Fishing
on the Edge'
Uig
lodge is set in a superb location overlooking the
magnificent white sands of Uig Bay on the west
side of the isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.
It was described by Lord Leverhulme's niece who
was given the Lodge by him as a wedding present,
as having a ''Scene which surely has few equals in
all Britain for sheer breathtaking loveliness''
The estate includes the whole Floras river system
which runs from Loch Suainaval to the sea and,
together with Loch Slacsavat is let with salmon,
sea trout and brown trout
fishing. It is here that the St.Andrew's
University Fly Fishing Club convened for a week's
fishing and relaxing at the end of May this year
all organized through Purely Fly Fishing. A party
of thirteen including students, lecturers and
several dads as a moderating influence were
assembled for the trip.
We all packed into cars in St Andrews in the early
hours of the morning at the end of term and headed
for Ullapool and the ferry to Stornaway. Ferries
had been booked for us well in advance and
luckily everything went to plan with everyone
arriving in time for much needed breakfasts in
Ullapool still bleary eyed from the night before.
The ferry was just over two and a half hours
journey and was not the smoothest of crossings as
several in the party could testify, by the time we
had checked out the tackle shops in Stornaway,
fishing was very much back on the agenda.
The
journey to the Lodge was over tarred but twisty
narrow roads with several wrong turns, but when we
neared Uig,it suddenly became obvious that we had
arrived. Uig Lodge is a very distinctive cream
painted Victorian building which occupies a
commanding position with the magnificent white
sands of the estuary below. It was certainly a
good choice and as we parked the cars two figures
came out to greet us, they were Eric the cook and
Derek the ghillie and were ushered into the
kitchen where a superb buffet had been thoughtfully
prepared. What a welcome after a long journey with
little sleep.
The
standard of accommodation was first class, with
lots of rustic charm and lashings of piping hot
water in large cast iron baths. The bedrooms were
mostly en suite and tastefully decorated in
keeping with the style of a sporting lodge.
