BARRA AND VATERSAY

Barra can be reached by ferry from Eriskay as well as from Oban on the mainland. Such is the appeal of this tiny island, with its green machair dotted with flowers in springtime and its beautiful, empty beaches, that it has been nicknamed "Barradise". The island's main road loops round in a circle, providing an ideal thoroughfare for cyclists. In my blog post about Eriskay, I mentioned that Eriskay was where the events took place which provided the inspiration for the Whisky Galore book and film. The film was shot in Barra (under the name "Tight Little Island" in the US). The main settlement on Barra is the village of Castlebay, which as its name suggests, has a castle in its bay. This is the medieval Kisimul Castle, accessible to visitors via a ferry, and offering fine views of the bay. The castle was bought in 1937 by the chief of the Clan MacNeil, who has since leased it to Historic Scotland. Next week there is an international gathering of the clan at the castle.

Vatersay is another island, linked to Barra by a causeway which was completed in 1991. The island is a magnet for lovers of ancient remains, having an Iron Age Broch (at Dun a' Chaolais) and a Bronze Age cemetery (at Treasabhaig) to name but two sites. Nature lovers will find otters, seals and herons, along with sparkling white beaches. There is a monument on the island commemorating a shipwreck which occurred in 1853. The ship, Annie Jane, was on its way from Liverpool to Montreal, but succumbed to a storm off Vatersay, where, in spite of the best efforts of the local people, only a few survivors were rescued. Another reminder of past tragedy is the remains of the JX273 Catalina flying boat, which crashed here during a training flight from Oban.

Map of the islands.

View south from Heaval. Photo by Chris McLean, via Wikimedia Commons.

ERISKAY

Eriskay secured its place in history in 1745 when Bonnie Prince Charlie arrived there with a handful of followers, intent on starting an uprising in support of his father James Stewart, the exiled King of Great Britain. It is said that a reminder of that event lives on in the form of the sea bindweed which grows on the island. This plant is not native to the Hebrides, and the story goes that the Prince accidentally let some seeds drop from a handkerchief after landing on the island. Another event which the island is famous for, and which was the inspiration for a book and a film, was the story of a shipwreck which was raided by the islanders for its consignment of 24,000 cases of whisky. The ship was the SS Politician, which sank off the island in 1941 and the book was Whisky Galore by Compton Mackenzie, which came out in 1947, followed by an Ealing comedy film two years later. The film was actually shot on the nearby island of Barra. It has since transpired that it was not only whisky that disappeared from the shipwreck, but also a substantial sum of money. The SS Politician was carrying eight cases of currency bound for the West Indies and the United States.

Eriskay is a mere 6 square miles, with around 100 inhabitants. There is just one shop, which was started by the local people as a co-operative after the island's shop and post office closed in the late 1970s. Being the only shop on the island, it offers a wide range of goods and doubles as a Post Office. The island as a whole was taken over by the residents in 2006 in a community buy-out. Eriskay can be reached from South Uist by a causeway, from where a narrow, gently undulating road weaves through the emerald green machair, which in spring is thick with daisies and marsh marigolds. In summer there are boat trips with a good chance of seeing the bottle nosed dolphins which visit the waters off the island at this time of year.

Map of the island.

Eriskay. Photo by Kenny Davidson, via Wikimedia Commons.

SOUTH UIST

South Uist is an isle of two halves: the east is mountainous with numerous indentations and sea lochs, while the west coast consists of an almost continuous beach backed by dunes over 20 miles long. The flatness of the west coast makes it vulnerable to the elements, as was the case in 2005 when a devastating storm with 150 mph winds caused extensive damage to buildings and killed several people. In a terrifying vision of the effects of climate change, it has been predicted that sea levels around South Uist will rise by 37cm by 2080, making the future of the west coast precarious to say the least. Recognising the urgent need to provide protection for this coastline, and frustrated by the inaction of the local authorities, the locals have taken matters into their own hands, using tyres and fishing nets to build a seawall. The lochs of the east coast are rich in wildlife, such as the mute swans of Loch Bee. The freshwater Loch Druidibeg is a nature reserve with a large colony of greylag geese as well as a number of corncrakes.

