Facts of the Day:
Date: 19/July/2002
From: Kinloch Lodge, Isle of Skye
Via: Uig
To: Leac a Li/Lacklee, Isle of Harris
Miles: 96
Midges: 1000 (Estimate)
Dolphins: 2
Weather: Cloudy
Mood: good

After a very nice stay at Kinloch Lodge with excellent meals as well as a nice visit to Elgol it was time to leave the Isle of Skye again. As the Skye weather was back to rain and cold it was easier than if it had remained as nice as the previous day. After a quick look round in Portree I made my way to Uig to catch the ferry to Tarbert on the Isle of Harris. The weather still hadn't improved much and visibility was quite poor, making the ferry crossing fairly uneventful. After about 1.5 hours we arrived in West Loch Tarbert and I had the first experiences with Gaelic only road signs. The address I had from the room booking service of the tourist board was in English, but while some road signs are bilingual a lot of them are Gaelic only. According to the Tourist office Sith na Mara was in Lackalee, which I managed to identify being the same as Leac a Li (interestingly the English spelling seems to vary between Lacklee and Lackalee, just to complicate things). I managed to find it reasonably quick and after checking in decided that it was time to find something to eat and start to explore South Harris.

From Leac a Li I followed the "Golden Road" (apparently the name is due to the cost to build it) along the east coast of South Harris to Roghdal/ Rodel. The landscape here is one of the roughest I've ever seen. It just seems to consists out of a rocky surfaced with some grass and heather growing in between. And most people live on this side of Harris, a result of the clearances when the western side was cleared to allow for sheep to graze... I had dinner in the recently reopened Rodel Hotel before turning my attention to the west coast with its beaches and dunes. By now the rain had started to clear and the sun came through for some very nice evening light. Without many words a few impressions below: