Friday was to be the final day and predominatly featured a dash for The Butt of Lewis on road bikes, but not before some other 'fun and games'. Friday's first summit was the high point on West Lewis - Mealaisbhal - which at 574m and rising straight from the Atlantic, gives great views of St.Kilda, and back towards the high hills of Harris, and yesterday's routes. A rough MTB track gives access to a glen valley bisecting these hills and a route through to Loch Tamnabhaigh. The alternative was to road bike around the coastal road, but you truely are starting from sea level, so 574 metres feels like a lot more.
A second 'High Point' of the day was Callanish Standing Stones, and coffee at the visitor centre. Why? well you don't want to come here and miss out on what is the northern version of Stonehenge, which Wilko had raced past two years ago without noticing. Callanish is also situated on a penisula which juts out into Loch Rog An Ear and is where the kayakers had exited the water after a relatively calm paddle, and with the sun shining brightly.
From here, the northern reaches of Lewis are a vast rough wilderness and in previous year's I have biked and 'run' across sections of this. However, the much more sensible option is to blast up the main coastal road, a gentle undulating roller coaster, most usually with a tail wind. This 35 mile ride put big grins on all faces and I was very pleased to, more or less, greet everyone at The But as we finished within an hour or so of each other.
That's it. B2B over - it worked, just! All which remained was a night out in Stornoway at the new cury house for those on the early Saturday ferry, or an impromptu party at The Cross Inn, just south of The Butt, thanks to Emma and her Smart phone and parents.
Thank you to everyone who came and made it a success; there were some lessons learned, but the greatest is that we can all have fun and adventure without too much organisation. Less is definitely More, so what about next year? The weather's good in May, apparently.
Joe
Monday 19 July 2010
Friday 16 July 2010
HeB2B - What a success!
I never thought I'd have writer's block, or is it that I don't know where to start?
HeB2B, the 'unofficial' Heb planned in the spirit of Tilman on the back of an envelope (two cereal boxes actually) was a great success. Twenty odd (!) people biked and ran from one end of the Hebrides to the other, ascending all or most of the highest peaks on each island. Many also biked the classic MTB loops of Harris, and added their own little adventures, such as swimming Loch Langabhat in the middle of Lewis. Simple Adventure. Not a marshall or timekeeper in sight - it worked.
The weather was stormy, especially at the start of the week with the Oban-Barra ferry disrupted so that some could not get there for the 'Prologue'; a gentle spin around Barra with the ascents of the highest points on Barra and Vatersay. It was windy but dry with fair views, but the rain and wind came in force on Tuesday as we blasted north over The Uists and Benbecula. Quite rightly some 'optional' summits were missed out by some, in a long day of road biking and hill running. Personally, I really enjoyed a ten hour day with a tail wind pushing me north at 15-20mph, with the time split 50/50% on biking/hill running.
The kayakers had been out on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday as the wind built to storm force. Another wild camp on the Machair of Berneray was followed by a drier but still winding day for the crossing of the Sound of Harris, and few more hills, and the south Harris loop. Skoon Art Cafe featured very well as a popular 'optional summit.'
Wednesday was the day we had Blue Peter's Helen Skelton join us for a Bike/run/paddle day. Helen did very well on a hired hybrid bike as we cycled the hill over to Tarbet and upto Clisham car park. An ascent of Clisham followed (2000+ feet of bog, rock and scree) and again I was impressed with her fitness and spirit. Unfortunately, filming does absorb a lot of time so we weren't able to 'run' all the way through the Lewis wilderness if we were to get the paddling leg done on Loch Roag Beag. The wind was still very strong alhough from the south, but a tail wind can be tricky in a sea kayak and they had to round the headland onto the beach. I know from the look on the faces and the general buzz on the beach that it had been a tough paddle. Many thanks are due to Tom as 'lead paddler' for making this happen, and to Alex and Colin, also. Helen's day had been filmed as part of the Country Tracks programme and it will be interesting to see how it is appears on the TV.
Meanwhile, Euan had quietly sussed out and swam Loch Langhabat, therefore straightlining the wilderness. He was generously assisted by Claire, who swam both ways in order to test the water before biking back out and around to the north. He arrived after his (relatively short) run looking well satisfied. It think this is simply brilliant and in the true spirit of HeB adventure; watch out for it next year.