South Uist, unlike other Hebridean islands, is Catholic, and probably the most prominent sign of this is the granite sculpture of the Virgin Mary known as "Our Lady of the Isles", erected in 1957. The statue was commissioned by a local parish priest in response to proposals to create a large missile test range on the island. The priest was one of the main opponents to the proposals, but his protestations fell on deaf ears and the test range went ahead as planned, overlooked by the statue. The island's leisure activities include an unusual example of a 'lost' golf course. Askernish Golf Course was first laid out in 1891 by Old Tom Morris, but was abandoned in the 1920s. However, the course was restored and reopened in 2008 with a new clubhouse. Fans of archaeology should head to the Kildonan Museum, where the archaeological finds include the Clanranald Armorial Stone, carved with the Clanranald Arms. The Jacobite heroine Flora MacDonald, famous for her assistance to Bonnie Prince Charlie while living on Benbecula, was born on South Uist, and there is a monument marking her birthplace at Milton. The main settlement on the island is Lochboisdale, from where there is a ferry service to Oban.

Map of the island.

Beach, South Uist - geograph.org.uk - 601902. Photo by F Leask, via Wikimedia Commons.

BENBECULA

Benbecula is sandwiched between the islands of North and South Uist, and is reachable from either of them by road. There is also an airport, and those who arrive by air may be interested to known that it started off as a military airfield, built during World War II. Later, during the Cold War, the airfield was used as the control centre for the Hebrides rocket range. Nowadays there is an army base which is one of the main employers on the island, and which services the South Uist missile test range. The island has a similar topography to its neighbours, with numerous sea lochs dotted among the land.

The origin of Benbecula's gaelic name, Beinn na Faoghla, is slightly puzzling, since it means "mountain of the fords", however there are no mountains on Benbecula, whose highest point is 124 metres. The west side of the island is a mixture of machair (low grassy plain) and white beaches with sand dunes. In the south-west of the island lie the remains of the 14th century Borve Castle which was occupied by the MacDonalds of Benbecula until the early 17th century, while at the northern end lie the Gramsdale Standing Stones.  The main settlement on the island is Balivanich, whose name, meaning "town of the monks", harks back to a monastery established in the 6th century.

Map of the island.

Benbecula Beach 2. Photo by Paul Birrell, via Wikimedia Commons.

NORTH UIST

Looking a a map of the Outer Hebrides, they have the appearance of one of those dinosaur skeletons one sees at natural history museums, with Lewis and Harris forming the skull and the smaller islands further south forming the spine (at least that's how it looks to me - maybe I have an over-active imagination). North Uist is the top part of the "spine", and it, and the other islands further south, have the appearance of shattered bones, so great is the number of tiny islands strewn off the 'mainland' of the bigger islands. The main town on North Uist is Lochmaddy, which is served by ferries to Uig on Skye and Tarbert. The town's attractions include the Taigh Chearsabhagh arts centre. The numerous freshwater lochs dotted around the eastern part of the island are prized for sea trout and salmon fishing, which can be arranged via the main hotel in Lochmaddy. They are also perfect for sea kayaking. The west coast is a haven for birdwatchers, and is home to the Balranald RSPB reserve. Beachlovers will not be disappointed either, as there are a number of beautiful beaches on the island.

There are a number of prehistoric sites on North Uist. Near Lochmaddy is a stone circle called Na Fir Bhreige, or "The False Men", so named because according to legend they are a group of men who deserted their wives and were turned to stone for their treachery. There are more standing stones at Pobull Fhinn, as well as a chambered cairn at Barpa Langass. The island is also home to the earliest crannog (waterside dwelling) in Scotland, at Eilean Domhnuill. Just off the west coast is the Isle of Vallay, which can be reached on foot at low tide via a wide strand. The island is uninhabited, but there were once around 60 people living there, and the island is known for its forbidding deserted, semi-ruined mansion.

Webcam view towards the west from Carinish.

Map of the island.

