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Raw food and camping in Orkney and the Outer Hebrides

By Lisa Murphy Nov 23 4

I recently had a camping trip around Orkney and the Outer Hebrides – wow, what an amazing time, there certainly are some incredible places to visit here in Scotland!

So I thought it would be helpful to share a little of my experiences in finding good places to eat raw food along my travels.

Of course, like any sensible raw foodist, I went well-prepared: stocked up with plenty of fruit and veg, and even some raw juices and smoothies which I’d pre-made and frozen before setting off.

It turns out I didn’t need to be quite SO well-prepared though, as even before we’d got our first ferry we found ourselves at The Green Welly in Tyndrum.  This is a smashing stop-off point that you’re sure to come across if you’re travelling around Scotland as it’s situated on the A82 in the middle of Loch Lomond, Fort William, Perth, and of course Oban, which was where we were headed.

It sells fuel, food and gifts, and is always surrounded by swarms of friendly bikers.  Make your way to the back of the shop (avert your eyes from the home-made brownies! Resist, resist!!) to the chilled section and you will see a nice little selection of fresh fruit and juices.  Proper freshly-squeezed orange juice no less – none of that pasteurised nonsense!  I got some Scottish strawberries for my lunch on the ferry.

The journey from Oban to Uist takes around 6 hours, and the café on the ferry isn’t exactly bursting with rawness, so it’s a good idea to bring your own food.  I was glad of my strawberries, they went nicely with my flask of green juice, sat out in the sunshine watching the waves go by.

Once we got to Uist we set up our tent in a lovely little campsite right by a gorgeous white sand beach (the first of many!).  I gathered up some wild edibles and made some tasty warming herbal tea on our little camping stove (I may be a raw foodie but like any typical Brit I’m never giving up my tea, no way!).

Here are a couple of places I’ve heard of that you might like to try if you’re hunting for some quality fresh produce while you’re in Uist:

The Big Garden http://biggarden.scot/the-big-garden/

Beautiful kitchen garden on South Uist, right by the beach, which grows and sells a variety of fresh seasonal produce.

MacLennans Supermarket  http://www.maclennanssupermarket.co.uk/

Family-owned shop in Benbecula selling fresh produce.

Luskentyre Beach Isle of Harris Outer Hebrides

Luskentyre Beach.. simply beautiful

Our next stop was the Isle of Harris, where we visited the stunning Luskentyre beach.  This beach was voted best beach in Britain, and it’s not hard to see why – it’s completely breathtaking.  I happened to stroll by the set of a music video which was being made, so I sat and watched while a girl in a long white dress walked straight into the sea until she was completely immersed in the water, cameras hovering above.  I felt really sorry for her as the wind was really biting despite the bright sunshine – she must have been freezing!

Like I say, the Outer Hebrides aren’t exactly well-equipped for raw foodists, but camping out there was a nice experience for me as it made me really simplify my diet.  I did a lot of mono-eating during this trip (mono-eating = eating one food at a time as opposed to mixing them up in a meal/recipe) as it just seemed to suit the simplicity of it all; sitting on the ground outside our little tent, surrounded by the raw beauty of the islands.

I must say that Uig Sands on the Isle of Lewis was the absolute highlight of the trip for me.  We camped on the beach up in the sand dunes and had a little spot all to ourselves.  We lit a little campfire and sat back and enjoyed a spectacular sunset over the turquoise water – it was pure heaven.

Uig Sands camping

Sunset on the Isle of Lewis

While on Lewis, the Callanish Stones are not to be missed – they are undoubtedly one of the most magical places in Scotland.

Callanish-stones

Callanish Stones – mysterious and brooding

I visited Stornaway Farmer’s Market  to stock up on some lovely fresh produce mid-way through the trip.  I got some lovely yellow courgettes amongst other things.  Their stuff is super-fresh; most of it is picked within 24 hours of it going on sale.  Get there early in the morning before it sells out!

Yellow courgette noodles

Yellow courgette noodles

When we got back on the mainland we stopped by Smoo Cave in Durness – well worth checking out on your way from Ullapool up to the Orkney ferry.

While on the mainland we also squeezed in a quick stop to Thurso and a visit to Carrots health food store to stock up on supplies.

