Having completed the official route on Hebridean Way Day 6. It was now time to begin our journey home. So, for Hebridean Way Day 7 this involved cycling to Stornoway.

We knew before we started this was likely to be another tough day of cycling. We were likely to be cycling into a strong headwind, in the region of 25-30 mph. Mike, who had been struggling for the last few days due to the strength of the headwinds, had sought other options for getting to Stornoway, but none were available.

For most of the tour we had been heading in a north easterly direction, with the wind coming from that direction. Unfortunately, even though we would be cycling in the opposite direction today, the direction of the wind had changed too. Now it would be southerly’s we would have to contend with!

So, taking each section in small chunks, we returned along the A857, the road we had cycled to the Butt of Lewis the previous day.

It was a long straight road and harsh terrain.

After 12 miles we reached Barvas and a little further on was the Welcome In garage.

It was indeed very welcome. The garage also doubled up as a store, and at the back was a small cafe area.

Following our break, we set off again towards Stornoway. Just to keep things interesting. it also started to drizzle.

Eventually, we reached the outskirts of Stornoway, the main town on the Outer Hebrides.

We were staying at the Crown Inn.

Afterwards, we went for a little walk around the town.

We went for our evening meal at the Inn. The Inn and its restaurant don’t appear to be anything outstanding from the outside. However, the restaurant was busy, and after enjoying a really good evening meal it was easy to see why.

To work off our evening meal we went for another walk.

This time, we walked a little further up and crossed the Abhainn a Ghlinn Mhoir, the river that runs into the Cala Steornabhaigh (Stornoway Harbour).

We walked up to Lews Castle. It was built between 1844-51 by Sir James Matheson and later sold to Lord Leverhulme, who then gave it to the Stornoway parish. It has served a number of purposes including as a school. Today it is both a museum and accommodation.

Eventually, it was time to head back to our accommodation. We were catching the early ferry back on to the mainland tomorrow.

We had only cycled 25 miles. However, the extreme headwind had made these some of the most challenging miles any of us had ever cycled.

You can view our route from Cross to Stornoway below: