It’s New Year’s Day, so what better way to start 2019 than planning your next island-hopping holiday?
There are many trips and tours to choose from – Scotland has so many magical islands; you’re spoilt for choice.
If you want to make the most of your holiday and pack in as many islands as you possibly can with the time you have, I’d suggest visiting the islands in the Outer Hebrides. Why? All the main islands are very close and accessible to each other, the beaches are spectacular, there is an abundance of history to the islands and if you like your water sports, you’re in for a treat.
CalMac offer a special ticket package to visit these islands – it’s called Hopscotch 8. There are plenty of other island-hopping alternatives if you fancy visiting the Inner Hebrides, the Firth of Clyde islands and the small isles – there are up to 30 route packages to choose from. I’m only going to focus on the Outer Hebrides today though as I’d be here for days otherwise! There will be more blogs about the other routes over the coming weeks and months.
With the Hopscotch 8 ticket, you can travel from Ullapool over to Lewis, and then travel through Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist, Eriskay and Barra before travelling to Oban for the end of the trip. Or you can start off from Oban to Barra, right through the islands and then onto Ullapool, whatever route suits you. You can travel with your car through the islands or take your bicycles – there are also bus services that can take you to parts of your journey if you do a bit of research in advance.
Here’s a quick overview of each island but there’s much more information about some of these islands available from our other blogs.
Barra and Vatersay
In Barra there is the famous medieval Kisimul Castle, stronghold of the MacNeils which sits on a rock in the bay of Castlebay. There are some stunning white-sand beaches – even the airport is a beach! It’s worth going there to see the plane land and have some delicious cake in the airport cafe. If you like gin there’s now the Isle of Barra Distillers where you can sample and buy some fabulous gin. There is also hills-a-plenty on Barra if you like your hill walking – you’ll be spoilt for choice. There are a few hotels, B&Bs and campsites to choose from too.
Barra is adjoined on the south of the island to neighbouring island Vatersay by a causeway – it has a number of beaches which are truly breathtaking and the local hall is open as a cafe over the summer months. There’s also the deserted village of Eoradail and the island has more historical areas to visit, including the Annie Jane Monument at the west bay of Traigh Siar where 350 members of the ship lost their lives in 1853, and the shore below Heishival Beag, where the wreck of an RAF Catalina seaplane that tragically crashed on the hill killing three of her nine crew can still be seen. Before leaving Barra and Vatersay we’d recommend a boat trip to the now uninhabited islands of Mingulay and Sandray to see the bird life and sea life.
Eriskay
There are several sailings every day from Ardmhor on Barra to the Isle of Eriskay. Eriskay is well known for the S.S Politician ship ending up there in 1941 along with its cargo of whisky. As it happened during World War II, the cargo was highly sought after and many people took their boats over to the wreck and retrieved thousands of bottles of whisky. The local pub is also called the Am Politician and in there you can see the original bottle of whisky from the wreck. This event is based on Compton Mackenzie’s book ‘Whisky Galore’ which was then made into a film. The filming took place on Barra and was called the 'Isle of Todday' in the book. Eriskay is also known for its Eriskay ponies – it’s reported that there are now only up to 400 of this breed left. Bonnie Prince Charlie is also reported to have first set foot on Scotland in Eriskay. The beaches on Eriskay are gorgeous white sand beaches.
South Uist
Eriskay is also adjoined to South Uist via a causeway. In the east side of South Uist it’s worth visiting Locheynort, Lochboisdale, South Lochboisdale, and Lasiger. In Lochboisdale there are shops, cafes and play areas to choose from. If you like hill walking we’d recommend Beinn Corrodale, Hecla and Beinn Mhor. South Lochboisdale has traditional thatched cottages and the Listening Place, a Road Ends project sculpture which is also part of the Uist Sculpture Trail. In the south-west tip of the island there is The Polochar Inn in West Kilbride – it’s a lovely place to stay and the food is amazing. There’s also the Polachar Stone – a monolithic monument that marked an ancient landing spot on the island’s shore. A famous islander from the west side is Flora Macdonald, who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie to Skye after the Battle of Culloden. There is a cairn marked in her honour near the ruins of an 18th Century settlement.