After getting into Orkney on the ferry we headed into Kirkwall, where we stayed at the Pickaquoy Centre campsite.  Compared to our wild camping in Lewis, this felt practically like a 5 star hotel, with its heated shower complex, kitchen and lounge area and wifi.  It was also very handy for the ferry and close to town too.  There was even an option to use the spa and swimming pool at the centre – luxury!

If you’re in Kirkwall at the right time you might catch the farmer’s market in Orkney, it’s held on the last Saturday of each month.  Here is some more info: http://orkneyfarmersmarket.weebly.com/

We popped into the Real food café in Kirkwall for lunch.  In terms of rawfood, it only really provided salads,  but it had such a lovely atmosphere that I thought it was worth a mention.

We travelled around Orkney, staying at the Birsay Outdoor Centre and the gorgeous Wheems Organic Farm, where we had some fantastic hot sunny weather.  The handy thing about staying at Wheems was that they sold their own organic veg on site.

A simple lunch at Wheems Farm

A simple lunch at Wheems Farm

Stromness was a cute little town to visit, and we found a lovely health food store there that sold a great range of goods including raw chocolate, seaweed, and herbs.

While in Orkney we visited some fantastic places, including the spectacular Ring of Brodgar 5000 year old standing stones, the beautiful Italian Chapel, and the fascinating Neolithic settlement of Scara Brae.

Orkney is quite a mission to get to, but once you get there you won’t regret it.

Have you been to Orkney or the Outer Hebrides?  If so, leave me a comment below and let me know how you liked it.  Did you find any great places for raw and healthy food?

About Lisa Murphy
Lisa Murphy has followed a rawfood diet since 2003. She is also a counsellor, hypnotherapist and coach who specialises in healthy eating, weight loss and anxiety. For more details of Lisa's therapies and courses please visit www.CherryTherapies.com

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Tags: Orkney, Outer Hebrides, rawfood Categories: Article

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About Lisa Murphy

Lisa Murphy has followed a rawfood diet since 2003. She is also a counsellor, hypnotherapist and coach who specialises in healthy eating, weight loss and anxiety. For more details of Lisa's therapies and courses please visit www.CherryTherapies.com

Comments

  1. Stella says

    February 15, 2016 at 17:33

    Hi
    I am retired, living near Nairn on the Moray coast and try to eat a good amount raw, but have an awful sweet tooth and am addicted to bread I think – but have never had a weight problem. I lived on Mull for 2.5 years and am very familiar with Oban, Fort William and the Green Welly stop and have visited Tyree, Eigg and Muck – all well worth visiting; also been to Shetland, lovely wild place, and hope to visit the Outer Hebrides and Orkney at some point.There are some very good farm shops around here compared to the west coast and it’s great for soft fruits in summer but also lovely cafes which are so much into the baked stuff.
    But I am trying ! Ideally I would love to live in the far North and have Mediterranean style cuisine !
    Stella Donnelly

  2. Lisa Murphy says

    April 5, 2016 at 18:37

    Hi Stella, thanks for your comment – sorry it’s taken me ages to reply, been a bit lax with blogging and only just seen it!
    You live in a beautiful part of the world, for sure. Yes, Outer Hebrides and Orkney are well worth visiting.
    I think I’d like to live in the Mediterranean and have Mediterranean style cuisine 😉

  3. Lesley Leggat says

    April 14, 2016 at 13:39

    I frequently holiday in Orkney & two of the most unexpected delishious eateries are to be found at the Orkney Brewery & the Hoxa Tearooms – beautiful food from fresh ingredients.

  4. Lisa Murphy says

    April 16, 2016 at 11:54

    Thanks for the tip Lesley, sounds lovely 🙂

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ABOUT

Lisa Murphy BSc.(hons), PG Dip. Couns., Dip.C.Hyp/NLP, is a hypnotherapist & counsellor who specialises in weight issues, anxiety, and stress-management.

Lisa has followed a rawfoods lifestyle since 2003, and incorporates rawfood support and coaching into her healthy living therapies.

For more details of Lisa’s therapies and weight-loss courses please visit www.CherryTherapies.com

 

Love Raw Food?
SIGN UP for free updates, tips and inspiration - AND get my free RAWFOOD TRAVEL SURVIVAL KIT, full of tips & tricks for when you're on your trips!
Your details are safe with us. We will only send the emails you have signed up for, and you can unsubscribe at any time. More details in the Privacy Policy link at the bottom of the page.

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