Walking on Harris and Lewis: 30 Routes in the Outer Hebrides (British Mountains) [Paperback]

The first thing to say about this book is that it has practicality as a primary criterion. From the book's size being perfectly proportioned for the pocket of a waterproof jacket to the delightful detail of the four (yes, four) appendices in what appears to be a small book, but which has an encyclopedic degree of useful information packed into its petite pages.

One thing is clear from the tone of the guide - the author is not only a person who is dedicated to making the experience of walking in these rugged islands as painless as possible, but that he also has gathered together more knowledge on the scenery and sights to see on the islands of Harris and Lewis than any man should reasonably expect to garner in a mere lifetime.

Do not be discouraged by the apparent paucity of the number of pages dedicated to each walk. The information provided is obviously and immediately useful to the walker struggling to orient themselves in a difficult terrain, with references to the most intimate of details about the direction of peaks, walls, trials and water features, although you will find the short glossary of local words for things a god-send if the local words are unfamiliar.

At each turn the easiest or best route is described, which, given the unpredictable nature of the conditions of the terrain, this had to be one of the most thankful features of the route descriptions.

One thing I found particularly startling was the quality of the mapping used to describe the walk. Small pools of Ordnance Survey detail have been included for every walk, showing just the level of detail required to encompass the route - surely better than fighting with flapping maps in a strong wind?

There is frequent mention of the local wildlife, in particular the bird population, and for the hunter of neolithic monuments special attention seems to have been paid to ensuring that each and every one of these islands' rich heritage is mentioned if not pictured.

A final word about the photographs. If, like me, you are a regular rambler in the British Isles then you will undoubtedly be familiar with the sunny stock photographs that accompany many of these so-called guide books, which one gets the feeling have been created within the comfortable warmth of a writing studio far from the fields of action. I am assured by the lo0uring clouds and dramatic landscapes specific to each walk to feel that this is an author who really walks his own walks, and that sense of familiar passion comes through every page of the guide. These are real ramblers taking real photographs, rather than travel journalists filling a gap in the market with stock footage and fantasy tracks.

I feel that this guide is likely to firmly establish itself as the definitive guide to the wonders of the Herbridean islands for some time to come, and I'm glad someone has gone to the very great trouble of doing the job so very well. A must-buy for real-world hikers.

While I can't claim to have tried all of the walks described in this book, for those where I did use it I found it helpful. The terrain covered is varied but often wild, remote and trackless. The descriptions are good but despite the maps given I would be reluctant to use this (or any other guide) in these remote places without a map, a compass and preferably a GPS. The author himself says this. What the book does tell you that is not available from just examining the relevant OS map, is whether a particular route is likely to be within the capabilities of a walker, whether there is scrambling involved and an estimate of any difficulty, exposure or sheer drop. I found these important details to be accurate. So, in using this book to walk one of the Harris ridges (Ullabhal, Oirebhal, Cleisabhal) for the first time in low cloud and rain, it gave sufficient extra detail to allow myself and my companion to navigate our way over the ridge and back down to the road without too many problems. It was particularly useful in giving landmarks which, even if one can't see them at the time, allow a bearing to be taken from the map. We tried several other walks, though none in such poor conditions as the Ullabhal ridge, and the level of detail was about right for us. I would perhaps argue with the direction in which some of the walks are given but it is easy to go the other way around (eg Tiorga Mor).

Although there are a number of walking guides to the Western Isles, this is the most comprehensive I have come across. It is the only commercially available guidebook that I have seen that includes all the North Harris Hill ridges, so this is a timely and welcome publication and it enhanced my enjoyment of the Western Isles. It includes walks of various levels of strenuousness and many that can be safely undertaken when the weather is poor. It would be a useful purchase for anyone holidaying in the Western Isles who intends to go for a walk. Incidentally - the Tiorga Mor walk, clockwise on a fine day, is one of the best walks I've ever done - fantastic views to St Kilda and a glorious panorama N into the Lewis wilderness and S across the Harris beaches to the Uists.

This series of Cicerone Walking books is superb and this one is no exception. We managed 4 of the walks during our 1-week holiday on Harris (fantastic Island by the way). All routes that we followed were accurately described, with useful measures of difficulty and durations and containing many interesting asides.
My one slight criticism is that all walks are quite substantial. The younger & older members of our group would have appreciated a couple of shorter or less strenuous. However, this is a small gripe and for anyone with a reasonable level of fitness and an interest in exploring some of the more remote and dramatic areas of Harris & Lewis this is the book for you.
It was also delivered earlier than expected, just as well as I ordered it only a couple of days before we departed.