Page 34 - Off The Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 2 of 2)

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BEACHES FORGET COAST

GUARD BEACH?

THE BUILD-UP Coast Guard Beach near
Eastham is Cape Cod’s finest stretch of beach
and is regularly ranked as one of USA’s best.
This broad, windswept beach, bounded by large
dunes and marshes and overlooked by a historic
Coast Guard Station, is a favorite seaside retreat
Isle of Harris with Bostonians.

THE LETDOWN The peak season extends from
the last Monday in May to the first Monday in
Beaches September, but it can also be busy in spring and
fall. In summer, prices can shoot sky high and
the parking lot is closed, so you have to rely on
a shuttle bus to get here. 4WD drivers have to
vs Coast Guard Beach, apply for an ORV sticker.

GOING ANYWAY? Brace yourself for the
Cape Cod crowds and you can have a good vacation. Coast
Guard Beach is a great place for the family, with
lifeguards on hand. It is also one of the cape’s
best surfing beaches. The spit offers excellent
Coast Guard Beach is the most stunning of Cape Cod beaches, but for a peaceful experience hiking, with walking paths revealing stunning
scenery and rich wildlife. The end of the spit is
in an equally spectacular location, seek out the Isle of Harris in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides ideal for bird-watching and seal-spotting.

broad expanse of machair (coastal grassland)
NEED TO KNOW
comes into view. Beyond is the wide Luskentyre
LOCATION The Isle of Harris Estuary backed by brooding mountains. On a clear
is in the Outer Hebrides, off the
*4-& 0'
coast of northwest Scotland, UK summer’s day, the scene takes on the colors of a
"UMBOUJD )"33*4
VISITORS PER YEAR 0DFBO Caribbean island, the pale-cream sand gleaming in
&EJOCVSHI
26,000 (MBTHPX the clear sunlight beside a turquoise ocean broken
/PSUI
DAYTIME 4FB by rolling surf. This being Scotland, it won’t be as ABOVE Sunbathers crowding the sands of Coast Guard Beach
TEMPERATURES .BODIFTUFS in Cape Cod
Jan: 37°F (4°C); Apr: 46°F (8°C); *3&-"/% 6/*5&% warm as the Caribbean, nor even Cape Cod, but
Jul: 61°F (16°C); Oct: 46°F (8°C); ,*/(%0. the fresh breeze will feel invigorating, and chances
Summer temperatures -POEPO
occasionally exceed 86°F (30°C) are you won’t see a soul here all day.
If you can tear yourself away from Seilebost,
it’s worth exploring the island. Across the bay from
Coast Guard Beach in Cape Cod, USA, may well be Seilebost is the beautiful Luskentyre Beach, and
blessed with mile upon mile of golden sand and farther south along the west coast are Scarista and PRACTICAL INFORMATION
brushed by Atlantic breezes, but for much of the Northton. Stop off to see the interesting medieval
Getting There and Around superb seafood. Try Scarista
year, it heaves beneath the weight of urban St. Clement’s Church at Rodel, the megalithic
Getting to Harris can seem like a House, Scarista (www.scarista
weekenders and hordes of tourists traipsing along MacLeod standing stone at Nisabost, and Seallam pilgrimage. You can fly to house.com) – also a hotel – for
the New England trail. If you truly want to get away Genealogy Research Centre, where Celtic expats Stornoway Airport on the Isle of wonderful traditional cuisine.
from it all, then head for the Outer Hebrides in the can rediscover their roots. Alternatively, drive north Lewis, then rent a car (www. Where to Stay
extreme west of Scotland – you can’t get much along a spectacular coastal road towards stornowaycarhire.co.uk) and Accommodations includes B&Bs,
drive the 27 miles (44 km) to
more remote than these rugged islands. Hushinish, which takes you right past the front guesthouses, cottages, self-
Tarbert, Harris. Flights depart
Like Cape Cod, the Isle of Harris has some of door of Amhuinnsuidhe Castle (pronounced “avan- from Edinburgh, Glasgow, catering, and boutique hotels.
the finest beaches you’ll see, yet the Scots manage soo-ee”), a stately baronial manor nestled between Aberdeen, Inverness, and Privately owned Hotel Hebrides
in Tarbert (www.macleodmotel.
to keep theirs relatively secret. Strung out along the ocean and mountains. Continue north and Benbecula. Alternatively, take com) has plush rooms and is an
the island’s southwestern coast, these jewels you reach the Isle of Lewis, where the highlights your car across on the ferry from ideal base to explore the island.
Uig, on the Isle of Skye, to
shimmer beside the roaring Atlantic Ocean – and include the magnificent Callanish standing stones. When to Go
Tarbert, or from the Isle of
one of the biggest diamonds in the chain is Harris is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream. It offers Berneray to Leverburgh in the July and August are the warmest
Seilebost. Approaching by road from the fishing some of the best climbing, hiking, fishing, and south of Harris (Caledonian months. Many places and
port of Tarbert, Harris’s main town, you traverse a surfing in the UK. There is a wonderful golf course MacBrayne: www.calmac.co.uk) facilities close during Oct–Apr.
glaciated moonscape of ancient rock exposed beside Scarista Beach, and it harbors a dazzling Where to Eat Budget per Day for Two
between peat bogs and clumps of heather, array of wildlife, including whales, dolphins, seals, Though they’re readily available, US$325, including food,
Scottish food isn’t all haggis, accommodations, and rental car.
passing only the occasional stone crofter’s cottage. puffins, and golden eagles. But whether you are an
neeps, and tatties. Other dishes Website
At the tiny settlement of Seilebost, a seemingly active type or a sedentary beach-lover, a trip to
made from local produce include www.visitscotland.com
endless spit flanked by high tufted dunes and a Harris will be more than a match for Cape Cod.

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