The road to the isles

We have now completed the booking of our trip to the Western Isles in May: hotels, ferries, the lot. It was more challenging than we had expected: I had thought that May was before the summer season really began (and was a little smug because we would have the benefit of holidaying off season, plus the best of the weather, not to mention that it's too early for midges but not - I hope - for puffins...) but it's quite busy enough for peak season. This is a little random: some things we were able to book without hesitation, as if there was no problem about availability, others we had to try several options before we found anything. The Highlands were as difficult as the islands. Well, if we have booked unwittingly into some festival, we'll find out - it's not as if we had any choice of dates, those are fixed by other commitments.

Anyway, all sorted now, and I'm very excited about it. We drive up, with an overnight in the Highlands on the way, then two nights on Skye, where D., who is travelling by train, will join us. We travel together to Harris, and spend a couple of days there, during which if all goes well we will visit St Kilda. Then north to Lewis to see the standing stones at Callanish, after which durham_rambler and I will deposit D. at Tarbert so he can travel home, and continue our explorations in the north of Lewis, then work our way island-hopping south, with overnights on North Uist, South Uist and Barra, from where we take the ferry back to Oban.

Which should give us time to get home for Wonderlands.