Welcome to
the Outer Hebrides.
Askernish Golf Course · Outer Hebrides
01
Outer Hebrides
Where to go, eat and stay in the Outer Hebrides.
Light is the first thing you notice out here, on a chain of islands at the western edge of Scotland with nothing beyond but the Atlantic. The Outer Hebrides run from the Butt of Lewis down to Barra and Vatersay, joined by causeways and short ferries, and each island has a character of its own.
Standing stones, brochs, blackhouses and a castle in the bayPlaces to visit
White sand, salt flats, surf beaches and a hillBeaches and the outdoors
Seafood, a pizza kiosk and island cafésFood and drink
Shops, studios and makersShops and makers
An underground house above the Sound of TaransayPlaces to stay
Days we have driven, stop by stopDays out
From our guide
Callanish, LewisCallanish Stones
Carloway, LewisDun Carloway Broch
Rodel, HarrisSt Clement’s Church, Rodel
West of HarrisSt Kilda
Castlebay, BarraKisimul Castle
Castlebay, BarraBarra Heritage Centre
Callanish, LewisCallanish StonesCarloway, LewisDun Carloway BrochRodel, HarrisSt Clement’s Church, RodelWest of HarrisSt KildaCastlebay, BarraKisimul CastleCastlebay, BarraBarra Heritage CentreThe history of Outer Hebrides.
The islands' story starts long before Callanish, but the stones are where most visitors meet it.
Read itDays out
A morningA walk on the Postman's Path to RhenigidaleBy car
A morningThe Gruffalo Trail in the Lews Castle GroundsBy car
A morningHuisinis beach and the old whaling station on North HarrisBy car
A morningMacLeod's Stone and Nisabost Beach on HarrisBy car
A morningDalmore Beach and Dun Carloway BrochBy car
A morningGolden eagles at the North Harris Eagle ObservatoryBy car
A morningA walk on the Postman's Path to RhenigidaleBy carA morningThe Gruffalo Trail in the Lews Castle GroundsBy carA morningHuisinis beach and the old whaling station on North HarrisBy carA morningMacLeod's Stone and Nisabost Beach on HarrisBy carA morningDalmore Beach and Dun Carloway BrochBy carA morningGolden eagles at the North Harris Eagle ObservatoryBy carNew days out in the Outer Hebrides.
Ready-made days, the newest first, each with its drive times, its stops and somewhere to eat.
See every day out in the Outer Hebrides
Quiz2 hours ago
At New Year 1899 the golfers of Uig, on Skye, played in the frost for prizes of tea. What did the winners do with them?
The gateway to a house at Bragar, on Lewis, is the jawbone of a blue whale that drifted in from the sea in 1920 with a harpoon still in it.Lunch near An Lanntair.What now stands on the first golf links of Stornoway, on Lewis?The islanders of St Kilda, in the Outer Hebrides, sent messages to the mainland in little wooden boats, set adrift for the sea to carry.Northton Salt Flats, Isle of Harris.Some good places to stay, newly added to the site.Dunnottar Castle, near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, inspired the look of Pixar's Brave, and the film's standing stones were inspired by the Callanish Stones on Lewis.Round the corner from Croft 36.Harris Hideaway, a house for two on the Isle of Harris, so inspired the makers of its bath that they renamed it the Ocean Bath.True or false: in the First World War, each battleship of the fleet anchored in Scapa Flow, in Orkney, built its own hole on a golf course on the island of Flotta.Mangersta Sea Stacks, Isle of Lewis.Every 18.6 years the moon skims low over the hills behind the Callanish Stones, on the Isle of Lewis, and some believe the circle was built to watch it.Some good places to go, newly added to the site.Taransay, the uninhabited island off Luskentyre Beach on the Isle of Harris, was chosen as the setting for the TV series Castaway 2000 partly because nobody lives there.A Day Ashore in Stornoway, LewisEilean Glas lighthouse, on the island of Scalpay off Harris, was first lit on 10 October 1789, the first lighthouse in the Outer Hebrides.The beach runway at Barra Airport, in the Outer Hebrides, has been photographed from space.Part of what visitors pay at the Calanais Stones visitor centre on Lewis is now going to heritage projects right across the Outer Hebrides.Free to visit.The Victorian champion golfer Old Tom Morris laid out a golf course on the dunes of South Uist in 1891, and Askernish Golf Club reopened on it in 2008.Harris Hideaway, for two, in the Outer Hebrides.The Wall Street Journal has called Askernish Golf Course on South Uist a pilgrimage for golf lovers.True or false: American troops once played golf on four holes laid out on the airfield on Benbecula, in the Outer Hebrides.Kisimul Castle, in the bay at Castlebay on Barra, is leased to the nation for 1,000 years for £1 and a bottle of whisky a year.The Lewis Chessmen, found on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides in 1831, include rooks carved as wild-eyed warriors biting their shields.Isle of Barra Distillers.La Balena.Graeme Johncock, who travels Scotland for Hidden Scotland, would rather walk the quiet sands of Huisinis than famous Luskentyre, on the Isle of Harris.Solitude on St KildaTrue or false: Scotland's blackhouses were named for the walls that peat smoke turned black.When Askernish Golf Club brought back its lost Old Tom Morris course, the chairman paid the restoring architect £9, the fee Old Tom was believed to have charged in 1891.Graeme Johncock, who travels Scotland for Hidden Scotland, found the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, flatter than Harris but no less dramatic.Long Island Retreats & Larder.The sea cliffs of St Kilda, in the Outer Hebrides, are the highest in the UK, and its sea stacks are the tallest in Britain.Dun Carloway Broch.The last islanders left the village on Hirta, St Kilda, far out in the Atlantic. In what year?Sandwick Bay Candles, Stornoway.Before planes landed on Traigh Mhor, the beach at the north end of Barra belonged to the cockle pickers, and they never left.Isle of Barra gin has won Best Overall Gin at this year's World Spirits Competition in New York.Harris Hideaway, a house for two on the Isle of Harris, began with a for-sale sign spotted on the drive back from Huisinis beach.Essence of Harris, Tarbert.Harris all but becomes an island at Tarbert.The Golden Road.Stories from the Outer Hebrides.Stories from the Outer Hebrides.Stories from the Outer Hebrides.Stories from the Outer Hebrides.Old Tom Morris said the golf course he laid out on South Uist in 1891 was second to none, and Askernish opened that August with a foursome.At Castlebay on Barra, a short boat trip across the bay takes visitors to Kisimul Castle, the 'Castle in the Sea'.Butt of Lewis Lighthouse.A day out in the Outer Hebrides.A day out in the Outer Hebrides.A day out in the Outer Hebrides.A day out in the Outer Hebrides.A day out in the Outer Hebrides.A day out in the Outer Hebrides.A day out in the Outer Hebrides.A herald at Kisimul Castle on the Isle of Barra is said to have told the world each day when the MacNeil chief had finished eating.In winter the golf course at Askernish on South Uist is shared with the crofters' sheep and cattle.By one golf historian's count, how many golf courses has Scotland lost over the years?Callanish Stones.Somewhere to stay in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to stay in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to stay in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to stay in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to stay in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to stay in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to stay in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to eat in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to eat in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to eat in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to eat in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to eat in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to eat in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to eat in the Outer Hebrides.Where to stay in Outer Hebrides.Where to stay in Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to go in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to go in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to go in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to go in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to go in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to go in the Outer Hebrides.Somewhere to go in the Outer Hebrides.