Traigh Stir, North Uist - geograph.org.uk - 7073. Photo by Sue Jackson, via Wikimedia Commons.

BERNERAY

Berneray is a small island in the Sound of Harris, just off the island of North Uist, and linked to it by a causeway. It can also be reached by ferry from Leverburgh in the Isle of Harris. A much earlier ferry service, operating from Bays Loch, was started up in the early 18th century by the then owners of the island, the MacLeods of Harris. A few years earlier in 1697 a village on the island called Siabaidh met tragedy when it was consumed by sand during a storm. Kelp was once the mainstay of the island's economy, but after that declined it became a major grower of potatoes. Like so many other small Scottish islands, Berneray's population has declined steadily over the years, but the opening of the causeway by Prince Charles in 1999 marked a new era of connectivity for the island, along with the harbour which was built around the same time for the Leverburgh ferry, all of which has made life a little easier for the remaining inhabitants. For visitors, there is a vast, sparkling beach on the west side of the island, a small selection of places to stay including a youth hostel, and a Visitor Information Centre at The Nurse's Cottage, home to the island's Historical Society. Each year in July the island holds its Berneray Week, which includes events such as races, an RNLI Open Day and Gaelic taster classes and song classes.

Map of the island.

Berneray Machair. Photo by Richard Webb, via Wikimedia Commons.

ST KILDA

St Kilda is an archipelago of superlatives. Not only is it the remotest part of the British Isles, but it is the only World Heritage Site in Britain having a dual status, being of natural and cultural significance. Natural significance for its huge cliffs and sea stacks - the highest in Britain - which are home to the most important sea-bird breeding ground in north-west Europe, including the world's largest gannet colony and Britain's largest colony of fulmars. For its superb diving opportunities, with submerged caves, arches and tunnels. For the sheep of Soay island, a primitive breed dating back to the Bronze Age. Cultural significance for the ancient remains left behind by the island's earliest inhabitants. For the archaeological finds from the period of Norse occupation. For the remains of the village dating back to the time when the main island, Hirta, was inhabited, the occupants living in traditional Hebridean black houses and thatched stone houses.

Life must have been incredibly challenging for the people living in this remote outpost. The seabirds for which the archipelago is so prized once formed a major part of their diet. The population was once nearly wiped out by smallpox brought back by someone who had visited Harris in 1726. Only 1 adult and 18 children survived on Hirta. Over the years, famine, emigration to Australia and other factors contributed to a serious decline in the population. The 36 remaining inhabitants were finally evacuated in 1930 and nowadays the only people to spend any length of time there are conservation workers, scientists and so forth. St Kilda, which is run by the National Trust for Scotland, is not the easiest place to get to, but people do visit, some of them arriving by cruise ship, some by charters or yachts.

Map of the area.

St Kilda Village Bay. Photo by Ian Mitchell, via Wikimedia Commons.

ISLE OF HARRIS

The Isle of Harris, or South Harris, is not actually an island, being joined to Lewis by a narrow isthmus separating Loch Tarbert from West Loch Tarbert. In fact, the geography of Harris is confusing, because the northern part of it lies on the other side of the isthmus, forming part of the "Isle of Lewis". The main community on the 'Isle' is Tarbert, which has a ferry terminal offering sailings to Uig on Skye. On the southern tip of Harris is the small port of Rodel which is noted for its medieval kirk, the Church of St Clement, built by the MacLeods of Dunvegan and housing three monuments to the family, including one carved from the local black stone known as "gneiss". The other main village on the island is Leverburgh, which has a number of ferries including one to the small island of Berneray. The road which wends its way from Tarbert to Rodel was nicknamed the "golden road" because of the cost of building it. There are some spectacular beaches in South Harris, most notably Seilebost and Scarista. Film director Stanley Kubrick considered the terrain of South Harris other-worldly enough to use it as a double for the surface of Jupiter in his film "2001: A Space Odyssey", although the shots were tinted, so it may not be readily recognisable as Harris.

Map of the area.

Traigh Seilebost - geograph.org.uk - 152926. Photo by David Crocker, via Wikimedia Commons.

