September 8
Map & Schedule: Courtesy of Ed’s B&B
Harris
Karma Is a Bitch
You need a little background on this story. This took place about thirty years ago, give or take a year or two, at our cottage.
Bob Pope and I had a whole day by ourselves. A very dangerous thing. Left on our own, we decided to build a 150-foot zip line running from a tree right by the upper deck all the way out into the water. For the anchor at the lake end, we built a tripod out of an old TV antenna tower that stuck out about eight feet above the water.
We even gave it an official name: The Space-Time Continuum. That was something cottage neighbours would ask about for years.
The plan was simple: put a pulley on the cable, grab the handle, and zip from the tree straight out to the tripod. The original idea was for Bob and me to ride it. Alas, no such luck. We simply did not engineer this thing to withstand our weight category.
So who gets to ride it? The kids, of course. Tara, Kristin, and Chris were the only ones who could actually use it. Chris, being the lightest of the bunch, became the star. He could ride it all the way out to the tripod, hang on tight, and stay on while we hauled the pulley all the way back up to the launch point on the deck.
Facing the grim reality that I couldn’t ride the Space-Time Continuum myself, I resigned myself to becoming the official documentary videographer of the sport. And I was going to be the absolute best at it. I started recording the kids from every angle: in the water, on the dock, and up on the deck. This was footage worthy of ABC’s Wide World of Sports.
I was doing an amazing job. Until Chris, on a return trip from the very highest point off the deck, lost his grip and fell. He bounced right down onto the sandy shore below. It could have been serious, even a terrible outcome. The memorable part was that every adult in the vicinity instantly panicked, scrambling to catch him and check if he was in one piece.
Me? As the story became legendary in the retelling over the years, I wasn't wearing my concerned father hat in that split second. I was the videographer for the broadcast. The network was relying on me! So I did what came naturally: I kept filming. The footage was exceptional, if I say so myself. And naturally, that was the part of the story that survived every retelling at family dinners.
Well, folks, karma has a very long memory.
Fast forward almost three and a half decades later. I found myself on the other end of the lens.
Most people who know me know that whenever I visit my great friend Ed, we are up to no good, completely full of mischief and merriment—and an absolute danger to Scotland and anyone around us. Naturally, we were loaded with all kinds of gear to record the trip, including experimenting with a 360-degree camera on a long pole to emulate drone shots.
We were visiting Seilebost Beach—an incredible, stunning sandy beach. We were trying all sorts of camera angles. I was wading out in the water heading back to shore, but Ed wanted one more shot with the 360 camera and asked me to stay in position and take a few steps back into the water.
The moment I stepped back, I realized my feet were physically sinking into very fine, loose sand. The more I tried to pull my feet free, the deeper I went. First it was four inches, then six. Every time I tried to yank one foot out, the other sank in deeper and faster.
Panic set in, and I tried to make a break for the shore. Now remember two things: I was heavily laden with my expensive Sony camera gear and lenses in a bag, and I was actively filming with my camera hanging around my neck.
Inevitably, the quicksand won, and I started falling head-first straight toward ten inches of freezing ocean water. My pure instinct was to save the gear. I hurled the main camera bag high up into the air and twisted my whole body mid-fall just to keep the camera around my neck from hitting the water.
I shouted for Ed to help, and he came rushing to the rescue. Without thinking of his own safety, he charged right in, grabbed my camera bag out of danger, and in the process managed to haul me out of the muck and onto solid ground.
And this is where karma comes in.
Ed did that entire rescue with one hand.
Why? Because his other hand was busy holding up the 360 camera, faithfully recording the entire interaction between Naguib and the Scottish quicksand.
Chris, my boy, it took three and a half decades for karma to bite me, but you would have been damn proud of how steady Ed kept that shot
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Ed’s Itinerary
Day 4 – Sept 8 Tuesday
Check out Lighthouse Cottage; we are already close to the ferry to Uig!
Ferry from Uig to Tarbert (Harris)! Breakfast on the Ferry. Option: Breakfast at Bakur Bar & Restaurant. Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) Ferry Company
Ferry Departs Uig 9:25 am – Arrives Tarbert 11:05 am (timetable subject to change).
11:15 am Tarbert to Seilebost beach, Seilebost, Isle of Harris HS3 3HP, 10 miles 16 minutes. Hike and shoot at the beach area, then go up to the viewpoint. Seilebost Beach may be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world to photograph. Photograph area… perhaps plan a snack lunch of meats and cheese, pitted dates, and fruit. Might walk to Luskentyre Beach
2:00 pm drive to Lathamor B&B
Tue 8 Sept 2026 - Thu 10 Sept 2026, 2 nights
Twin Room with Sea View, Breakfast Included.
Seilebost to Lathamor – 47 miles, 1h 10min
Arrival time – Approved
You requested to check in at 03:00 - 04:00. Check out 5:30 am to 10 am
Check in, relax, explore the area.
5:30 pm Dinner, The BoatShed Restaurant, Stornoway
After dinner, we are right in the harbour, so a walk and maybe a pub visit.