PREVIOUS PAGE : Luskentyre Beach stretches along a wide bay where an estuary flows into the sea , flanked by vast sand Outer Hebrides landscape at secluded Huisinish Beach on Harris ’ far western coast ; Luskentyre is one of the largest a preserved Neo almost instantly lost all feeling in my feet and calves . These islands are often where Atlantic storms make their first landfall so it can get seriously cyclonic here , but Huisinish faces south and is protected by a great curved arm of grassy dunes , known locally as a machair . Also , we got lucky ; the day we came to play was calm with the lightest of breezes and wavelets that swished melodically , sounding not unlike the pronunciation of this beach ’ s Gaelic name . Huisinish ( also known as Hushinish and Huisinis ) was one of eight beaches we visited on the Isle of Harris and Lewis , which is actually one island and the largest in the UK , if you don ’ t count the mainland . Harris is the smaller , mountainous , southern part with Lewis the larger , flatter , peatbog-dominated northern bit . Wildest of all was Eoropie ( Traigh Shanndaigh in Gaelic ), which is up at the northern end of Lewis . It ’ s wide and faces due west , and on the grey day we showed up was displaying several rips and a
confused , boiling sea . So , instead of plunging in and getting dragged out into the North Atlantic , we snuggled up in the dunes under our Hebridean woollen blanket and sipped wee drams of delicious local Hearach single malt whisky . From Eoropie we walked a mile or so up to the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse at the northernmost tip of the island . No swimming here unless you ’ re a seal or an orca , but nearby we found a hidden bay called Port Stoth . It ’ s the most northerly beach in the Outer Hebrides and was as calm as a millpond . Amorous seagulls cooed at each other on their roosts on the low cliffs , daring us to take the plunge . Another beauty was Bosta ( Bostadh ), which is on the small islet of Great Bernera just off the west coast of Harris . It ’ s a trek to get there but worth it to explore the reconstructed Iron Age blackhouse on the machair , see ( and hear ) the Time and Tide Bell artwork and , of course , swim . We got to tick off another Outer Hebrides island and also dropped in to see the
PHOTOS : MATT BRACE ; PEARCE O ’ HALLORAN ; UNSPLASH
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