Arrival day: Arrive in Leverburgh
After a scenic ferry from Uig on the Isle of Skye or a flight landing in Stornoway, your trip begins at your accommodation in the village of Leverburgh.
B&B in Leverburgh (breakfast)
After a scenic ferry from Uig on the Isle of Skye or a flight landing in Stornoway, your trip begins at your accommodation in the village of Leverburgh.
B&B in Leverburgh (breakfast)
Stage 1: Leverburgh to Horgabost
Red 2 (grade) 18km with 400m ascent, 350m descent
This first stage is one of the most varied on the Northern Island, with stunning views of the white beaches and turquoise seascapes of Northton, Scarista and Horgabost. A low-lying route, the challange of the day is the traverse over wet ground. End the day with a taxi to your accommodation in Tarbert
Hotel in Tarbert (breakfast)
Red 2 (grade) 18km with 400m ascent, 350m descent
This first stage is one of the most varied on the Northern Island, with stunning views of the white beaches and turquoise seascapes of Northton, Scarista and Horgabost. A low-lying route, the challange of the day is the traverse over wet ground. End the day with a taxi to your accommodation in Tarbert
Hotel in Tarbert (breakfast)
Stage 2: Horgabost to Tarbert
Red 3 (grade) 29km with 600m ascent, 650m descent
Taxi a taxi back to Horgabost to continue the route. Today's stage, although long, follows mostly good paths and quiet single-track roads. Soak up the final views of Horgabost, Sheileboist and Luskentyre beach and head East to the Bays of Harris along the 'Coffin Route' once used by islanders on the East coast to carry bodies for burial to the graveyards of the West. The day ends at Tarbert, the tiny capital of Harris.
Hotel in Tarbert (breakfast)
Red 3 (grade) 29km with 600m ascent, 650m descent
Taxi a taxi back to Horgabost to continue the route. Today's stage, although long, follows mostly good paths and quiet single-track roads. Soak up the final views of Horgabost, Sheileboist and Luskentyre beach and head East to the Bays of Harris along the 'Coffin Route' once used by islanders on the East coast to carry bodies for burial to the graveyards of the West. The day ends at Tarbert, the tiny capital of Harris.
Hotel in Tarbert (breakfast)
Stage 3: Tarbert to Aline
Blue 3 (grade) 18km with 420m ascent, 400m descent
A shorter walk today, as the route heads North out of Tarbert alongside Lochannan Lacasdail. The walking is good, following mostly old roads and tracks. There's a section of wetter ground at the end of the day before the path descends to Scaladale on the edge of Loch Seaforth. Lastly climb the small hill Griamacleit (155m) for long views back to Harris. We take transport from Aline woodlands to Storonoway or Tarbert.
B&B off route from Aline woodlands (breakfast)
Blue 3 (grade) 18km with 420m ascent, 400m descent
A shorter walk today, as the route heads North out of Tarbert alongside Lochannan Lacasdail. The walking is good, following mostly old roads and tracks. There's a section of wetter ground at the end of the day before the path descends to Scaladale on the edge of Loch Seaforth. Lastly climb the small hill Griamacleit (155m) for long views back to Harris. We take transport from Aline woodlands to Storonoway or Tarbert.
B&B off route from Aline woodlands (breakfast)
Stage 4: Aline to Laxay
Red 3 (grade) 18km with 270m ascent, 270m descent
From Aline woodlands join the old road to Stornoway. At Airidh a Bhruaich the route heads out onto the moor. The path is wet in places but easy to follow. Later reach Baile Aleain (Balallan), one of the longest villages in Scotland and take to the moor again in a large loop giving distant views across Lewis. In the final stretch before Laxay cross over Abhainn Lacasaidh, one of Scotland's finest salmon fishing rivers.
B&B in Laxay (breakfast)
Red 3 (grade) 18km with 270m ascent, 270m descent
From Aline woodlands join the old road to Stornoway. At Airidh a Bhruaich the route heads out onto the moor. The path is wet in places but easy to follow. Later reach Baile Aleain (Balallan), one of the longest villages in Scotland and take to the moor again in a large loop giving distant views across Lewis. In the final stretch before Laxay cross over Abhainn Lacasaidh, one of Scotland's finest salmon fishing rivers.
