Hampshire Hikes & Historical Sites
Bring intriguing coastal trails and history alive in South Hampshire.
The world's more beautiful on foot...
Call us on 01707 331133
Or, email us at [email protected]
Call us on 01707 331133
Or, email us at [email protected]
Situated on Europe’s Atlantic edge, the Scottish Western Isles of the Outer Hebrides are a diverse set of interconnected islands. The Isle of Lewis and Harris is just one island but enjoys vastly different landscapes; from immense white beaches to heather-covered mountains, lunar-like boulder-strewn hillsides to sea and freshwater lochs and peatlands.
Scotland
Jun
Aug
Sep
Tour codes: 50170
Our range of Adagio leisurely walking holidays and sightseeing tours are designed at a slower pace than the average Ramblers Walking Holidays, perfect for those who would like to slow things down but keep active.
Overview
Situated on Europe’s Atlantic edge, the Scottish Western Isles of the Outer Hebrides are a diverse chain of interconnecting islands, each with its own way of life and landscape. The Outer Hebrides is known for its rich island history with a carefully preserved Gaelic culture.
The Western Isles are isolated, windswept, treeless places where Gaelic is a working language. We stay in both parts of the principal island, Lewis in the north and Harris in the south, so we can see the best of both and what they have to offer without too much travel.
Our aim is for you to experience the peace and tranquillity of this isolated environment with traditional Hebridean hospitality. Be inspired by the stunning sea views and endless skyscapes, the wonderful coastal scenery, ancient stone monuments, traditional turf roofed ‘blackhouses’ and learn about the famous Harris Tweed.
We stay on the outskirts of Stornoway for the first three nights for our explorations of Lewis and then we transfer by private coach to our hotel in Tarbert for the remainder of the holiday (4 nights), to explore Harris.
During our holiday we will make use of private coach transportation to take us to the places we want to see and walk to and from. Gentle walks will be provided each day so you can really get to know Lewis and Harris.
On the Isle of Lewis, highlights will include a visit to the Callanish standing stones, a walk at the Butt of Lewis and Lews Castle. On the Isle of Harris walking highlights include visiting the island of Scalpay with a chance to see minke whales, walking in the remote hamlet of Huisinis to overlook vast sandy beaches and a walk right across the peninsula of South Harris on the ‘Coffin Road’.
Transport will take you to the places we need to go to each day. Everything is arranged, all you need to do is relax and enjoy the scenery.
Click the button below for a detailed Holiday Information Sheet containing all the particulars about this trip.
NOTE: Itineraries and Holiday Information Sheets can vary by a specific date chosen
Itinerary & Travel
Whilst every effort will be made to adhere to the outlined itinerary and advertised programme, local conditions can change due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. This may mean that routes and timings need to be amended or the order of days may change, sometimes at short notice.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we may unfortunately need to withdraw a tour that is currently confirmed to operate and we therefore reserve the right to cancel your booking. We would always do our utmost to give you plenty of notice should we have to do this. Selected elements of this tour, including local attractions and restaurants, may change at late notice. Please ensure you have valid insurance cover before you travel.
Accommodation
Below is the accommodation featured on this holiday across all departure dates. Please refer to the Itinerary for more detail about each night's accommodation for each departure date.
The four star Cabarfeidh Hotel is situated in a quiet area, less than a mile from the town centre of Stornoway. You can take a five-minute walk from the hotel to the beautiful grounds of Lews Castle. The hotel has a tradition of great hospitality. Dinner each evening will be in the highly praised Solas restaurant in the hotel where fresh, Scottish ingredients are used extensively including superb local fish and seafood. There is also a spacious lounge, conservatory and cocktail bar where you can relax and enjoy a drink before or after dinner.
En suite hotel room facilities include:
Set in a beautiful Scottish landscape, the four-star Hotel Hebrides is a boutique-style hotel with individually designed bedrooms. The hotel offers comfort in a relaxing environment together with friendly service.
Dinner each evening will be in the hotel’s Pierhouse restaurant which offers a fine menu of modern Scottish cuisine, specialising in local meat, fish and seafood dishes. The hotel also has a bar with an extensive selection of whiskies and traditional Scottish music.
There is no lift in the hotel. If you require assistance with your luggage, please ask hotel staff who will be able to help you. All bedrooms are of varying size but generally, bedrooms are not overly spacious however the excellent meals and the location of the hotel more than makes up for this.
En suite hotel room facilities include:
Trip Information
To fully enjoy the walking on this holiday you should be able to walk along uneven undulating paths at about 2 miles per hour for distances of between 3 and 6 miles with walks lasting up to 3 hours. Some walks have shorter alternatives that you can choose. Usually, half of each day will be devoted to sightseeing.
On the places we visit there may be paths that are uneven in places with some short sections of rocky surfaces. Each of the walks will be taken at a relaxed pace. Proper walking shoes or boots (not sandals) are therefore essential for this holiday, especially in wet weather when the ground can be boggy on some walks.
