Loch Ewe to Tolsta, Isle of Lewis – Scotland Tour 2013 – Living in a Hiace camper Van

Today it was time to set off on my way again, northwards, towards Ullapool, then across the sea to the Outer Hebrides, and my destination of the Isle of Lewis.. I got everything arranged for the trip, and loaded my kayak and bike onto the van again ready to move on..

The camp before I left Loch Ewe

At Firemore Sands, Loch Ewe – Scotland Tour 2013 – Living in a Hiace camper Van

Today was a quiet day relaxing and organising things for moving on tomorrow.. I've decided that as I've spent a few more days here than planned, I will go straight over to the Isle of Lewis via Ullapool. On Lewis, I will reach almost as far north as Cape wrath – in an equally remote location. There is also the choice extending the trip a little and heading north again after meeting my friend on the Isle of Skye next week – lets see what happens eh.

The highlight of today was the amazing sunset with its changing colours, in the evening. We also enjoyed a nice Colley (Saithe) I caught the night before off the headland for dinner, but didn't manage to get a second this afternoon to make the meal a bit more substantial. All the same, it was another great meal, with wine and a selection of vegetables and sweet potato, then this amazing sunset to round off another great day..

Visiting Rudha Reidh Lighthouse – Scotland Tour 2013 – Living in a Hiace Camper Van

Today we went to visit the lighthouse at Rudha Reidh with the plan of having a look around and then looking for a spot to fish off the rocks there, as its right onto the open sea. The drive there was pretty exhilarating, high up above the sea at the tops of cliffs with amazing views. There were also some rickety bridges on the narrow road rated 7.5 tons, but looking a lot more fragile than that – I went over them with a boost of speed! Eventually we arrived at the lighthouse.

Jo's Citreon Berlingo Camper Van – Scotland Tour 2013 – Living in a Hiace camper Van

I recently received an email from a guy who was telling me about his Citroen Berlingo camper van conversion. Well it just so happens that Jo who is camping here also has a Berlingo that she's converted into a mini camper van, and is travelling around Scotland in it.

At Loch Ewe – Scotland Tour 2013 – Living in a Hiace Camper Van

I decided to stay on another day at Loch Ewe, as its a great camping spot, and I'm really just getting started with my sea fishing and want to learn as much as possible before striking out further north. Also this evening we'll eat the big Pollock caught last night.

I had noticed on the way to Poolewe that the road snakes around past the upper end of Loch Maree, so a trip down to explore that area was in order after breakfast. Driving down a stony track brought me to the beautiful stony shoreline of the loch, and it was possible to walk along the pebbly shore, past massive boulders, and peering up at tall cliffs. I really enjoyed seeing the loch from this new perspective.

On the way back to the car I spotted some deer in the field by the track. They hadn't been there on the way down. In this photo there are only two, but there must have been about seven deer together in the field at the time looking curiously over at me..

At Loch Ewe – Scotland Tour 2013 – Living in a Hiace Camper Van

Today's been another one of those days.. The weathers not so great, but fine and more usual for these parts. We decided to head into Gairloch to get some fishing supplies, before heading to a great location to see how it would go – things ended up going very well as you will find out..

The shop we went to is one of those that has just about everything you might need for the outdoor life, and much more besides – I love this about the Scottish highlands; you come across all kinds of curiosities in the most unusual places. This 'Farm and Garden' shop had everything from rubber boots, to lanterns, to bird feeders, to gas and midge nets. We headed to the fishing tackle section.

Sarah's been coming fishing on the west coast for thirty years so advised me what might be the best equipment to get if I was going to catch fish to eat. Perusing the various rods and other tackle on offer here, I picked out a Water Spin rod rated 30 – 60 grams 2.7 metres in length, so not huge and still relatively light. I also bought some quick release swivel fasteners, and four silver lures, two of the wedge type at 28 grams, and two of the fish shape, at 40 grams. Sarah picked out a longer heavier rod as she had recently broken the tip of her previous one on the rocks, and some of the same spinners as she'd recommended to me.

After getting some food and other supplies it was time to head back to the camp and get ready to go fishing..