The weather in England is going to be hot and sunny - I pull back the curtains and discover a damp and windy day and I wouldn’t want it any other way. As Billy Connolly says “there is no such thing as the wrong weather, just the wrong clothing.”It’s no good, I have to find out how the young Australian receptionist came to be here. Turns out that her wider family own the hotel; she is back for a few weeks for a family wedding and as she works in hospitality in Australia she is helping out whilst here. Her parents are born and bred Scots but emigrated as teachers on a £10 ticket!
I head to Eriksay, an island which has only been linked to South Uist by a causeway for about 6-7 years. I wonder how much impact the causeway had on day to day island life… Eriksay is famous as the location where the ship which the Whisky Galore story is based upon ran aground; indeed the film was made on location here and on the neighbouring island of Barra. I scout the beach - well you never know - although all I find is a more modern day Scottish drink.
Head to North Uist and, bizarrely, on the Isle of Benbecula come across a café offering free WiFi access. Sadly I check my emails, but also enjoy some coffee and excellent banana cake. Drive past a bay known locally as ‘Stink Bay’ due to the smell of rotting seaweed - it lives up to its name.
