Just back from 12 days holiday touring the West coast of Scotland. Pretty dodgy weather whilst on mainland but it all turned good once we got out to Lewis and I got out almost every day once we left mainland.

Thought I would post some pics etc in case anyone else wanted to head up that way.

I got my first kitesurf at Troon on the way up to test out my wrist and it was all good (did my back in pumping up my kite though but luckily it only took a couple of days to stand up straight again).

Then onto Skye to test out my DIY van conversion for the first time and it all worked pretty well. No wind but then I didn't see anywhere suitable to kitesurf on Skye, every bit of shore line was rocky. Got eaten alive by midges but it was all good looking back now.

Here was the van in action. Felt pretty embarrassed given the size of the awning for just 2 of us.



After Skye we got on the ferry to Tarbert and headed to the place that was going to be our camp site for the next 4 days - Reef beach near Kneep and Uig. This place was amazing, it was within the dunes right on a stunning beach with next to nobody around and the beach was gorgeous, white sands etc etc. The campsite was just to the right of the second picture.





The loo block was a bit below par though:



Only kidding, facilities where basic but it had everything you need. No hook up for the van but the leisure battery lasted well, I even got full reception on the aerial...was quite weird watching the Olympics .The wind was pretty good around here and worked well in the Northerly winds that we got:

Another day we did a bit of exploring and Uig was only a few miles away from here, not the right wind direction but this has to be one of the best places I've seen to kitesurf. It picks up no swell and on a high tide it's approx 2 feet deep for hundreds of meters. The picture below is the spot at low tide, to the left of this image is the huge lagoon that floods as the tide comes in.



On the way there we passed Valtos, a great beach that gets amazing surf. Nothing epic when we where there though which is just as well as on a good day I headed out to find out that whilst my wrist was ok for kitesurfing it was no where near strong enough yet for the quick press up onto the surf board. Here is a pic of Valtos on a small day:



I also checked out a fresh water loch that had a sandy shore (not that many around up here) at Barvis and this was the flattest water I've been in for a long while (not quite as flat as Blackpool but pretty close!). It's a couple of feet deep everywhere I fell off, even in the middle. The water has a worrying brown tint but that's due to all the peat land surrounding it. I shared the spot with a herd of cows! There is an amazing reef on the other side as well which would keep any surfer happy.



After camping we went onto Stornoway and met some of the locals on the way up:



Stornoway was pretty cool. Not huge but good pubs and good restaurants. We stayed in a hotel which was not so good so then moved to an excellent B&B, the owners where very friendly and even gave us packed lunch for the days.

The wind was at it's best whilst we stayed at Stornoway. It came from the East at 20+ knots each day and there are 3 beaches on the doorstep which all work in this direction. I went to the closest called Coll (10 minutes drive). Again, white sands, very very nice. Not quite matching the west coast beaches but still better than 90% of places I've been.





I only met 1 other kitesurfer when I was there. A really friendly local called Craig. I was stupid enough to leave my board at the beach, went back 2 hours later and it was gone. Later on Craig saw my van parked up and had picked up my board and was trying to find me to bring it back - definitely the extra mile for someone I had just met.

We got really lucky with the weather but even if it's not windy or the weather is generally rubbish there is still plenty to do on Lewis. I had been before but just for surfing (within 30 minutes in the surf on that trip I had put my teeth through my bottom lip and spent the next 3 hours in A&E....the surf gets pretty mental up here ) but never for kiting. I actually preferred it to the times I've been to Tiree. Tiree is awesome but Lewis won for me in variety. You have to travel further to the spots but it's got everything you could want, good surf as a backup and more choice for pubs, restaurants, accommodation and general touristy things to do which kept Katie happy.

Definitely want to go back very soon. If you think of heading up there just pop me an email and I can give you loads of information on the places we stayed and where I kitesurfed etc.

Cheers,

James

Wow, looked like a great trip, some beautiful looking beaches there. Looks like you've got some good accomodation sorted with the van + tent

James that looks stunning - I've looked at Google maps a few times and thought the place looked spectacular and now I know - just got convince my partner to do without 4* plus accomodation and 30 degree C heat!!

It really was an awesome trip, I still keep day dreaming at work about the white sands and turquoise waters - I would go back tomorrow if I could.

How long did it take you to get over there James ? Looks really nice - A bit like Budle
That highland cow thou is scratty looking !

It took me ages as I went via loads of places, Troon, Loch Lomond, Skye etc.

We got the ferry from Skye to Tarbert (Isle of Harris) and then drove from Harris to Lewis but the quickest would be a drive to Ullapool (7-8 hours) and then a ferry straight to Stornoway (2.5 hours). You would definately need more than a weekend

nekitesu wrote:You would definately need more than a weekend

And a van by the sounds of it !

