The Postman's Path: A Walk over the Hill to Rhenigidale

The walk

The Postman's Path crosses the hill from the road to Scalpay, just east of Tarbert, to Rhenigidale on the east coast of Harris, and this walk goes there and back the same way. It is about 13 km (8 miles) in all, about five hours with a picnic. The path is clear on the ground and rougher beyond the pass. Each way it climbs and drops twice: over the pass at 285 m and down a steep run of zigzags to the sea, then over a lower headland to the village.

A board at the start tells the path's story. The North Harris Trust, which runs the estate for the community, looks after the path, and volunteers repaired stretches of it in 2019. The first climb follows the river Abhainn an t-Sratha past small waterfalls; look back for the lochs scattered over the rough ground of Harris.

From the cairn on the pass, a saddle between Beinn Tharsuinn and Trolamul, the view opens over Loch Trolamaraig to the Shiant Isles in the Minch. Just beyond it, a polished stone marks where a side path leaves for Molinginish.

Below, the path drops to the bridge at the head of Loch Trolamaraig by the Scriob, a tight ladder of hairpin bends on a very steep hillside. The slope falls away beside the path, so take it steadily and keep children and dogs close; on the way back, the zigzags are the stiffest climb of the day. Look for a waterfall in the glen above the bay, and on the loch for porpoises, divers and, with luck, an otter.

The path rises again over the headland of Linginis, past the ruined houses of Gearraidh Lotaigear, and meets the road just above Rhenigidale. The village sits under Toddun, looking out over the Minch to the north end of Skye.

Carry lunch and water: the nearest shops are in Tarbert. There are no toilets on the path; OpenStreetMap marks public ones by the pier in Tarbert, so check before relying on them.