Benbecula
Heading north you’ll end up in Benbecula. The island’s highest hill is the Ruaval Hill which offers spectacular views including all the lochs on the island. On the east side fly fishing is extremely popular and also bird watching - you can look out for golden eagles and other birds of prey. The Old Creagorry Bar is a must to visit too. On the west side of the island, you can go for a stroll through Liniclate Beach. This beach and the surrounding areas is a hub for wild life such as ground-nesting waders. It’s also in Balivanich, the West Side of Benbecula, that the monk St Toranan is reputed to have come ashore in the 6th Century. You should also visit the ruins of the monastic chapel dedicated to St Columba. If you fancy a spot of shopping you can also visit the MacGillivray Gift Shop.
North Uist
Moving north you’ll get to North Uist, Berneray and Grimsay. The main part of North Uist is Lochmaddy which also has a ferry terminal. There’s the Taigh Chearsabhagh arts centre which has a range of exhibitions and events. The centre has a museum, cafe, shop and post office and other initiatives. There’s the burial cairn Barpa Langass and the Pobhull Finn stone circle which you can get to from Langass lodge. On the west side you should visit Traigh Iar, a beach with white sands to explore. From the beach when the tide is low you can go over to the island of Vallay. You can also go on a boat trip to the Monach Isles; it has one of the largest grey seal colonies on the planet.
Harris
Once you get to Harris, travel through the Golden Road from Rodel and end up in Tarbert where you can visit the Harris Tweed Shop and the Isle of Harris Distillery. On the west side of Harris you can see over to the famous uninhabited 'Castaway' island of Taransay which is well worth a trip and also tour the Isle of Scalpay. You can also take tours to Pabbay, Scarp, Rona, the Shiants, the Flannans and St Kilda. Leverburgh serves as the island’s second ferry terminal with regular sailings across the Sound of Harris to and from Berneray. Bays of Harris also have many galleries including Holmasaig Gallery, Finsbay Gallery, Skoon Art Cafe, Ardbuidhe Gallery and the Mission House. Scarista beach and Seilebost beach are definitely worth exploring. Rodel is home to St Clements, made in the 15th Century for the chiefs of MacLeods of Harris.
Lewis
Lastly there’s Lewis – the largest island in the Outer Hebrides. Stornoway is the main town on the island and also has an airport. While in Stornoway you can visit Lews Castle and the Lews Castle Museum and Archive, the surrounding woods and the Woodland Centre which has a cafe and local crafts. If you fancy a bit of shopping, head to the Harris Tweed Hebrides Outlet and Lewis Loom Centre in Stornoway.
Broad Bay and Point are also worth visiting. There is Garry Beach where you can explore the sea caves and stacks. Visit the Gress Memorial and stop off at Lord Leverhulme’s Bridge to Nowhere near Tolsta. There are also the ruins of St Columba’s Church at Eye. In Ness, in the northern part of the island, you can visit Comunn Eachdraidh Nis at Cross, which has artwork and artefacts including the Ronan Cross. In the west side of Lewis there’s the standing stones of Clach an Truseil, the tallest single stone in Scotland, and Callanish, the prehistoric stone cross and circle standing stones. In Uig there’s the Berie sands and the beautiful beaches of Valtos Peninsula.
After this tour of Lewis it’s time to then hop on the ferry from Stornoway over to Ullapool to end your Hopscotch 8 experience.
We hope we’ve given you a taster of what to expect on these islands. We’ve covered quite a lot but there’s loads of information we’ve had to leave out too. Visit Outer Hebrides is a great website and will give you more detailed information.
Once again, Happy New Year and enjoy your island holidays this year!
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