HUSHINISH

Hushinish, which is in the North Harris part of Lewis and Harris, is a delightful place to visit in early summer when the machair, or coastal grassy plain, is covered with flowers such as harebells, or Scottish bluebells. Delightful also for its gleaming beaches, which boast the highest percentage of shell fragments in Scotland. It is possible to walk from here via a mountain path to Cravadale on the shores of Loch Cleabhaig, a rewarding walk for the views to the uninhabited island of Scarp. The water between this coast and Scarp is notorious for its strong currents, even though it is often very shallow. Scarp was inhabited until 1970, and the difficulty of making the crossing between Hushinish and Scarp due to the treacherous waters meant that the people of Scarp were often cut off. Enter German inventor Gerhard Zucker, who in 1934 came up with a cunning plan to deliver the island's post by "rocket mail". Sadly, the inventor's attempts at delivering the mail in this way were unsuccessful, and led to the mail items being singed. Anyone who finds it hard to believe this story should head for the Museum nan Eilean in Stornoway, where examples of the damaged envelopes are on display. The episode provided inspiration for a 2004 film called The Rocket Post.

Map of the area.

Hushinish Bay - geograph.org.uk - 93841. Photo by Peter Amsden, via Wikimedia Commons.

CARLOWAY BROCH AND THE CALLANISH STONES

Anyone who loves visiting historic sites should head for the Atlantic coast of the Isle of Lewis. If you have paid a visit to the blackhouses at Arnol and wonder what it would be like to stay in one of them, there is an entire 'village' of blackhouses at Garenin (or Gearrannan) a bit further down the coast serving as holiday accommodation for a truly unique stay on the island with wonderful views out to sea. A short distance away from here is Carloway Broch, an Iron Age fortified tower which, although built 2,000 years ago, still stands proud, the dry-stone walls reaching up to 9 metres in places. Inside the walls are stairs, chambers and galleries.

One of the most haunting sights on the Isle of Lewis is the stone circle known as the Callanish Stones, the island's answer to Stonehenge, where there is a Visitor Centre. The stones, which are located on a hill above East Loch Roag, are around 6 metres high. Made from stone quarried locally, they were put up around 4,000 years ago roughly in the shape of a Celtic cross, with a cairn in the centre. Like Stonehenge, the Callanish Stones were probably erected for astronomical purposes, since they appear to be in alignment with other standing stones and circles in the area. Further down the coast still is the sandy beach of Uig where in 1831 the famous "Lewis Chessmen" were discovered. The set of 78 pieces, carved from walrus ivory and whale teeth, dates from the 12th century. Unfortunately, it is not possible to view all the pieces together, as they were split up between the British Museum in London, which has 67 of them, and the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, which has the remaining 11.

Map of the area.

Callanish Standing Stones - Midsummer Sunset - geograph.org.uk - 367887. Photo by Alan McKenzie, via Wikimedia Commons.

ARNOL AND SHAWBOST

One half expects Ian Holm to emerge from one of the "blackhouses" at Arnol in full hobbit regalia, as they have that hobbity look about them. The blackhouses are a traditional form of dwelling with thatched roofs which the inhabitants used to share with their livestock. There was a peat fire permanently on the go in the main living area, but no chimney, so one can only imagine the aroma permeating the living space. Contrary to their name, the structures are not actually black, but more grey, having thick stone walls. The Blackhouse Museum at Arnol offers visitors the chance to wander round inside one of the blackhouses, as well as one of the more recent "white houses", in which life in the 1950s is represented. The move from the blackhouses to the white ones came about largely as a result of "elf and safety" dictating that animals should be kept in a separate space. For once I agree with them.

There are further interesting traditional buildings to visit in the nearby village of Shawbost, location of the Norse Mill and Kiln. The mill once housed around 200 horizontal wheel mills, and was operational until the 1930s. The kiln was probably used to heat and dry the grain that was processed in the mill. Visitors can find out more about local life in the Old School Centre, which as well as serving as a community centre, houses a museum. One of the products Scotland is noted for is Harris tweed, which is handwoven by the islanders of the Outer Hebrides using local wool. A few years ago the industry was given a much-needed boost with the opening of a new mill at Shawbost.