B&B in Laxay (breakfast)
Stage 5: Laxay to Stornoway
Red 2 (grade) 25km with 300m ascent, 320m descent
The final section of the Hebridean Way is a walk of two distinct parts. The first stretch crosses the moorlands of Lewis on a raised turf path with stunning views stretching from the mainland hills in the East to the island of Great Bernera off the west coast of Lewis. After reaching the small village of Achmore, the route changes and now follows single track roads to the outskirts of Stornoway and the delightful Lews Castle which marks the official end of your journey.
B&B in Stornoway (breakfast)
Red 2 (grade) 25km with 300m ascent, 320m descent
The final section of the Hebridean Way is a walk of two distinct parts. The first stretch crosses the moorlands of Lewis on a raised turf path with stunning views stretching from the mainland hills in the East to the island of Great Bernera off the west coast of Lewis. After reaching the small village of Achmore, the route changes and now follows single track roads to the outskirts of Stornoway and the delightful Lews Castle which marks the official end of your journey.
B&B in Stornoway (breakfast)
Departure Day: Depart from Stornoway
Enjoy your last breakfast in Stornoway before departing from the trip. Take the ferry to Ullapool and enjoy the views back to the islands and forward to the mainland. If time allows this is a good chance to explore the remote North West corner of Scotland, before taking the bus to Inverness for onward travel by train or bus.
Enjoy your last breakfast in Stornoway before departing from the trip. Take the ferry to Ullapool and enjoy the views back to the islands and forward to the mainland. If time allows this is a good chance to explore the remote North West corner of Scotland, before taking the bus to Inverness for onward travel by train or bus.
Options
Our main route of 5 stages allows you to complete the entire route without any unduly long days. The limited accommodation along the route means that we book some taxi transfers to get to and from the end points of the route to the hotels. This means that it's quiet easy to make the trip shorter or longer, by changing the taxi pick up points, and spending multiple nights in the same hotel. We advise on the main options below, but please do just get in touch for further options.
Make the trip shorter
The stages on our standard Hebridean Way are already quite long, however if you’re up for a quick dash across the islands we’d suggest walking from Tarbert to Laxy in 1 stage. This gives a very long stage of 40km, so it’s harder to recommend, but please do contact us for more information.
Make the trip longer
For anyone looking to shorten the stages of the trek, we are more than happy to advise about splitting up the longer days, however this will mean using more transport. We suggest splitting up the long day between Horgabost and Tarbert where the route meets the road at Groesabhagh. Transport will then be taken for a further night in Tarbert.
Hike with a guide
Hike with confidence in the company of our fully qualified International Mountain Leaders (IMLs), with the navigation, accommodation and all arrangements taken care of. You're welcome to walk on any date within our season and we can adjust the hike to suit your needs. If your group would like a guide for your trip, please get in touch for more details.
Prices
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Hebridean Way North 2 May to 17 September 2021 |
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| Hutty | Classic | Comfy | |
| Self-guided | |||
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4 stages (5 nights) |
Please ask |
GBP 730 Singles 175 |
Please ask |
|
5 stages (6 nights) |
Please ask |
GBP 810 Singles 200 Main Trip |
Please ask |
|
6 stages (7 nights) |
Please ask |
GBP 890 Singles 225 |
Please ask |
| Private guided | |||
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5 stages (6 nights) Group of 4 or more |
Please ask |
GBP 1,410 Singles 200 |
Please ask |
|
5 stages (6 nights) Group of 1, 2 or 3 |
Please ask us | ||
| Options | |||
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Baggage transfer |
Please ask us | ||
Accommodation
Where we stay
Our standard schedule of accommodation uses a mix of comfy and welcoming hotels, inns and B&Bs. Breakfast is included every morning and we book ensuite rooms whenever possible. Unlike in the rest of the UK, most villages don’t have a pub or a restaurant, so we make greater use of hotels (with restaurants) than on our other UK holidays. We book accommodation as close to the route as possible but some taxi transfers to nearby accommodaiton are needed to get to accommodaiton, and these are included in the holiday. Your info pack contains full details of your accommodation including contact details and directions.
Hutty and Comfy
Due to the more limited accommodation options along the Hebridean Way, we don’t currently offer trips using more basic, or more comfy accommodation than our classic itinerary. If you’d like to specialise your accommodation in either of these ways, please contact us and we’ll advise on the small ways we can alter your trip.
Single Supplement
The single supplement covers the additional cost of booking a single room on every night, rather than two people sharing a room.
Our standard schedule of accommodation uses a mix of comfy and welcoming hotels, inns and B&Bs. Breakfast is included every morning and we book ensuite rooms whenever possible. Unlike in the rest of the UK, most villages don’t have a pub or a restaurant, so we make greater use of hotels (with restaurants) than on our other UK holidays. We book accommodation as close to the route as possible but some taxi transfers to nearby accommodaiton are needed to get to accommodaiton, and these are included in the holiday. Your info pack contains full details of your accommodation including contact details and directions.