Hi James

Looks like you were very very very very lucky with the weather compared to our trip 2 years ago. We stayed exactly the same place as you. That was the trip that prompted me into buying the VW Camper.

After several days of more or less constant rain and drizzle my opinion of Lewis is somewhat different - grey rock, grey skies, grey sea, grey houses, grey rain and absolutely stuff all else to do. Not even a pub although we were lucky that it was the Tribal kite jam and Dave from Western Isles Kites had organised a beer tent. A one day trip down to Harris was a bit of a godsend as it is at least not grey and had much nicer beaches, but thats a 70 mile drive.

I'd completely disagree with the comparison to Tiree. We've been there several times now and in general had brilliant weather and it doesn't matter where the wind comes form as there's always a good beach to get either a cross or cross on wind and all within 10 mins of each other. Also note - highest average sunshine in the UK!

We did the same Skye Tarbet crossing to save a bit cash, but to be honest I think it's probably quicker and more relaxing to go straight to Ullapool and pay the bit extra for the direct crossing to Stornaway

I know where I'd rather go back to any time and (apologies to Dave) it isn't Lewis.

Cheers
Steve

I think you were more unlucky than me lucky.

If it rains all day and there's no wind, everywhere is going to look miserable. I definately scored it in terms of weather, it was up there as one of the best road trips.

Not sure how you 'completely disagree' with my comparison? "Tiree is awesome but Lewis won for me in variety. You have to travel further to the spots but it's got everything you could want, good surf as a backup and more choice for pubs, restaurants, accommodation and general touristy things to do which kept Katie happy"

- Tiree is awesome - true, no denying this. It is perfect for kitesurfers.
- You have to travel further to the spots - true, we drove 30-45 mins at times.
- Good surf - this is surely undisputed. It has some of the best waves in Europe and gets far more regular swell than Tiree as it's not shadowed in any N, W and SW swell.
- More choice of pubs, restaurants, accommodation - true, it's bigger, it has quite a large town (for the highlands) with tons of pubs. Campsites, B&B's, hotels and hostels are everywhere
- General Touristy things - we never got around them all, ancient stones (5000 BC), ancient croft bunkers, spectacular headland walks at Europie, Golf courses (not my cup of tea), sea treks, whale watching, fishing trips etc etc.
- katie happy - true

We got the ferry to Tarbert as we wanted to visit Skye and Harris on the way up. This is a great option if you want to check out all the areas but if you just want to get there then Ullapool to Stornaway is definately the most direct.

Just goes to show how much weather plays a part in these trips. If it's windy and sunny its going to be a corker wherever you go. I'm a big fan of Blyth when it's 20knots SE

Shame you didnt make Seilebost on Harris while you were there, possibly the most stunning beach ive ever seen.

Uig is amazing, we had a lot of sessions on there but its very direction dependant. Reef gets really gusty due to the islands just offshore, i wasnt that keen on it. Barvis loch is terrific, we had the wrong directions though but Dan spent a good few days on it before we arrived.

The beach at Valtos is called Cliffe and is a well known surf spot - difficult to kite though, would need an onshore which would be rubbish for the waves.

As for Tiree - no comparison for kitesurfing, it is so much better than Lewis. But, Lewis has more variety in terms of things to do so id go back there if i wasnt just wanting to kitesurf.

Tiree for constant kitesurfing.

Lewis for the odd bit of kitesurfing with good extras for people who dont kitesurf.

They're both awsome spots though.

Hi, Cant believe you went all that way and didnt say hi to Dave!!
Revv
ps Lewis is great but Tiree is awesome!!

Rather rude not saying hi to Dave while you where there! Guess you didnt do so much research before you went PS surfed all the spots you visited and more local knowledge helps

I did a ton of research before I went away I don't know Dave. Met some other local kitesurfers though at Coll, great guys.

P.s All the spots....you'll be wanting a blue peter badge

There are a couple of good spots to kite on Skye.

Just before you get to Broadford, if you're driving onto Skye from the mainland, there is a place called Ashaig. You turn off he main road after a small bridge, sign points you to Lower Breakish. You can drive right down to a wee parking area next to the beach. Its probably best at low tide as you get a beach to rig up on. Otherwise you can rig on the grass, ping up the kite, use the stile to get over the fence and the water's right there. Works best with any wind direction from the North. There are loads of islands at different states of the tide which create some flat water areas and you sometimes get a good swell further out if there has been a few days of northerlies.

Another good spot is Torrin. Probably more useful as it works with S or SW prevailing wind. Driving into the village from Broadford you take a hard right at the turn off next to an old shed with a rusty tin roof, drive down to the end of the road and park up. You've got to walk down a path to the beach, alongside a river, through some trees. Its an awesome spot as well. There's a big bit of grass to set up on at the top of the beach. Any state of the tide is fine.