We use a mix of privately hired vehicles, taxis, and public transport which gives us some flexibility in our itinerary. We have a wonderful programme of walking, sightseeing and visits planned to let you fully experience the area along with opportunities to relax at our wonderful hotel and enjoy your surroundings.
Local Transport Costs
All local transport costs in conjunction with the advertised activity programme are included in the holiday cost. There may be occasions where additional visits or excursions are added to enrich your experience, these will be paid for locally by you if you choose to participate. Local transport can be a mix of private hire coaches, taxis, local buses and ferries depending on the itinerary.
Holiday Budgeting
Local transport costs, entrance fees and tips to local providers are included in your holiday price. You may wish to budget for any meals and drinks not included in the holiday arrangements, non-included entrance fees and any optional excursions you may choose to participate in locally. A general guideline for lunches and drinks is £10-£20 per person per day.
Holiday Currency
The currency is in the Outer Hebrides is the British pound. There are limited ATMs on both Lewis and Harris so we advise you to bring money with you prior to arriving. There is a Bank of Scotland in Tarbert and other branches in Stornoway.
Tipping
We include tips in the holiday cost and your Adagio Leader will take care of making sure tips are given to hotel and restaurant staff and to local guides and drivers. If you feel that someone has gone out of their way to make your holiday enjoyable or help you in anyway, please feel free to give a personal tip to the person should you wish. If you are having an independent lunch or other service not included in the holiday arrangements, tipping is at your own discretion.
We believe that the best things come in small packages, and our Adagio holidays prove just that. We limit our groups to a maximum of 18 persons, plus the Adagio Leader, so that everyone has the opportunity to mix, share their love of travel and return home with new friendships. Small groups also have less detrimental local impact, allows us to use public transport on some days, eat at small local restaurants and, we believe, offers a better experience.
Tour Leaders
An Adagio Leader will accompany you throughout the holiday. They are all experienced travellers with a love for exploring and will help capture the true essence of the destination with their stories, knowledge and insights. They are well-organised, pay great attention to detail and enjoy being with people. They are there to help make your holiday as enjoyable and stress free as possible.
Leader's Evening Briefing
Your Adagio Leader will discuss the programme for the following day with the group at each evening briefing. This will be your opportunity to find out more details and ensure the planned activities suit your walking ability. Also, if you have any questions or concerns on clothing or lunch arrangements, this can be discussed then. If you wish to opt out of the organised group programme, this is fine, just let your Leader know.
We fly from Glasgow to Stornoway and return with Loganair. The flight takes approx. 55 minutes. Direct Flights are also available from Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen with Loganair if you wish to book your travel arrangements independently, however we offer only a flight from Glasgow.
If you prefer not to fly, a ferry service is available to Stornoway from Ullapool with Caledonian MacBrayne. They provide one, each way crossing on Sundays. For more information, visit www.calmac.co.uk.
Scottish Citylink coaches operate service number 961 from Inverness to Ullapool, with luggage handling through to Stornoway arrivals hall. Citylink connects with coach services from Glasgow and Edinburgh, which in turn connect with the National Express network. Booking for coaches is essential. Please see www.citylink.co.uk for more information. The nearest rail station is at Inverness, where railway passengers transfer to the coach service shown above.
To reach Glasgow …
Glasgow airport lies 8 miles to the west of Glasgow city and is within easy reach of the rest of Scotland. If driving, principal access is off junction 28 of the M8.
All public buses depart from the front of the terminal building. Charter coaches pick up and drop off passengers at the short stay coach park on Bute Road, adjacent to international arrivals. There are frequent services to Glasgow city centre operated by Citylink.
Paisley's Gilmour Street railway station is the nearest to the airport. It is only 2 miles from the terminal and can be reached by taxi or by regular bus services. There are direct rail services from Paisley Gilmour Street to Glasgow Central, Ayr and Clyde Coast destinations. There are five trains per hour on a Sunday from Gilmour Street to Glasgow Central.
Please see www.glasgowairport.com/to-and-from for more information to help you with your travel plans to Glasgow.
UK flights to Glasgow are available with British Airways from £150 supplement return. For further details please contact our travel department.
Luggage Allowance & Travel Documents
When booking a flight or rail inclusive holiday with us, details of your travel arrangements and baggage allowance will be confirmed in your travel documents, sent to you approximately 10 days prior to departure.
Personal Details Check
Please ensure that the personal details we have on file for you are up to date and that you have provided the information we need to secure your holiday travel and accommodation arrangements.
Please check your passport details, date of birth and any other important details necessary for us to accurately manage your holiday booking are correct at the time of booking (including health and dietry requirements). You can view and update information already provided, and add details not yet asked for, by using the Manage My Booking facility on our website www.adagio.co.uk, or by calling our Sales and Reservations team on +44 (0)1707 386700. When you receive your booking confirmation please check the details as soon as possible.
Passport Information for United Kingdom
Any non UK or EU citizens may be subject to passport, identity card or visa requirements to enter the United Kingdom.
This holiday is on a half board basis throughout. Breakfasts and evening meals will be taken in each hotel’s restaurant. Lunches, usually in cafes or restaurants, will be at your expense and we suggest you allow at least £8 per day.
