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Nick Kewney

Software Architect & Product Builder

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Outer Hebrides - Day 8 - Carinish to Castlebay - S

Outer Hebrides - Day 8 - Carinish to Castlebay - Sun at last! 🌞 The amazing weather made today’s 75km cycle through North Uist, Grimsay, Benbecula, the whole of South Uist and Eriskay pretty breathtaking. Mostly cycling today, but a few stops along the way. Firstly, the trusty Co-op in Creagorry for some supplies for the night of camping ahead, followed by lunch at the Kildonan Museum Cafe. On the ferry from Eriskay to Arhmhòr, the master stopped the engines and shouted “DOLPHINS”! The entire ferry rushed to the edge of the boat to watch them dance in the waters around us. We took a trip to Benbecula airport, where the aircraft land on the beach, then camped at Wavecrest Campsite in Borve, near Castlebay and managed to catch our first sunset in 10 days! #hebrideanway #visitouterhebrides #scotlandsbeauty

Outer Hebrides - Day 7 - Berneray to Carinish. Wit

Outer Hebrides - Day 7 - Berneray to Carinish. With the official Hebridean Way route (from Vatersay to the Butt of Lewis) complete, it’s time to slowly weave our way back to the mainland. After a few drinks at the Old Barn Bar in Cross with some lovely people (@moonrise3816, Rob & Silvia), we had a slap up breakfast the next morning at the Cross Inn, and made our way down to Stornaway via bus. The driver was very helpful, let us bring both bikes on the bus and even helped us load/unload our gear. We had a cake and coffee at the Blue Lobster in Stornaway, then stopped in to Store 67, where the bike tech managed to sort me out with new cleat clips! We then (miraculously) secured a transfer over to Leverburgh to catch the ferry over the Berneray to start the cycle down through the Uists after grabbing a bite at the Anchorage at the pier. We decided not to cycle Lewis & Harris back. If you know the hills, you know why! Once is enough. Also, I broke my right cleat so needed a replacement as the uneven pedalling was killing my knee! On the transfer, we were told of a fable explaining why the baron and windswept land on the east of Harris & Lewis is pretty much devoid of trees. Legend has it that the woods were burned down on the orders of a Norwegian princess because she was forsaken by a prince of Lewis, who married an island girl instead! After 35km of cycling, we stopped at Moorcroft, near Carinish, and treated ourselves to a pod! Follow me on Strava #scotland #hebrideanway #visitouterhebrides #scotlandsbeauty

Hebridean Way - Day 6 - Shawbost to Butt of Lewis.

Hebridean Way - Day 6 - Shawbost to Butt of Lewis. Final day of the official Hebridean Way route. Kicked off the day by cycling 4 miles to pick up a home-cooked veggie breakfast from Mollans Rainbow in Shed, just outside Shawbost. I got a warm welcome from Julie & Rachel (they even made me a coffee as I waited) who then prepared a feast for us in their home kitchen. After packing up the tent, fuelled and ready to go, we left the campsite for our final destination, Butt of Lewis. With headwinds or crosswinds the entire way, the cycle was a bit of a struggle (not made any easier by the loss of a cleat the day before). The route itself was a little arduous, mostly due to the rolling hills & gusts, so we stopped for shelter from the wind a couple of times. The first was to see the Shieling, a stone structure used by our ancestors to shelter when farming. The second stop was for coffee and food at Comunn Eachdraidh Nis museum, which records, preserves and promotes the history, language and culture of North Lewis. We ditched the bags at the Cross Inn, where we were warmly welcomed by Duncan, and proceeded another 5 miles to the Butt of Lewis, luggage free. Met Rob & Silvia, who told us of their amazing stories about their cycling adventures around the world. Inspiration to keep pedalling? Maybe, but not tonight. Off to the Old Barn Inn for a pint and some food. #hebrideanway #visitscotland #visitouterhebrides #scotland #scotlandsbeauty

Hebridean Way - Day 5 - Tarbert to Shawbost. Start

Hebridean Way - Day 5 - Tarbert to Shawbost. Started the day off with a hearty breakfast at Hotel Hebrides next to the pier at Tarbert, followed by a tour & tasting at the Harris Distillery. Started the ride off at midday, and the initial climb to the summit of the Clisham (the highest hill on the Outer Hebrides) was a bit of a killer. After a soup stop at Taste ‘n’ Sea, we enjoyed the descent down Loch Seaforth before crossing into Lewis. Rode some of the route with Innes, a geography student, before leaving him 10km before the turnoff for Callenish. Highlight of the day was birthday pizza at Crust, best pizza I’ve ever had! Eventually got to our campsite at Eilean Fraoich campsite, about 12 miles past Callenish (we took a brief detour to see the Callenish stones). A tough but rewarding day. Follow me on Strava for route updates #visitouterhebrides #hebrideanway

Hebridean Way - Day 4 - Made it to Harris! An easy

Hebridean Way - Day 4 - Made it to Harris! An easy day before the challenge ramps up. Relentless wind & rain made packing up the tent a bit of a challenge. Breakfast on the beach, then a short ride to Tarbert today via Lorna’s Larder for an amazing Cauliflour Pakora Burger. The ride might only have been 12 miles today, but the Harris hills, combined with driving wind and rain made it seem like a lot more #hebrideanway #visitouterhebrides

Hebridean Way - Day 3 - A windy and blustery start

Hebridean Way - Day 3 - A windy and blustery start to day 3, followed by an amazing lunch at Kirkibost Centre, a community cafe and shop just outside Clachan. After lunch, we headed north and with some sunny spells and a strong south westerly wind to help us along the way. After seeing some breathtaking views of the coastline through Sollas, we darted over the causeway for the ferry at Berneray to get us over to Leverburgh, Harris. We arrived on Harris and cycled an hour to Traigh Horgabost Campsite, where we set up camp for the night #hebrideanway #outerhebrides #visitouterhebrides #bikepacking

Hebridean Way - Day 2 - Survived a night camping o

Hebridean Way - Day 2 - Survived a night camping on the beach with 20mph+ winds proving to be no challenge for Big Agnes, who had us covered. Had a later start and cycled over three causeways linking South Uist & Benbecula, Benbecula & Grimsay and Grimsay & North Uist. After two nights of wild camping, we decided to pitch up on a campsite: Moorcroft just before Clachan. #hebrideanway

Hebridean Way - Day 1. After wild camping at an am

Hebridean Way - Day 1. After wild camping at an amazing spot at the southern most point on Vatersay (Bagh A’Dead), it was a race to the ferry terminal at Ardmhor to hop to Eriskay and over the causeway to South Uist. Stopped at Kilbride Cafe for a slap up lunch and were able to provide some help to a follow cyclist. Set up camp on the beach at Frobost. It’s going to be a windy night, so not expecting much sleep 💨 😴 #hebrideanway #scotlandsbeauty #outerhebrides #barra #eriskay #visitouterhebrides

The Scottish Summer Weekend had has arrived #scott

The Scottish Summer Weekend had has arrived #scottishsummer #glasgow #ilovegla

Panzanella, burrara, sourdough from @thefreedombak

Panzanella, burrara, sourdough from @thefreedombakery, and some fresh pasta and a ton of breadcrumbs. The perfect lunchtime feast 😋

My key ring is a lot lighter today 🔑 After 2 gr

My key ring is a lot lighter today 🔑 After 2 great years at our FIFTH Glasgow office, we’re finally ready to embrace home working for the long haul #homeworking #glasgow @layersystems

A snowy Glasgow City Centre during lockdown #peopl

A snowy Glasgow City Centre during lockdown #peoplemakeglaSNOW #glasgow #scotland #ilovegla

Christmas Eve stroll through the deserted city str

Christmas Eve stroll through the deserted city streets of #glasgow #christmas2020 #ilovegla @ilovegla

Winter Zoom yoga session with @caroline_mitchell_p

Winter Zoom yoga session with @caroline_mitchell_pt #winteryoga #yoga #glasgow

Holidays are comin’ #hornbychristmastrain #chris

Holidays are comin’ #hornbychristmastrain #christmas2020 #glasgow #merchantcity

#freehand #newyork #nomadnyc #gramercy

#freehand #newyork #nomadnyc #gramercy

Remember, remember, the 17th of November (©️ @a

Remember, remember, the 17th of November (©️ @allan.watsonn ) #glasgow #glasgowloveschristmas

A few wee snaps from #commsvision @ @thegleneagles

A few wee snaps from #commsvision @ @thegleneagleshotel #digitalbritain

#glasgownecropolis #glasgow #scotlandsbeauty #scot

#glasgownecropolis #glasgow #scotlandsbeauty #scotland

Laphroig stop on our Islay distillery tour #busdri

Laphroig stop on our Islay distillery tour #busdriverlife #whisky #islaywhisky #islay

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