“Yeah, sounds great. Count me in.”

I hang up the phone, pull out the map of western Scotland, and realise I’ve just agreed to average 50-60 miles a day through torturously hilly terrain. It’s the end of a long winter, and I haven’t cycled more than 20 miles for months.

Six weeks later, our grand tour of the Scottish Islands is underway. The ferry is yawing from Oban to the island of Barra, the sea growling and spitting waves high onto the bow. The plan: four days of spectacular biking on quiet roads through mountains, lochs, and islands. The weather forecast: gale force headwinds, high seas, and blizzards.

Ian and Andy’s bikes have “WARNING: heavy-load” blazoned across them. Ian is towing his wheelchair, topped with a rucksack load of gear, and Andy has volunteered to tow a trailer with my wheelchair and gear stashed in it. I feel guilty having an easier ride as they struggle, joints screaming, into the relentless northerly blast.

We pass white sand being punched by surf, alluring glints of turquoise ocean, lambs and calves playing behind fences strung with old wool. This wild Hebridean land would stir our souls if we weren’t dressed like bank-robbers, cowering from the elements, straining to pedal fast and make the next ferry to South Uist. We made it with minutes to spare.

The Outer Hebrides, a string of islands stretching Scotland towards America, lie about 40 miles west of mainland Scotland. Battered by the elements, they are raw, wild, many might say bleak. It took us six hours to cycle 20 miles that day, such was the gale, the blizzard, and our strength. A solitary café on the lonely road north became our oasis, a minibus taxi, our saviour from the pain of 40 further miles of pain.

The others weren’t that impressed with their brief, storm-bound experience of the outer isles, but I know what they didn’t see—the beaches, beauty, and history that the islands hold. “Come back when the weather’s better,” I suggest, as we bounce on the next ferry to the Isle of Skye.

Skye has rarely shown me any sky. The Cuillin Mountains rise steeply from the sea, their peaks often shrouded in cloud. We crunched miles across this island of history and mystery, through torrential rain, punctures, and more rain. Finally it cleared and the evening sun set the snow-capped summits on fire. Magic. But we still had 20 miles to go, and chased the evening into darkness, wishing we hadn’t spent so long sheltering in tea shops along the way.

We clocked up another 100 plus miles on the final two days, from Skye to Mallaig, the Ardnamurchan Peninsula (the most westerly point of Scotland), and the Isle of Mull.

The western Isles of Scotland provide superb cycle touring opportunities with stunning scenery, a variety of islands and route variations to choose from, island-hopper tickets with Calmac ferries, and accommodation and amenities to suit.

Useful Info
For more information on visiting Scotland, in particular the Outer and Inner Hebrides, see these Web sites:


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For more information about getting started in handbiking and picking out the right adaptive equipment, see Choosing a Handcycle.

See Wheelchair Racing in the Boston Marathon to learn more about the art of wheelchair racing and the history of the racing in a wheelchair in the Boston Marathon.