Beachy Keen

There's a school of thought that says the beaches of Harris are amongst the prettiest in the world. And while that's true, there's a case to be made for Lewis holding some even better gems. 

There's something about Riof Beach, in the main shot, that just evokes a 'proper' beach to me. The curve of it, that almost consistent wave break, the turquoise water, and the islands dotted just offshore, with mountains behind. And we're less than 10 minutes walk from it where we're staying.

From this vantage point we headed out onto a headland, and found a small, enclosed, wonderful little bay that's been tucked away into the memory banks for next time.

Uig Beach is an altogether different prospect. Hardly visible when the tide is in, but when it goes out the expanse must be roughly the size of half of Wales (Wales being the standard unit of measurement for land mass of course). We had lunch in a great new restaurant overlooking the beach, and it's simply a stunning landscape.

Three years since we've last been to the Outer Hebrides. I'm not sure we'll leave as long a gap again.