HOSTELS IN HEBRIDES, ORKNEY, SHETLAND

• The Outer Hebrides or Western Isles are a world away--their atmosphere grows on you
• Orkney and Shetland--Two very different island groups: Orkney is verdant and full of history, Shetland is bleaker and equally fascinating

The Outer Hebrides, or Western Isles, are a world away. If you are trying to see as much as possible of Scotland in a short time, don't think of coming here. There are several areas of very different scenery -- mountains, rocky hillocks, peat moorland, empty beaches. If you come for 2 nights you'll see only one type, so you should come for at least 3 nights, and aim to see at least much of Harris and Lewis, which together comprise the largest island. On Sundays, ferries travel to the islands, but in Lewis there are no buses and nothing is open. If you want 5 or more days away from it all, you won't find anywhere better. Motoring is relaxing on the quiet roads, and cycling even better with nearly flat country for cycling, the biggest problem being the wind which blows strong and free over the wide-open landscapes.

Suggested short trips.

For a 2-day trip: Fly or ferry to Stornoway. Have 2 nights, take bus or car trip round Lewis.

For a 3-5 day trip: Ferry to Tarbert, stay in Tarbert or one of the adjacent small hostels. Tour the loop. You'll see up to 3 types of region.

For 7-14 days: Tour the islands.

Bringing a car, the cost of ferries is substantial. Look into Island Hopper, will save you about 10%.

Transport to the region

You can take a bus from Inverness at 1510 to Ullapool then a ferry at 1715, arriving in Stornoway at 1955.

Or you can travel from Uig in Skye, itself a long journey, to Lochmaddy or Tarbert. So for example, you can leave Inverness at 0855 by train and reach Tarbert by 1545.

If you are in Oban and would like a long ferry trip, on most afternoons at 1450 there is a 5-hour ferry to Barra or South Uist, the southernmost islands.

Transport within the islands

There is a good bus network on the islands, including a bus line with about 3 buses a day which runs from Stornoway to Eriskay (connecting with ferries) and which will get you to within walking distance of almost all the hostels, But no buses run on Sundays.

Towns and villages

Stornoway in Lewis, the capital, is a pleasant small town. The next place in size is Tarbert in Harris, a coherent but uninspiring village. There are no other villages of the type familiar in most of Britain: a village here is simply houses and cottages at a greater density than elsewhere. Apart from Stornoway, shopping in villages is poor, the best shops being a small number of excellent Co-op supermarkets placed in the middle of nowhere on the main road through the islands. So, while scattered white cottages over the landscape are quite attractive, you don't come here for beautiful towns or villages, but for peace and scenery -- and there's lots of both.

We didn't try any restaurants in the islands, they all seem in the luxury price-range, and even fish and chip shops are scarce away from Stornoway, so it is a good plan to do entirely self- catering. All the hostels have good kitchens, though in the smaller hostels they are cramped if there are many people there. You can rely on them for all essential equipment, the worst fault being a shortage of small pans or lack of teaspoons, and a few don't have a microwave. In other words, every one is better than the kitchens in many city hostels.

Hostels

Most hostels are small and self-catering. Most of those in the SYHA guide are run by a local charity, the Gatliff Trust, in the spirit of what the YHA used to be: they are run by volunteers, always open, no advance bookings possible, and guests help to keep it clean. and are much simpler than typical SYHA hostels, being small crofts with thatched roofs.

STORNOWAY

A good place to arrive is Stornoway. From here, the shopping and facilities get worse but the scenery gets better. Stornoway itself is a small comfortable town, but it's by far the biggest place in the islands.

In Stornoway there are 4 hostels. The newest one, very central, is the Heb Hostel, well-equipped and with security. There are two other town hostels with a very casual atmosphere, no security, but comfortable and sociable:

The 4th hostel is 2 km from town. It is a very good bunkhouse with an excellent kitchen, on a campsite, the best place to stay if you have a car:

There's some pleasant undulating scenery around Stornoway. There are several buses a day round a loop of road round N Lewis, so you can plan a day-trip if you check the bus times very carefully, or a several-day trip staying at one of the 2 hostels. Round the loop are 2 sites of great historic interest, and 3 hostels at convenient places.

On the west coast, 24 miles from Stornoway, is a preserved village of old thatched cottages, one of which is a hostel. This has simple facilities but a welcoming feel, very sociable, and is located right near a beach with cliff walks. Best to bring all your food, but there is a cafe next door.

