Of all the places I saw on the Isle of Lewis, there was one that completely stole my heart and instantly became one of my happy places: the sandy beach at Tolsa.
From a nondescript car park that is literally at the end of a road, I found a winding path across the dunes, along a wire and wood post fence.
As I crested the top of the dunes, it was a beautiful sight as far as my eyes could see.
More than a mile of sandy beach at low tide, with the sun and light breeze just begging me to take my shoes off and splash around. So I did.
At the far end of the beach, there were caves and cliffs and little water drips (not big enough to be waterfalls!) to explore. I checked them all out before slowly walking back down the sandy expanse towards the other end and the car park.
After five years, I still dream of Tolsta.
This concludes the Isle of Lewis series. It was, truth be told, a test run for what would become my vagabond life in a trailer. I wanted to see how a week without work would go (I literally could not work in Scotland due to my company’s strict regulations). It turned out that I really enjoyed spending my days taking photographs and my evenings writing and processing them, and so this trip became one more data point moving me in the direction of an early retirement from full-time work two years later.
When you leave a beautiful place, you carry it with you wherever you go.
Alexandra Stoddard
Scotland draws me. The first time I visited, I felt as though I’d been there before.
Your words and photos are inspiring. Thank you for sharing.
Kind of reminds me of Carmel beach.