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Beaches
in the Outer Hebrides.

It’s 20:05 in the Outer Hebrides.
Outer Hebrides

White sand from Luskentyre to Vatersay.

The beaches of the Outer Hebrides look as if they belong somewhere far warmer. On the west coast of Harris, great bays of white sand and turquoise water look across to Taransay, and a prehistoric standing stone keeps watch from one headland. On Lewis, a golden surf beach between cliffs faces straight out to the Atlantic, with sea stacks off its northern end. In the far south, Vatersay has white sand on either side of a narrow neck of dunes, with machair bright with wild flowers in early summer. The water is cold and the surf can be strong, so bring a warm layer.

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Beach of the day18 hours ago

Nisabost Beach & MacLeod’s Stone.

A white-sand beach on the west coast of Harris, with a tall prehistoric standing stone on the headland above.

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Free17 hours agoOuter HebridesLuskentyre Beach, HarrisAttractionOuter HebridesSeilebost Beach, HarrisAttractionOuter HebridesVatersay BeachesAttractionOuter HebridesNisabost Beach & MacLeod’s StoneAttractionOuter HebridesDalmore BeachAttraction

Free to visit.

Beaches, waterfalls, viewpoints and stones: nothing to pay and nobody to ask.

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Did you know16 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 Hebrides14 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 guide13 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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Lunch12 hours agoOuter HebridesFlavour1.7 milesOuter HebridesTalla na Mara Community Cafe1.7 milesOuter HebridesBlasta Pasta4.9 miles

Lunch near Seilebost Beach, Harris.

The three good places closest to it: Flavour, Talla na Mara Community Cafe and Blasta Pasta.

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From our guide11 hours ago

Dalmore Beach.

Dalmore is a bay of golden sand between cliffs on the west coast of Lewis, open to the full force of the Atlantic. A couple of sea stacks stand off the rocks at its north-east end, and they are at their best in evening light. The big rollers bring surfers, but there is no lifeguard and it is no place for a casual swim. The old township cemetery sits on the slope above. Walk here on the coastal path from Gearrannan and back, and you have a fine half day.

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Did you know9 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
Did you know8 hours ago

The beach runway at Barra Airport, in the Outer Hebrides, has been photographed from space.

Planes land on the sand of Traigh Mhor, and the timetable moves with the tide. The runway is distinctive enough to have been pictured by NASA's ASTER satellite.

See Barra Airport · Outer Hebrides
From the magazine7 hours agoThe printed copy of Issue 02Issue 02Spring / Summer 2021

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.

Luskentyre is one of the most famous beaches in the Outer Hebrides, a sweep of white sand and Caribbean-blue water that leaves first-time visitors wondering whether this can really be Scotland. It pays to check the tide times before you go, because the beach is at its best with the tide out, when the glittering shallows spread across the bay. If you find yourself waiting for the tide to turn, look offshore to Taransay, the rumpled island that lies off Luskentyre, or explore the scalloped shoreline that runs down to the southern tip of Harris.

Photograph: Jonas Eugster on Google MapsRead the full story in Issue 02
From our guide5 hours ago

The Golden Road.

The Golden Road winds along the east coast of South Harris, a shore so rocky and so cut by sea lochs that its townships were once reached only by boat. The road came in 1897 to link them, and the story goes that it earned its name from what it cost to build. It is a strange and lovely drive through bare grey rock, small lochs and patches of green. Go north from Rodel so the sun is behind you, take it slowly and use the passing places.

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From our guide4 hours ago

Butt of Lewis Lighthouse.

At the northern tip of Lewis, cliffs drop into a sea that is rarely still, and on top stands the Butt of Lewis lighthouse. David Stevenson designed it, and it was finished in 1862. Unlike most Scottish lighthouses it was never painted, so its red brick tower glows warm against the grey sea and sky. The light still works and is closed inside, but you can walk the clifftops round it. Watch for gannets, kittiwakes and shags, and stand well back from the edge. Bring what you need, as there is nothing here but a small car park.

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