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Places to visit
in the Outer Hebrides.

It’s 20:40 in the Outer Hebrides.
Outer Hebrides

Machair, blackhouses and Atlantic stacks.

The Outer Hebrides stretch along Scotland's Atlantic edge, from the cliffs at the tip of Lewis to the white sands of Vatersay. On Lewis you can stand among stones raised 5,000 years ago above Loch Roag, step inside an Iron Age broch near Carloway and wander a village of thatched blackhouses. Harris has its great white beaches, a road that twists along a coast of bare rock and a medieval church at Rodel. On Barra, planes land on the beach and a castle sits out in the bay at Castlebay. Ferries and weather set the pace here, so book your crossings early and keep a day spare.

Kisimul Castle→
The Golden Road→
Barra Airport→
Callanish Stones→
Northton Salt Flats→
Mangersta Sea Stacks→
Seilebost Beach, Harris→
Askernish Golf Course→
St Kilda→
Gearrannan Blackhouse Village→
Butt of Lewis Lighthouse→
Luskentyre Beach, Harris→
Place of the day20 hours ago

The Golden Road.

The single-track road of 1897 along the rocky east coast of South Harris, through a string of tiny townships.

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From our archive19 hours agoOuter HebridesNorth Harris Eagle ObservatoryIsle of LewisCrust, AchmoreIsle of HarrisEssence of Harris, TarbertOuter HebridesBarra AirportOuter HebridesCallanish StonesOuter HebridesLuskentyre Beach, Harris

The Outer Hebrides this autumn, in our photographs.

Six places in the Outer Hebrides, each as we found it.

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Did you know19 hours ago

On the island of Barra, in the Outer Hebrides, scheduled passenger planes land on a beach, and the flight times move with the tide.

Barra Airport's three runways are marked out on the sand of Tràigh Mhòr, the beach known in English as the Cockle Strand, with wooden poles at each end. At high tide all three are under the sea, so the times of the flights to Glasgow change with the tide. Because the runways point three different ways, the little Twin Otter planes can almost always land into the wind. The first official service touched down on the sands in August 1936, and Barra is still the only scheduled beach runway in the world.

See Barra Airport · Outer Hebrides
In the Outer Hebrides19 hours ago

The Isle of Wiay, an empty island off the east coast of Benbecula, is for sale.

It has sandy beaches, freshwater lochs, the ruins of an old crofting township and a cave known as Prince Charlie's Rest, where Bonnie Prince Charlie is said to have hidden after Culloden. Golden eagles and sea eagles have nested there, and the only way over is by boat.

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From our guide18 hours ago

Luskentyre Beach, Harris.

Luskentyre is the great bay on the west coast of South Harris, a few miles from Tarbert, and at low tide it becomes a huge spread of white sand and turquoise shallows. The hills of North Harris rise behind, and Taransay sits out to the west. A single-track road follows the north side of the bay between tall dunes to a small car park. For the classic view, go back to the main road and look across from the Seilebost side. On a fine day, it is very hard to leave.

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True or false18 hours agoThe printed copy of Issue 07Issue 07Autumn / Winter 2023-24

True or false: Scotland's blackhouses were named for the walls that peat smoke turned black.

From Issue 1 of Hidden Scotland magazineIssue 118 hours ago

Solitude on St Kilda

Photographer Ali Horne spends four nights camping on Hirta, the main island of St Kilda, home to over a million seabirds and the rangers who live there through the summer.

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Did you know17 hours agoWritten byLaurie GoodladRead Laurie’s piece

The Callanish Standing Stones, on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, still leave archaeologists wondering how they were moved into place.

‘Remaining rooted in the Neolithic, the Callanish Standing Stones are another of Scotland’s impressive prehistoric structures. Dominating the area from their hilltop position, it has been suggested that these were associated with astronomical observations some 5,000 years ago. Archaeologists still ponder over how these massive stones were moved. One suggestion is that seaweed from the shoreline was used to slide them into position.’

Written byLaurie GoodladRead Laurie’s piecePhotograph: Laurie GoodladSee Callanish Stones · Outer Hebrides
From our guide17 hours ago

Callanish Alpacas.

A short way from the stones, Callanish Alpacas is a small charity that cares for a whole farmyard of rescued and rare-breed animals. The alpacas are the stars, often wearing bright coats against the weather, but there are pigs, ducks, chickens, four-horned sheep and a showy peacock too. Entry is free, and a guided tour introduces you to each animal by name. Afterwards there is coffee in the café and a shop full of alpaca goods. Donations go towards the animals' care, so leave a little something if you can.

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New at Comunn Eachdraidh Nis17 hours ago

Comunn Eachdraidh Nis, the heritage centre in Ness, has finished a £330,000 refit.

The old Cross school now has a ramp into the café, a bigger gift shop and a new welcome desk, so the museum and family history archive are easier for everyone to visit.

Photograph: Comunn Eachdraidh Nis on Google MapsRead about it
Did you know16 hours ago

Before planes landed on Traigh Mhor, the beach at the north end of Barra belonged to the cockle pickers, and they never left.

The first plane recorded touching down on the sand landed on 14 June 1933, a Midland & Scottish Air Ferries Dragon flown by Captain Jimmy Orrell. Until then the beach had been used mainly by people gathering cockles, and they have carried on alongside the flights ever since. Today the cockle pickers and other visitors are asked to watch the windsock to see whether the airport is in operation before they head out onto the sand.

See Barra Airport · Outer Hebrides
From our archive16 hours ago

Mangersta Sea Stacks, Isle of Harris.

Towering stacks of ancient gneiss rising from the Atlantic below the cliffs at Mangersta on the west coast of Lewis, reached on foot over rough ground.

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