Crofting, castles and corncrakes
Outer Hebrides - Hopscotch route 8
A classic tour of the far-flung Western Isles, sailing from Oban to Barra and through the Uists, Benbecula and Harris to Lewis, returning to the mainland at Ullapool. The dramatic ruins of Kisimul Castle, ancient seat of the clan MacNeil, signal your arrival on Barra. Small but perfectly formed, the most southerly of the Outer Hebrides is a peaceful patchwork of beaches, flowering grasslands and a hill with views over all of them. The best of the beaches are on the west coast, but be wary of low-flying aircraft on the sands of Traigh Mor (Big Strand) in the north - it serves as the island airstrip.
A short ferry ride takes you to Eriskay, the isle of Whisky Galore! ,where the SS Politician foundered in 1941 with its famous cargo. Look out for otters and indigenous Eriskay ponies grazing by white-sand beaches.
A causeway leads to South Uist, one of the last surviving strongholds of Gaelic in Scotland, where crofting traditions of cutting peat and gathering seaweed as natural fertiliser continue. Some 32km of machair provide a habitat for endangered corncrake, and the mountains are home to golden eagles, red grouse and red deer. Golfers can test themselves on the Outer Hebrides’ oldest course at Askernish, and the Kildonan Centre has a museum, a craft shop, a cafe and a room for ceilidhs, music and dance.
Next up on another causeway is Benbecula, which is fairly flat and ideal for walking and cycling to explore tidal bays and moorlands. Or by horse – there is a community riding school.
North Uist is a draw for anglers and birdwatchers, with exceptional sea trout fishing and an RSPB nature reserve famed for corncrakes. Further north, little Berneray was home to the Prince of Wales when he secretly spent a week living and working with a crofter. His Royal Highness enjoyed it so much, he returned. Given beaches once mistakenly used to advertise Thai resorts, it’s not hard to see why.
A ferry connects to Harris, my personal favourite. The home of hand-loomed tweeds is a fairyland of rocky hillocks, lochans and whitewashed croft houses. There are endless white sands and turquoise waters on the west coast, but don’t miss the enchanting “Golden Road” meandering up the east coast from Leverburgh to Tarbert.
The final destination, Lewis, is an adventure playground for hill walkers. The lonely west coast is the site of Scotland’s Stonehenge, the Callanish Standing Stones dating from around 3,000 BC, and Lews Castle in Stornoway – from where the Ullapool ferry departs – has a museum that celebrates Gaelic culture with audio-visual displays of poetry, songs, stories and beliefs.