Hutty and Comfy
Due to the more limited accommodation options along the Hebridean Way, we don’t currently offer trips using more basic, or more comfy accommodation than our classic itinerary. If you’d like to specialise your accommodation in either of these ways, please contact us and we’ll advise on the small ways we can alter your trip.
Single Supplement
The single supplement covers the additional cost of booking a single room on every night, rather than two people sharing a room.
Route
The Hebridean Way is a relatively new walk, launched in 2017. Our Hebridean Way North trip covers the sections of the route on Harris and Lewis. You will be staying in the comfiest accommodation as close to the route as possible, but some taxis will be needed to get to and from your next hotel or B&B.
Alpine Exploratory's 2020 research on the Hebridean Way was led by Hannah G and Simon Stevens in August
The Terrain
The Hebridean Way terrain comprises wild sections of moorland, narrow hillside paths, farm tracks, and roads. The Hebridean Way North includes long sections over moorland and amongst small lochs. The ground underfoot can be very wet and sturdy waterproof boots are essential. Peat provides a challenge for maintaining paths across the wet ground, as rocks can sink into the soil. Raised turf paths have been built to show the way and keep feet dry. Old military roads, often running close to today's roads, provide good paths underfoot and are used where possible, but there is still a lot of road walking on the route.
Is it for me?
The Hebridean Way North is a manageable trek for fit walkers who are happy to walk for between roughly 5 and 8 hours per day along a long-distance trail. Some of the days are a little longer than one might normally plan for due the location of accommodation. However, the easy flat sections often let the miles pass quicker than expected. The Hebridean Way will suit walkers who are looking for a little isolation in a wild location. Shops, cafes and restaurants are few and far between, so planning where to buy food is more important than on other treks.
Difficulty
The challenge of the Hebridean Way comes not in high mountain days but in the general remoteness and wild atmosphere of the Western Isles. The settlements are scarce and there are few refreshments stops or points of shelter on many stages. There is no climbing or scrambling, and very few sections of steep rocky paths. With little ascent and descent, the sometimes quite long distances are the key thing to consider, with the longest day in our normal schedule being 29km.
For an even more detailed read, please see our Hebridean Way Walking Guide
How to get there
Your holiday starts in the small village of Leverburgh and ends in Stornoway on Lewis, the main town of the Outer Hebrides. The quickest way to arrive and depart is to fly directly to and from Stornoway airport. The ferries also work well. You can take the ferry from Uig on Isle of Skye to Talbert, and then catch a bus or taxi onto Leverburgh. For your return, you can go from Stornoway to Ullapool.
Travel to and from the trip is not included in the holiday price. We take care to give the most useful notes possible about all the travel options. We supply these both on booking and in your info pack, and we offer personalised tips at any point. The aim is that our trekkers arrange their travel by the simplest and most scenic means as suits their plan.
Included
- Bespoke accommodation itinerary - tailored to suit your particular requirements
- Breakfast every morning
- Taxis to and from your accommodaiton when needed
- Detailed Routecards HBW8-12 of the Exploratory system, printed on waterproof paper
- The 3 topographical maps needed
- Expert advice and local information
- A comprehensive 'Season Update' following our pre-season recce
- Full support during your trip from the Alpine Exploratory team (8am until 8pm in the UK)
Not included
- Travel to and from your trip
- Local transport whilst on the trip unless specified
- Travel insurance
- Lunches, snacks, drinks and evening meals
- Baggage transfers (available as an extra)
Baggage transfer
Our baggage option on the Hebridean Way takes your bag to each night's accommodation. In the morning, simply leave your bag with your host or at reception and we will make sure that it will be waiting for you at your next accommodation.
Booking form for the Hebridean Way North
2021
Your dates
Got questions about the Hebridean Way North?
Feel free to ask us any questions you have about any aspects of your planning and preparations! Lucy, Steph, Hannah W, Hannah G, or Nicky will reply with expert advice. We spend a lot of time walking our routes and more broadly exploring ski and hiking trails around the world so do feel free to ask anything at all.
Hebridean Way North enquiry form
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If you prefer, please feel welcome to email or call us. Thanks!
| Contact Alpine Exploratory | |
| info@alpineexploratory.com | |
| Phone | +44 (0)131 214 1144 |
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