YOUR 5 DAY ITINERARY

Day 1: We depart from our designated pick-up points, stopping en-route for refreshments (not included) and travel via Loch Ness and Glenfinnan to Mallaig. From here we take the early evening ferry to Lochboisdale in South Uist, with dinner served on board. Look out for the Small Isles of Rum and Canna to port and the Cuillin Hills on the Isle of Skye to starboard. Dinner will be served on board. On arrival we continue over causeways (keeping a careful eye out for otters) to Benbecula, the ‘stepping stone’ between the Uists, where we arrive in the late evening at our base for the next two nights. Meals include: Dinner

Day 2: After our full Scottish breakfast we will depart for Barra, travelling via the little island of Eriskay, just three miles long and two miles wide, with a great sandy beach known as Prince Charlie’s Bay – Bonnie Prince Charlie having landed here in July 1745. From Eriskay we make the short ferry crossing to Barra and have a tour of the island, including a visit by boat to Kisimul Castle*, the only surviving medieval castle in the Western Isles and the seat of the Clan MacNeil. The castle features a great hall, kitchen, chapel, dungeon and 60-foot tower, together with a shop. We will also visit Cockleshell Beach, the unique runway whose use is governed by the tides. On approaching the airport keep an eye out to the left for the much loved former home of Sir Compton Mackenzie, the author of ‘Whisky Galore’, which is forever associated with the island. In fact, it was on the neighbouring island of Vatersay, which we will visit by means of the causeway linking the two islands, that the classic film adaptation was made. In the course of our tour today we also hope to see some of the hundreds of species of wild flowers that grow on the island, particularly on the machair, the fertile, grassy pastures that lie between the moorland and the sea. We return via the Eriskay ferry to our hotel, where dinner is served in the evening. *Please note that in October Kisimul Castle is closed for the season and we will instead enjoy an extended tour of the island Meals include: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 3: After breakfast we check out of the hotel and take the mid-morning ferry from Berneray to Leverburgh at the southern end of Harris and visit St Clement’s Church at Rodel, built on top of an earlier structure in the 16th century by Alasdair Crotach, 8th chief of the Macleods of Harris and Dun Bheagan. The church tombs are among the most spectacular in Scotland. There are outstanding views as we travel along the coast, including the island of Taransay of ‘Castaway’ fame, and the wonderful beaches at Horgabost, Borve and Scarasta. We will pause for refreshments (not included) in Tarbert, before continuing through the mountainous countryside of Harris which eventually gives way to the rolling moorland of Lewis. We continue to the island capital of Stornoway and check-in to our comfortable accommodation. Dinner will be served in the evening. Meals include: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 4: This morning after breakfast we will travel to the west coast of Lewis for a visit to the 5,000 year old Standing Stones of Callanish. Undoubtedly the most remarkable antiquity in the Western Isles, this collection of almost 50 stones forms a well-marked megalithic avenue, comprising 19 monoliths, ending in a circle of 13 stones, with a great cairn at the centre. Entry to the Visitor Centre is included. From here we move on to the Black Houses at Gearannan, typical of the crofting settlements which until relatively recently were found throughout the Western Isles. The final visit on our circular tour is the Norse Mill at Shawbost, where barley grain was ground into meal by early settlers. A short walk past a small lochan leads to two beautifully restored little thatched buildings with a fine view to the ocean beyond. Dinner will be served back at our hotel in the evening. Meals include: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 5: This morning we check out of the hotel and have some free time to relax in Stornoway. You may wish to visit the Lewis Loom Centre, which chronicles history of Harris Tweed. We then take the early afternoon Caledonian MacBrayne ferry from Stornoway to Ullapool which takes approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes. We then continue our homeward journey, arriving back at our original pick-up points during the evening. Meals include: Breakfast