 12 days to return?? Great video as usual. Thanks!
I did almost exactly the same trip a couple of years ago.
Loving the videos thank you and this one was just amazing.....would same route be ok to do in campervan as well?
No reason why not!
great to see more of scotland on the bike.is this a known little challenge or one you made up your self? one to add to my list once I get the old gs1000s running again
It's one I just made up Victor. It's a wee bit too easy to be considered a challenge on a motorbike, but I like the idea of '12 islands in 12 hours'. To do it on a pushbike, now THAT would be a challenge! The biggest limitation is ferry times.
Hello Andrew, love this video 😁can you please tell me the make of glasses that Dougal is wearing please. We have a Welsh terrier who would like to try out motorcycle riding...many thanks.
Hi Jan, they are called Doggles. They turn up when you do an internet search - enjoy!
Love your videos and adventures with Dougal, is it always that quiet up there?
Harris and Lewis get a little busier during June and July, but nowhere near as busy as mainland areas, and you can usually find a quiet spot.
Wonderful video, Andrew... What do you think of the novels of Peter May? This is his territory....
Thanks Rudi. Not yet read Peter May but he's on my list.
Superb video, thank you!!!!
Dougal looks seriously cool in his biker gear.
How long did it take to get him used to riding behind you?
Cheers Peter, it took just over 6 months of VERY gradual training to get him used to it.
A fun and interesting achievement. I'd never of made it in time, finding it too irresistible to keep stopping at those wonderful places. The beaches are simply gorgeous, one might think you were in the Caribbean!
You didnt seem overly convinced the first garage had actually run out of fuel. Is your Thruxton a 1200, Andrew?
There's no reason that the garage would say they'd run out of fuel if they hadn't. The Thruxton is a 900 twin. And while the beaches might look caribbean, the temperature will remind you you're in Scotland! ;)
That's quite right, probably just me being sceptical!
What Bike do u ride ... and I like the Biker gloves , what make are they too
I definately want to do that.....but slower.
Slower is definitely better! I just wanted to tick it off my list ;)
Clever to go round that last island eastwards so that the setting sun was behind you and not in your eyes.
That was what I thought at the time - also better light for the camera! I headed back up the West Coast so we didn't miss out.
Andrew, have not see one single caravan and only one RV on that film!
Are these paces not popular with the caravan-RV community?
There some spots there that would be nice to take your Airsteam for few days.
Thanks for sharing
Yes, the islands are especially popular with motorhomes and camper vans, and a few towed trailers. You'll see more in future vlogs. Cheers!
Thanks
Andrew in the states at kuryakyn.com the sell a trunk that straps on to the seat of your bike ,called the Grand Pet palace, I've been thinking of getting one for my Dachshund,Heinrich Von Wigglebutt . My caravan (trailer in the states) I pull with my victory cross country tour,it called an Aspen deluxe from trailmasterinc.com , I think it might be to big to pull with your Bonneville, you'd need a rocket 3. Great videos
Why did you miss out Great Bernera? Reachable by a bridge.
did you pay for each ferry individually or did you get an island hopper ticket and does dougal get classified as a pillion?
Now it is as cheap to pay for each ticket as it is to get a hopper. And Dogs travel free on CalMac!
Excellent vlog. I would prefer music to engine sounds though.