Barra, Vatersay and a Climb Through Culross

Spring is definitely in the air in Scotland and as I type this, daffodils are blooming and the sunshine feels surprisingly warm. I’m almost scared that I’ve just jinxed it and we’ll be hit by snow next week!

With warmer weather comes more opportunities to explore and I was lucky enough to enjoy some pretty incredible trips over the last month. Top of that list by a longshot was the unique experience of flying to the Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides. It’s the only commercial airport in the world that has a beach for a runway!

Even with the improved weather, I was nervous. Last year our trip was cancelled due to fog on Barra which meant the pilot wouldn’t be able to see the beach to land on. On that occasion, I had a backup plan and we had a brilliant night on Bute instead. Luckily, this time the flight went ahead and we made it safely onto the island.

It’s an extraordinary place, with history, culture and scenery around every corner. It’s one of the few places in Scotland that you’ll still hear Gaelic being spoken in everyday life and I quickly discovered that mine wasn’t up to scratch!

For history, the amazing Cille Bharra has been a religious site for around 1300 years. It’s dedicated to St Barr, the man that Barra is thought to be named after and inside the North Chapel are some amazing carved gravestones.

At the main town Castlebay, Kisimul Castle has been clinging to a rock surrounded by water since the 15th century. Once home to the chiefs of Clan MacNeil, it’s sadly still closed for conservation works. On the bright side, that just gives me an excuse to get back to Barra in the future.

The highlight of the trip was actually on a different island, across a causeway in Vatersay. Famous for its twin beaches and iconic dilapidated gate, the white sand, turquoise water and beautiful scenery have to be seen to be believed. It might look perfect for a swim, but the temperature wasn’t exactly tropical, so we settled for a sheltered spot out of the wind to just sit and listen to the waves crashing.

Barra might have been the big trip from the last month, but there were some other firsts. A trip around my home region of Fife took me to the village of Culross, which isn’t a new place for me, but there was something special to see. It’s the first time that I was able to get inside the parish church.

That doesn’t sound too exciting, but it’s where you’ll find the tomb of Sir George Bruce and his wife Margaret. It’s thanks to George and his innovative undersea coal mining techniques that Culross grew into a wealthy burgh around the beginning of the 1600s.

His alabaster tomb is scarily lifelike and it felt like his eyes were going to suddenly open at any second. While most visitors to Culross focus on the palace and mercat cross, both featuring prominently in Outlander, I’d highly recommend the steep walk up the hill. The church housing George’s remains is actually part of the old medieval abbey and those ruins can be explored for free.

It made March an interesting month, travelling close to home and to the complete opposite end of the country. Both of those brought first-time experiences and it just goes to show that no matter how much you explore Scotland, there’s always something new to see!

You can follow along with Graeme’s journey every week in this series, as he continues exploring Scotland with his dog Molly—sharing stories from both well-known places and those still waiting to be discovered.