06/09/2026
Yesterday morning I headed out to Uig, which sits on the west coast of Lewis and has been quietly stealing my heart for years.
The first stop was Cliff Beach, or Traigh na Clibhe to give it its proper Gaelic name. What makes this beach extraordinary, beyond that breathtaking curve of sand and the colour of the water, is what lies beneath it. Somewhere under those dunes rests a shipwreck from around a hundred years ago, slowly being reclaimed by the land. You wouldn't know it to look at it. It just looks like paradise.
From there I drove on to Mangersta Beach, a completely different character but no less spectacular. Crashing Atlantic swell, dramatic cliffs, and a sky that felt like it was putting on a performance. There were a handful of people on the path and we all just stood there, quietly, watching the waves come in. Sometimes that's all you need.
I also stopped at the stream on the moor and at the little harbour at Valtos along the way, because that's what a morning in Uig does to you. You just keep stopping.
Both places are among my absolute favourites anywhere I've ever photographed. Days like yesterday are why I love living here.
All images available as prints at www.ralphtongephotography.co.uk
