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Walking on Harris and Lewis
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Product Description
Product Description
This walking guide describes 30 day walks all over the Isle of Harris and Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides. All easily accessible from Stornaway or Tarbet. Routes vary from short strolls to long wilderness hikes, high-level and low-level, and include the An Cliseam horseshoe, visits to ancient historic monuments like the stone circles of Calanais and the famous Butt of Lewis lighthouse, all illustrated with OS maps and dramatic photography. The routes in this guide range from 4km to 22km and take in most of the main summits as well as lots of the antiquities and other places of interest. A list of all the Marilyns (British hills of any height with a drop of at least 150m on all sides) on Harris, Lewis and St Kilda is included at the back. Much of the Long Island, as its known, is remote and walkers are not likely to encounter anyone else in their explorations, so these walks are for well-equipped, experienced hikers with good navigational skills. Tips are also included about walking on St Kilda, Berneray, Taransay, The Shiant Islands and The Flannan Isles, along with a short Gaelic glossary and route summary table.
About the Author
Richard Barrett spent his working life as a professional marketer, but still found time for climbing, winter mountaineering and sea kayaking. Having fallen in love with the Harris Hills in 2007, he is now set to relocate to Maraig in North Harris, where he and his wife are building a guest house. This is his first book for Cicerone.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format: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.
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.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
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.
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.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Unlike the reviewer below who obviously thought this was a bit of a cabbage, I thought it was a lettuce - a little gem! Although I'm only a weekend rambler and only had time for two of the walks I found it both informative and practical and had no problems at all - and what's more I didn't get lost. I particularly liked the fact it was written with a light touch and humour by an author who clearly loves the island. Recommended!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
walking in the isles
A really good book with all types of walks which I have used to plan my holiday according to the severity of the walks on offer.
Published 16 months ago by Gillian Holt
Inaccurate and misleading descriptions !!!
During my walking holidays at the Isle of Lewis and Harris I bought this guide book, as there were few official hiking trails on the islands, the book was available everywhere and... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Little Specter
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