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The Hebrides

50 Walking and Backpacking Routes

ISBN

9781852847050

Availability

Published

17 Apr 2015

Reprinted

29 May 2020

Edition

First

Pages

256

Size

24.00 x 17.00 x 1.80cm

Weight

720g

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Inspirational guidebook to 50 varied walking and backpacking routes in the Hebrides, featuring classics such as the Skye Cuillin and the Paps of Jura, but also many lesser-known routes on Jura, Scarba, Islay, Colonsay, Rum, Eigg, Canna, Muck, Coll, Tiree, Mull, Skye, Raasay, Harris, Lewis, Berneray, North Uist, South Uist, Barra and St Kilda.

Seasons

The Hebrides are a wonderful place to walk year-round, though in spring and autumn you'll avoid summer's midges and tourists and winter's storms and short days.

Centres

Bowmore, Craighouse, Scalasaig, Salen, Craignure, Baile Mòr, Arinagour, Scarinish, Kinloch, Galmisdale, A' Chill, Port Mòr, Broadford, Sligachan, Portree, Castlebay, Lochboisdale, Howmore, Lochmaddy, Borve, Tarbert, Stornoway, Timsgearraidh

Difficulty

The walks in this guidebook are suitable for experienced walkers with good fitness and navigational competence. Many of the routes have no waymarkers or signposts and the terrain is often rough, rugged and pathless. Routes are not graded, though the introduction to each walk makes clear the scope and strenuousness and any difficulties involved.

Must See

Some of the British Isles best coastal walks are found in the Hebrides. There are many miles of wild, beautiful coastline garlanded with white sand beaches, vertiginous cliffs, rugged headlands and magnificent geological features. Awesome volcanic peaks and rocky whale-backed ridges provide some serious hill-walking challenges with stunning island vistas.

ISBN

9781852847050

Availability

Published

17 Apr 2015

Reprinted

29 May 2020

Edition

First

Pages

256

Size

24.00 x 17.00 x 1.80cm

Weight

720g

Overview

This inspirational guidebook describes 50 varied walking and backpacking routes on the Scottish Hebrides islands, set out in a larger format, and illustrated with a range of stunning photographs. The 50 walks are spread across both well-known and remote islands; from Skye, Mull, Rum, the Uists and Barra, Ulva, Iona, Eigg and Muck and more besides. Most of the walks provide a full day for experienced walkers, with a few multi-day backpacking adventures as well as some shorter routes.

The walks also include Hebrides classics, like the Trotternish Ridge, Ben More, Skye and Rum Cuillins, the Paps of Jura and full circuits of smaller islands. Each walk combines clear route description with mapping and spectacular photography, while also advising on the route's facilities, public transport access, length and terrain. The result is a collection of the very best walks with which to uncover the wild and rugged beauty of the Hebrides.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Map key

Overview map

Preface

Introduction

Geology

History

People, language and culture

Wildlife

Plants and flowers

Getting to the islands

Getting around

When to go

Access, camping and bothies

Safety and emergencies

What to take

Maps and route-finding

Mountain weather

River crossing

Biting beasties

Using this guide

The routes

Islay

Walk 1 Rhuvaal and northwest coast

Walk 2 An Cladach and Beinn Bheigier

Walk 3 Ardnave Point

Jura

Walk 4 The west coast of Jura

Walk 5 The Paps of Jura

Walk 6 Ardlussa to Corpach Bay and Am Miadar

Walk 7 Evans’ Walk to Glenbatrick Bay (and return)

