I walked around the Heribusta lane a few days ago. This afternoon I’m doing it in reverse – clockwise, the right way round with a moorland “extra”. Once again, other than the museum and Flora’s grave, the place is deserted – the moor even more so – it’s desolate. Almost… There are the inevitable sheep, and once again a cuckoo and some curlews. There’s a bonus – the swanee whistle tooting of three lapwings, flopping* around just above me – a good note to end on. Tomorrow we’re heading south.

*a better description of their flight than “flapping”?

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The Bornesketaig shore is remarkably similar in places – a pavement of hexagonal columns of black basalt rock. It’s not quite in the same league, but it’s good to look down on from the clifftops (and worth exploring, especially at low spring tides, when the gold cave may be accessible. Sadly, the gold’s all gone). The clifftop may be airy on this breezy afternoon, but the most dangerous part of this walk is probably the shore of Camas Mor bay – lots of big boulders, probably best avoided…
Having walked down the road past the ruined church, I’ll return to the village hall by the other road – saves retracing my steps…

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The sign at Kilmaluag points to Aird, which is where I’ll start. The path – now a part of the Skye Trail – leads across rough grassland, past the cemetery (Cladh), through the old settlement at Dunvannarain and on to the west coast clifftops, with great views to the north and west – from the little island of Trodday, the Shiants and the long island of Lewis and Harris to Skye’s northernmost tip at Rubha Hunish. I won’t be going out there today – instead, the seat just below the bothy (a former coastguard station) provides a wonderful view of the sea and the islands. It would also have been an excellent spot to nibble a piece of tablet – but I’d left it behind… Only slightly flawed perfection!

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I have to be in Uig this afternoon (a shopping trip!): I’ll make the most of the short journey with a walk up to the headland above the bay, to see the ferry (the MV Hebrides, or Innse Gall) arrive and depart. It’s a fine bright afternoon; there’s a cool breeze but at the tip of the headland there’s a comfortable little rock seat, which provides shelter and a great view of the pier. There are corncrakes down below in the grasslands and there’s a cuckoo somewhere nearby – but there’s no-one else around (I don’t think the visitors in their cars, struggling to avoid each other and the truly appalling potholes, will have heard them. Their loss!). This is a perfect place to idle away an hour.

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Friday 6 June: The morning should stay dry; we could have showers in the afternoon (we didn’t…). A morning walk should be pleasant, if rather cool. I’ll follow the very quiet road from the village hall, up through Heribusta, past the cemetery and museum (quite a few visitors here, on the short walk to Flora Macdonald’s grave) and back down the main road. The latter is surprisingly quiet too.  Not complaining…

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