Stornoway is the main town on the east coast of the Isle of Lewis, with a population of around 11,000, making it by far the largest town in the Hebrides. Home to the island’s airport, Stornoway is a town with a wide range of facilities.
With a population of 800, Tarbert is the capital of Harris. The village dates back to 1779 when it was established as a fishing settlement. You will find a bank, two grocery stores, a post office and hairdressers here.
Nestled in a valley where north and south Harris meet and set against a backdrop of rugged mountain peaks, Tarbert serves as a focal point and transport hub for the area. Your hotel is located in the heart of Tarbert and the remainder of your holiday will be spent here.
Footwear
Comfortable, broken in, walking boots or shoes with a good sole are recommended for this holiday. Walking shoes or other comfortable footwear will be suitable for sightseeing days.
General Kit List
We recommend you bring the following items with you:
Travel Documents Checklist
Documents and Information to take with you:
Water To Go
An alternative to bottled water from single-use sealed water bottles is filtered water from a refillable bottle containing its own water filter such as a Water-to-go bottle available from www.watertogo.eu. Just fill up from any water source and save the environment from disposable plastic bottles.
We have negotiated an exclusive 15% discount with our partners Water-to-Go for you as a thank you for helping the environment. Please go to their website at www.watertogo.eu and enter the code RWH17 when ordering. In addition, Water-to-Go will match the discount with a donation to our charity, Heart & Sole, which will allow us to continue to make a difference in the countries you visit on our holidays.
The Map Shop
If you cannot find the maps or books locally we recommend:
The Map Shop
5 High Street
Upton upon Severn, Worcs
WR8 0HJ
England
Tel: 01684 593 146
Website: www.themapshop.co.uk
E-mail: [email protected]
If you key many of the local places mentioned in this holiday fact sheet into YouTube, you will find a vast array of spectacular footage of the area.
Weather
Visit the following websites for an idea of the climate in your destination:
Health requirements can change at any time. It is your own responsibility to ensure that you inform yourself from a professionally qualified source on, and comply with, such requirements at least 6 to 8 weeks before departure. Advice on vaccinations is available from your GP.
Health Advice for United Kingdom
No compulsory immunisations are required for holidays in the UK although you should be up to date with the usual immunisations recommended for life in Britain. Tetanus immunisation is recommended.
Further Travel Advice
For further advice please visit:
You might wish to take a small bottle of antibacterial hand gel with you for times when you're unable to wash your hands.
Although not compulsory for British and EU citizens resident in the UK, we strongly recommend that you take out travel insurance to cover you in the event of eventualities such as unexpected cancellation, accident or illness before your holiday or the loss of personal possessions.
Visitors who are not British Citizens (or who are not EU citizens resident in the UK), must be adequately insured to join our holidays and will be unable to participate in our local walking and other activity programmes without being able to demonstrate that you have valid travel insurance.
The UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office provides up to date information on security and local laws for travellers, together with current passport and visa information, at www.gov.uk/travelaware. Please take a few minutes to look at the current advice on your planned destination.
Please be aware of what's going on around you, take sensible precautions with your credit cards and passport and avoid displays of wealth such as wearing expensive jewellery or watches. Do not carry more cash on you than you will need for each day, and we recommend that a money belt is used.
Responsible Travel
We're committed to ethical tourism in all our destinations. Our holidays are designed for you to discover the essence of the country you are visiting. Travelling in small groups not only gives you an up close and personal experience of your destination, but minimises your impact on the immediate environment. We feel that the most important starting point to protect the environment is to be out in it. For more details visit our website.
The Ramblers Holidays Charitable Trust
Unlike many tour operators we have our own trust through which RWH Travel’s profits are channelled back into a variety of outdoor, walking-related or environmental conservation projects in the UK. The focus of the Trust’s financial support is Britain’s leading walking charity, The Ramblers, and their role in promoting the benefits and importance of walking to the British public. In addition the Trust welcomes applications for small grants from local organisations in the UK who need support for walking-orientated activities. This includes the establishment of footpaths and bridleways, funding for rebuilding bridges and renovating huts, as well as bursary funding for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for children who could not otherwise afford to do it. Please visit the ‘About Us’ section of our website and click on the Charitable Trust link for more details.
Heart and Sole
We appreciate that we are in a fortunate position to be able to use our profits to help make a difference to people's lives. Heart & Sole is a venture managed by our office staff, whose aim is to reach the heart of the communities in the countries we visit. Through Heart & Sole, we hope to make more of a long term, direct impact to these communities, particularly in less developed countries where even a small amount goes a long way. See our website for more information and details of some of the projects we support.
Mobile Phones
Please do provide us with a mobile phone contact number. We will only use this to contact you with important information relating to your holiday arrangements.
Do keep your mobile phones switched on and readily available when travelling to the airport or if delayed in transit so that we can contact you with any last minute information relating to your travel arrangements.
As a matter of courtesy, please switch off your mobile phone during walks, or endeavour to minimise its use. Please also try to minimise the use of mobile devices during group meals.
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