123. Mealasta Beach

My plan was to spend the day on the west coast of Lewis, working my way north around the coast from Mangersta and ending on the island of Bernera. I set off early amid light showers, passing any number of dramatic rainbows as the sun fought bravely to break through, which it eventually did. I initially parked up at the Mangersta sea stacks and waited for the rain to stop, which it did on cue. While I was waiting I studied the map and noticed a small beach further down the single track road past the hamlet of Brenish. I had to check it out and I’m glad I did. Google Maps has a beach marked here called Liddell Beach but I can’t find any reference to this anywhere else. The OS map doesn’t even have a named beach here at all, but I later found references to Mealasta Beach, after the largely uninhabited former village nearby. According to Wikipedia, During WWII several hundred people were stationed at Mealasta and Brenish to operate wireless and radar installations. There was a cinema, a bar and dancing, so this now-deserted remote stretch of coast has seen its fair share of action. It’s a beautiful little beach too and a great place to start my day.