Loch na Cleabhaig, Loch a' Ghlinne, Huiseabhal Mor and Huiseabhal Beag

This 13 km / 8 mile circuit in North Harris is a wild, airy hill-and-coast outing that packs a lot into a relatively modest distance: white sand, sea cliffs, remote lochs, broad grassy ridges, and two shapely summits above the Atlantic. With around 700 to 742 metres of ascent (roughly 2,300 to 2,435 feet), it sits comfortably in the medium bracket on paper, but the terrain makes it feel more serious than the numbers suggest. Expect rough, boggy ground, faint or absent paths on the hill sections, and some steep gradients on the descent from Huiseabhal Beag. (walkhighlands.co.uk)

The walk begins at the parking area at Hùisinis, Isle of Harris, at the end of the B887 near Hushinish Beach, which is the clearest known landmark for the trailhead. There are toilets at the start, and this is the practical access point for both drivers and bus users. The route is usually described from the Hùisinis parking area, grid reference NA992120. (walkhighlands.co.uk)

For anyone arriving by car, the approach is via Tarbert and then west across Harris on the single-track B887 to Hùisinis. Roads on Harris are generally quiet but often narrow, with passing places, so allow more time than the mileage suggests. If using public transport, there is a bus link between Tarbert Pier and Hushinish/Hùisinis on the W12 route, though services are limited and vary by day and school-term pattern, so timings need to be checked carefully before committing to the walk. Tarbert itself is reached by ferry from Uig on Skye, while Lewis and Harris are also connected to the mainland by ferry to Stornoway and by flights to Stornoway Airport. (walkhighlands.co.uk)

The opening section is gentle by Hebridean standards. From the road end at Hùisinis, the route heads out across the isthmus on a track and path toward the coast, with immediate views to Scarp offshore. This early stretch is a good warm-up before the rougher interior, and it also introduces the exposed character of the day: wind, open sea, and very little shelter. The path here is clearer than later on, but the ground can still be uneven and slick after rain. (walkhighlands.co.uk)

Coast, lochs and old settlement traces

The coastal path toward Tràigh Mheilein is part of an old route and has seen repair work, but it still includes rocky sections and places with steep drops nearby, so steady footwork matters. Before long, the route turns inland beneath the steep flanks of Huiseabhal Beag, then drops toward Loch na Cleabhaig. This is one of the most memorable transitions on the walk: the sea behind you, the hill wall above, and a lonely inland loch ahead. (walkhighlands.co.uk)

From Loch na Cleabhaig, the route continues east toward the shore and then along to Crabhadail, a beautiful sandy bay that feels distinctly remote even by Harris standards. Around the back of the beach are the remains of lazy beds, the old ridged cultivation strips once used to grow crops in marginal coastal ground. They are a small but important reminder that these now-empty places were once worked landscapes, shaped by crofting communities that relied on every usable patch of soil. (walkhighlands.co.uk)

The historical texture of this area runs deeper than the field traces. Near the narrows facing Scarp, the route passes the site associated with the famous Scarp rocket mail experiment, an attempt to deliver post by rocket when Scarp still had permanent residents. It is one of those very Hebridean stories: inventive, isolated, and tied to the practical realities of life on Atlantic islands. More broadly, Harris and Lewis are known for a rich archaeological record spanning prehistoric sites, later settlement, and crofting history, so even a hill walk like this sits within a much older human landscape. (walkhighlands.co.uk)

After Cr