Scarba

Walk 8 Cruach Scarba

Colonsay

Walk 9 South Colonsay Coast and Oronsay

Walk 10 Lower Kilchattan to Kiloran Bay

The Garvellachs

Walk 11 Garbh Eileach

Mull

Walk 12 Ben More

Walk 13 Beinn Talaidh via Glen Forsa

Walk 14 Carsaig Arches

Walk 15 Dùn da Ghaoithe

Ulva

Walk 16 Ormaig and the south side

Iona

Walk 17 Around Iona

Coll

Walk 18 Coll’s western tip

Tiree

Walk 19 Around the coast of east Tiree

Walk 20 Tiree’s west coast and three highest points

Rum

Walk 21 A Round of the Rum Cuillin

Walk 22 Kinloch to Harris Bay around the coast

Walk 23 The Guirdil Horseshoe

Eigg

Walk 24 An Sgùrr and Grulin

Canna

Walk 25 Around the coast of Canna

Muck

Walk 26 Gallanach Bay and Beinn Arien

Skye

Walk 27 The Beinn Deargs

Walk 28 Marsco

Walk 29 Blà Bheinn

Walk 30 Elgol to Camasunary

Walk 31 Loch Coruisk

Walk 32 Bruach na Frithe

Walk 33 Glen Ollisdal, Idrigill Point and Macleod’s Maidens

Walk 34 The Trotternish Ridge traverse

Raasay

Walk 35 Dùn Caan, Hallaig and the southern coast

Barra

Walk 36 The Barra watershed

South Uist

Walk 37 Hecla, Beinn Mhòr and South Uist’s wild east coast

North Uist

Walk 38 Eaval

Walk 39 Around the Udal peninsula

Berneray

Walk 40 Around Berneray

Harris and Lewis

Walk 41 Roineabhal and Rodel

Walk 42 The Clisham Horseshoe

Walk 43 North Harris mountains and moorland wilderness backpack

Walk 44 Huiseabhal Mòr, Oireabhal and Huiseabhal Beag

Walk 45 Circuit of Tòdun from Urgha

Walk 46 The Uig Hills

Walk 47 Uig Hills and coast backpack

Walk 48 West side coastal path

Walk 49 Tolstadh to Port Nis heritage walk

St Kilda

Walk 50 The hills and sea cliffs of Hirta

Appendix A Route summary table

Appendix B Glossary

Appendix C Useful contacts

Appendix D Further reading

Updates

November 2019

Route updates included in 2020 reprint

705 Reprint 2020 (3.056 MB)

July 2015

Correction

We have belatedly spotted that the map for Walk 7 in this book shows the start/finish point at Glenbatrick Bay, whereas it should be at the other end of the route line, on the A846. Apologies for any confusion caused.

Reviews

"This is by far the best walking book i have ever seen... The photos [are] breathtaking... Simply stunning."

"the author's love for this wild countryside shines through on every page. It's almost impossible to read it and not smell the sea-air flying on a strong westerly wind, lifting the waves and shuffling the grass. It's utterly inspirational."

"The book may be too large and heavy to carry, and a 50 route selection cannot do justice to what is some of the finest walking in the British Isles, but its key role is stimulating, motivational - and more - ‘The Hebrides’ is inspirational [and] demonstrates there is no shortage of challenges."

"Such is the quality of these guides that I happily award the maximum 5 stars and recommend them without question but do give consideration to what you want in terms of area. If you want something on most of the islands this guide is for you. If you want more in a smaller area, there are other Cicerone guides to look for. The Skye guide is particularly good."

"This is an excellent volume. Superbly well illustrated. Great introduction - history, archaeology, geology, anthropology. Author's passion shines through. The walks are are mostly for the fitter, more adventurous walker. I'll do them from my armchair. That way I can be sure I won't be mistaken for a deer and shot, during the hunting season."

A superbly photographed book of walks with very good descriptions of directions and a box with bullet points for each walk detailing the walk times/distances, set in a beautiful and virtually untouched area of Scotland.

A selection from Amazon

"This fine guide... acts as a compelling invitation to put on boots and pack a bag to become a highly informed Scottish islands explorer. The splendour of the sights and the intricacies of the islands are captured by the text, the images and the maps."

Scottish Islands Explorer, July 2015

"peter edwards knows corners and crevices of the hebrides like no-one else... not only is he well educated in the topography of each, but seems rather adept at capturing the beauty of each on what would once have been referred to as film. the photography in the hebrides is often breathtaking, particularly the mountainous regions of skye."

Read the full review on thewashingmachinepost website.

"WOW! It looks absolutely fantastic, really inspirational and one of the best books of its kind I've seen for a long time."

Trail magazine, April 2015

This great new guide achieves the tricky double of being inspirational and also practical. It offers 50 walking and backpacking routes, many of them distinctly off the beaten track, such as one to the highest point on the island of Scarba in the Firth of Lorn. Even when tackling familiar destinations, such as Clisham, on Harris, the author presents an appealing alternative to the obvious route. The maps and pictures are superb, too.

Scotland Outdoors magazine

The books published by Cicerone Press have long been firm favourites with anyone who loves hills, mountains and remote places, both in Scotland and far beyond it. With Cicerone, you know exactly what you are going to get, right? High quality and well researched walking routes presented beautifully in a form that can usually be slid into a fleece pocket. We recently commented very positively on the first of their books that broke away with their traditional, fairly plain covers. And then "The Hebrides: 50 Walking and Backpacking Routes by Peter Edwards" dropped through the letterbox with an uncharacteristically loud thump.

This is the first, or at least the first we have seen, of an entirely different approach by Cicerone to a walking book. The things that Cicerone always did best continue to be very well done indeed. The fifty walks set out here have been meticulously researched and well written. And the presentation is as clear and attractive as ever. Actually, it is better than ever. The main reason for this is one of scale. "The Hebrides: 50 Walking and Backpacking Routes by Peter Edwards" is a Cicerone guide on steroids. Gone is the "fit in a pocket" approach. This book is much larger, very much larger. Think large novel or sub-coffee table in size and you are getting there.

What this means in practice is more and bigger (excellent) photographs, longer descriptions and bigger and (as a result) clearer maps. The fifty walks that are included extend from the northern tip of Lewis in the north, to Islay in the south, and to St Kilda in the west. The walks featured are on popular and well known islands such as Skye and Mull, as well as on smaller and less well known ones such as Canna, Muck, Colonsay and Tiree. Also included are walks on islands that take more effort to reach than simply hopping on a CalMac ferry, such as Scarba, The Garvellachs, Ulva and St Kilda. The result is a book with something for everyone, and however well you know the Hebrides you'll find places here that are new and interesting. At one level this is a book that will inspire people to don their boots and turn their faces to the west. At another, the scaling up in size means that it is also a pleasure to read in its own right while firmly ensconced in an armchair, perhaps with a glass of whisky at your side.

Undiscovered Scotland, April 2015

By Peter Edwards

Since moving to Scotland from the south of England in 2006, Peter has developed a passion for the Hebrides. He lives at Rhenigidale on the Isle of Harris with his wife, Fiona, and their Labradors, Dougal and Mara.

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