SNOWMAGEDDON - It'snow over here!
Where to go for a quick winter weekend tour? That was the question. Somewhere warm perhaps. So we chose the Outer Hebrides. Stay with us now, we're being serious. In relative terms it was the warmest part of the country over the past week and with the media blasting out the doom and gloom or the 'Beast from the East' and 'Snowmaggedon' there were worse places to be! Granted it isn't exactly tropical out in the islands but it is rugged, stunning, and windswept in a way that only Scotland can make look beautiful.
With the good fortune of having family in Lewis the accommodation part was never going to be a problem and the focus was on the riding.
The trusty Tiger, a 2012 800xc that we've had from new lapped up the roads in Lewis and Harris and there are some spectacular roads to be found. You won't find any motorways here, its all twists and turns as if a motorcycle inspired genius has designed the roadways. There are even a couple of straight bits for those speed inclined moments.
With it being winter and having had a fair few harsh days weather the roads aren't in prime condition but this isn't the sort of place you're going to want to be blasting around the bends because there is so much to see as the miles flow by.
Riding around Lewis there are a plethora of sites to see none less impressive than the Calanish Stones. Whilst the main site gets all the attention, and for good reason, scattered around this western coastline are a number of smaller sites with standing stones of equal historic importance.
This is the one time of year that these sites aren't full of tourists. The feeling of being in amongst the stones with not another soul in sight is intense but with the day rolling on it's soon time to get back on the bike again.
The loop around the west coast of Lewis, starting and finishing in Stornoway is only about