Over the next few hours more athletes arrived including those who had 'Hike-a-Biked' through the Wilderness, rather than the 50+ mile road ride around, including AndyM who never misses any options out. (But he did look a bit pooped for a while) It had been a great day; tough weather, rough conditions underfoot, interesting stuff with Helen and Gareth from the BBC, but people had all risen to the challenge and proved that the spirit of adventure is alive and kicking (no pun intended)
More soon....
Joe
HeB2B, the 'unofficial' Heb planned in the spirit of Tilman on the back of an envelope (two cereal boxes actually) was a great success. Twenty odd (!) people biked and ran from one end of the Hebrides to the other, ascending all or most of the highest peaks on each island. Many also biked the classic MTB loops of Harris, and added their own little adventures, such as swimming Loch Langabhat in the middle of Lewis. Simple Adventure. Not a marshall or timekeeper in sight - it worked.
The weather was stormy, especially at the start of the week with the Oban-Barra ferry disrupted so that some could not get there for the 'Prologue'; a gentle spin around Barra with the ascents of the highest points on Barra and Vatersay. It was windy but dry with fair views, but the rain and wind came in force on Tuesday as we blasted north over The Uists and Benbecula. Quite rightly some 'optional' summits were missed out by some, in a long day of road biking and hill running. Personally, I really enjoyed a ten hour day with a tail wind pushing me north at 15-20mph, with the time split 50/50% on biking/hill running.
The kayakers had been out on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday as the wind built to storm force. Another wild camp on the Machair of Berneray was followed by a drier but still winding day for the crossing of the Sound of Harris, and few more hills, and the south Harris loop. Skoon Art Cafe featured very well as a popular 'optional summit.'
Wednesday was the day we had Blue Peter's Helen Skelton join us for a Bike/run/paddle day. Helen did very well on a hired hybrid bike as we cycled the hill over to Tarbet and upto Clisham car park. An ascent of Clisham followed (2000+ feet of bog, rock and scree) and again I was impressed with her fitness and spirit. Unfortunately, filming does absorb a lot of time so we weren't able to 'run' all the way through the Lewis wilderness if we were to get the paddling leg done on Loch Roag Beag. The wind was still very strong alhough from the south, but a tail wind can be tricky in a sea kayak and they had to round the headland onto the beach. I know from the look on the faces and the general buzz on the beach that it had been a tough paddle. Many thanks are due to Tom as 'lead paddler' for making this happen, and to Alex and Colin, also. Helen's day had been filmed as part of the Country Tracks programme and it will be interesting to see how it is appears on the TV.
Meanwhile, Euan had quietly sussed out and swam Loch Langhabat, therefore straightlining the wilderness. He was generously assisted by Claire, who swam both ways in order to test the water before biking back out and around to the north. He arrived after his (relatively short) run looking well satisfied. It think this is simply brilliant and in the true spirit of HeB adventure; watch out for it next year.
Over the next few hours more athletes arrived including those who had 'Hike-a-Biked' through the Wilderness, rather than the 50+ mile road ride around, including AndyM who never misses any options out. (But he did look a bit pooped for a while) It had been a great day; tough weather, rough conditions underfoot, interesting stuff with Helen and Gareth from the BBC, but people had all risen to the challenge and proved that the spirit of adventure is alive and kicking (no pun intended)
More soon....
Joe
Thursday 1 July 2010
Last Minute Stuff
Off to The Hebrides tomorrow for HeB2B. It's going to be fun, and a bit of an adventure .... a journey, no less!
B2B has 20-30 people arriving on a remote Hebridean island, many of which haven't been there before. The Hebrides are a remote place; five hours ferry ride from Oban, and at least a days drive from 'the UK'. But it is also a fabulous place, wild and inspiring, weather ever changing and with welcoming and embracing community of people.
It is going to be an adventure of the purest kind; shared objective, realistic outcome, good companionship. I hope so, I know so.
Let's have some fun. Don't worry ... be happy.
B2B has 20-30 people arriving on a remote Hebridean island, many of which haven't been there before. The Hebrides are a remote place; five hours ferry ride from Oban, and at least a days drive from 'the UK'. But it is also a fabulous place, wild and inspiring, weather ever changing and with welcoming and embracing community of people.
It is going to be an adventure of the purest kind; shared objective, realistic outcome, good companionship. I hope so, I know so.
Let's have some fun. Don't worry ... be happy.
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