Map of the area.

Black House museum, Arnol - geograph.org.uk - 221571. Photo by Catherine Morgan, via Wikimedia Commons.

THE BUTT OF LEWIS

I have been in some spectacularly windy places on the British coast - Start Point in Devon is one place that springs to mind - but the Butt of Lewis, the most northerly spot in the Western isles, must be the daddy of them all, having made the Guinness Book of Records for being the windiest place in the UK. Needless to say, the seas around here are correspondingly treacherous, hence the presence of the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse, built by David and Thomas Stevenson and completed in 1862. The first thing about the lighthouse that strikes the visitor is its appearance: it is largely made up of red bricks, a contrast from the usual whitewash. The Butt of Lewis is popular with birdwatchers, being home to many seabirds.

The nearby village of Eoropaidh is the most northerly village on the island. The village is the location of the centuries-old St Moluag's Church, named after a 6th century Irish Saint. The church fell into ruin during the 19th century, but was restored in 1912. Nearby is the Port of Ness, from where the menfolk sail to the island of Sula Sgeir, 30 miles to the north, each September to harvest the "gugas", or gannets, a local delicacy which helps the inhabitants through the winter.

Map of the area.

Butt of Lewis Light House. Photo by Zenit, via Wikimedia Commons.

THE EYE PENINSULA

The Eye Peninsula, otherwise known as Point, lies about 4 miles east of Stornoway, and is separated from the rest of Lewis by a narrow isthmus called the Braigh. There is a mythical story told locally about how, back long ago when Point was a separate island, a ferocious storm caused Lewis to drift away, but the people of Point hauled it back again with the aid of a rope. The debris and sand which gathered around the rope over time was said to be the origin of the isthmus.

As soon as you enter the peninsula, you are greeted by the evocative ruins of St Columba's Church, or Eaglais Chaluim Chille in Gaelic, dating originally from the 14th century. The land around the church was used as the burial ground for the MacLeods of Lewis. It is one of several early Christian sites on the peninsula. Near St Columba's Church is a memorial to the Aignish rioters who took part in the Lewis Land Struggle in the 1800s. At the eastern extreme of the peninsula is Tiumpan Head with its lighthouse, built in 1900. It is worth taking binoculars if you decide to visit the lighthouse, as it is sometimes possible to see basking sharks or whales out at sea from here.

Map of the area.

Tiumpan Head Lighthouse - geograph.org.uk - 1246880. Photo by Stephen Branley, via Wikimedia Commons.

STORNOWAY

It takes 1 hour 45 minutes to make the journey by ferry from Ullapool to Stornoway, capital of the Isle of Lewis and the largest town in the Western Isles. The name of the town comes from the Viking for "Steering Bay". Much of the town's architecture harks back to more prosperous times, when the harbour housed a significant herring fleet: most notably the Town Hall, which is is a grand Edwardian affair, while Lews Castle on the bank of a river feeding into the harbour mouth is in the mock-Tudor style, although it was built in the 1840s by a business magnate. Many improvements were made to the castle by another magnate, Lord Leverhulme, of Unilever, who bought the Isle of Lewis in 1918 for £143,000. The Museum Nan Eilean puts on exhibitions about the history of the Western Isles. More active pursuits on offer include golfing, go-karting and paintball, while in summer there are boat trips which leave from behind the Lifeboat Station.

One thing visitors to the Isle of Lewis may find hard to get used to is the fact that almost everything closes on a Sunday. However, many people would probably find this aspect of life on Lewis a refreshing change from the 7-days-a-week open-all-hours mentality on the mainland. Things liven up considerably each year in July, with the Sail Stornoway Maritime Festival, which offers sailing events open to all. This year's festival has just ended, as has the Hebridean Celtic Festival, which took place at Lews Castle.  Other attractions in the town include the Lewis Loom Centre for fans of Harris Tweed.

Map of the area.

Stornoway Harbour. Photo by Wmck, via Wikimedia Commons.