If you are going to the Butt of Lewis, a good place to stop in the area is:

25 km S of Stornoway, a minor road goes E and branches to a whole lot of delightful spots. 10 km along here is a small hostel with shop and cafe, with OK accommodation and a good base for motorists and cyclists. Buses come here, but it's not on the main island bus route:

HARRIS

You may arrive in the main village of Harris, Tarbert. Here there is a convenient and good hostel on the main street, but the door is locked and you have to walk 300m or telephone to find the owner, so it's wise to phone ahead for this one:

Alternatively, there are two other hostels (stock up on food first!), at Drinishader and Rhenigidale. You can get to either on foot, but the latter is along a rough track over a hill pass. Buses are scarce, but if you don't have transport, hitch- hiking may be possible.

Rhenigidale is a tiny village set amid amazing fjord scenery, which can be reached by driving x km from Tarbert. Or take the main road bus and walk xx km along a quiet road with breathtaking scenery. Or you can walk there via a fine mountain track, just X km. You can get a taxibus at bus prices, provided you book it the day before. You should book the return trip at the same time, since there is no telephone and mobiles dont work in this deep valley. But you can always get in to this hostel:

There are occasional buses, or you can walk, about 4 km S of Tarbert to an equally nice small hostel by the seashore:

Leverburgh on the south coast of South Harris is nut much in itself but a convenient place to stop when travelling between the islands. A good place to stay, near the ferry and bus, is the high-quality hostel:

The ferry from Leverburgh takes you to Berneray, a small low- lying island where you can have a peaceful stay in a lovely little hostel in a fabulous location by a beach (walk 3 km from ferry, or occasional bus):

A busride S from Berneray takes you through varied scenery with water, hillocks, delightful little bays and lakes, and by a larger hill with a managed forest, to Lochmaddy, a village with not much other than a ferry to Skye. There are two hills near the town that could make a good day hike. It has a very good hostel in a Centre that runs sea kayak courses:

The next 2 hostels are both bunkhouses, immaculate, but small and tend to be occupied by groups, so phone ahead: Towards the S end of North Uist, 1 km from the bus route along a track (3km by road) is a lovely small hostel, which may be booked by a group so check ahead (or you can camp):

The next island south is Benbecula, a rather featureless and flat island but with some good beaches on the W coast. On the bus route and near a village is a very comfortable small but immaculate modern bunkhouse:

On the long narrow South Uist is the simplest of all the Hebridean hostels, but with all needed facilities, near a historic church and a beach. You can have a day's hike up the South Uist peaks from here:

The southernmost islands are Eriskay and Barra. On Barra is a hostel:

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These northerly outposts of Britain are usually grouped together, but they are quite far apart and very different in character, so you may well choose to visit just one group. Orkney is just off the Scottish mainland and approached by a short ferry crossing from either Scrabster (near Thurso) or John O'Groats. Shetland is much farther and you can travel there by overnight boat from Aberdeen or by ferry from Orkney. Both have hills and flatter ground, both have sites of historical interest dating back many millennia, but Orkney is verdant and agricultural with some woodland, Shetland bleaker and virtually treeless.

Orkney

Ferries leave John O'Groats for Orkney (details not yet available), and a bus will then take you to Kirkwall, where there is a very plain hostel:

Alternatively you can take the ferry from Scrabster and arrive at Stromness, which has 2 hostels:

There are bus services around Mainland (the main island) (details not available).

The island of Hoy in the south has some notable cliffs, and is reached by ferry from Stromness. It has hostels at Hoy, 1.5 miles from the ferry terminal, and Rackwick 6 miles away:

On the southern island of South Ronaldsay is

On the northern islands you can stay at the following hostels:

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Shetland

A new ferry service makes it much easier than previously to get from Orkney to Shetland: ferries run 3 times a week from Kirkwall to Lerwick taking 6 hours, for a cost of £9 to £13 one-way. From the UK mainland, you normally travel to Shetland by ferry from Aberdeen (several days per week, leaving Aberdeen evening and arriving Lerwick around 0800). Planes, of course, link all these islands, as well as remote Fair Isle, half-way between Orkney and Shetland, but fares are outside the pocket of most budget travellers. You can also get to Shetland in summer by boat from the Faroe Islands and from Norway.

Life in Shetland centres on Lerwick where there is a hostel with most impressive facilities. You can check in at the hostel when you arrive from the boat at about 0900, and on your last day you can stay there until 1600 before walking to the boat terminal for your evening ferry back to Aberdeen.

Hostels

Bus services around the islands are adequate if you plan carefully. A popular tour is to the northernmost island, Unst, where there is a hostel.

There is also a hostel on the island of Papa Stour in the west.

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