I wasn’t surprised when one islander told us that a few generations ago, people had travelled between some of the more remote villages of South Uist by boat.
In the southern isles of the Outer Hebrides, in North Uist, Benbecula, and South Uist, the sea lochs stretch their watery fingers into all areas of the islands. Even when you think you’re driving inland, the sea – or the sea marsh, at low tide – meets you at every bend in the road. And where the sea can’t reach, there are the fresh water lochs, lapping constantly at the side of the tarmac.
My parents and I had arrived to tea and coffee at the lovely little Kilvale B&B in South Uist one late afternoon in March, after a leisurely road trip that had taken us 115 miles from Lewis in the north, through Harris, Berneray, North Uist, and Benbecula.
The rain had followed us every step of the way: the clouds so low they were hanging around our shoulders, the rain of that insistent quality that means it will be around for the day. It wasn’t quite how I had imagined our island hopping would adventure would play out, but in Scotland, and especially the Hebrides, there’s no such thing as bad weather, really – only the wrong clothes.
Our holiday officially started that morning in Berneray, a small island which found itself in the limelight in the 1980s, when news emerged that Prince Charles had been living and working here as a crofter.
The beaches here are known for their beauty, but sadly, we couldn’t see any of them through the fog-like cloud. What we did see were vast stretches of sandy machair, where oyster catchers hopped through the low grass, sheep milled about in fields, and seaweed was spread as fertilizer.
We had arrived before 9am: would anything be open yet? More importantly: would I be able to get my morning dose of coffee? My caffeine salvation came in the form of Morag at Ardamore Stores, a small village shop with the Lobster Pot Tearoom attached.
Our encounter with Morag set the tone for the next two days on the islands: a genuine, warm welcome from everyone we met. Within five minutes of meeting Morag, we had established that she and my parents had multiple friends in common, and that she had a niece living in the USA. It wasn’t the first time on our journey we would nod and say what a small world we live in.
The islands, in Uist and beyond, are connected by multiple causeways, bridging the waters that seem to take up so much space.
From Berneray we crossed to North Uist, where after a brief stop in Lochmaddy, the main road took us through peaty moorland, closer to the hills on the east. But the single track road to the west weaves through machair, open to the elements, and which come the summer months is awash with colour.
Our next venture out of the car and into the rain came in Balivanich, the main village on Benbecula.
Having left the house at 5am, it was definitely time for lunch. I had been waiting for this since we had booked our adventure: it was time for a visit to MacLean’s Bakery.
I’ve had a slight obsession with the family bakery’s empire biscuits for as long as I can remember, and had already planned to buy multiple packets to see me through the road trip (and the rest of my time at home).
We found ourselves talking to everyone in the small shop – discovered another connection, in the form of a delivery driver from our own village who seemed to be something of a local celebrity – and ended up buying more than we bargained for (I was still eating empire biscuits a few days later in Inverness).
Lunch itself took place in the nearby Stepping Stone restaurant, which is run by the same family and apparently well known for its goose burgers. When they didn’t have any on the menu that day, I promptly ordered a local lamb burger instead; you know when you’re eating island lamb, because the taste is strong and distinctive – much more interesting than anything you’ll find in a supermarket.
Fuelled by local food, we started on our journey south, crossing another causeway to South Uist.
Here, small statues of the Virgin Mary dotted the roadside, putting me in mind of the Italian countryside, and brilliantly white traditional croft houses stood out in the rain.
In an attempt to find the award-winning Salar Smokehouse, we took a wrong turning and drove on a lonely single track road for what felt like an hour – but we found the smoked salmon eventually.
Another journey down a single track road brought us to some new found friends. The ponies of Loch Skipport, who are quickly becoming stars of Instagram, gathered around the car the minute it stopped, trying their best to stick their noses through the windows.
It was only then that we found ourselves at Kilvale B&B, warming up over tea and coffee, chatting with Margaret, and relaxing after a long day. When the weather is dismal, a hot cuppa is sometimes the only cure.
The next day was spent on Barra, which requires a short ferry journey, and on Eriskay, the last of the islands linked by causeways.
I had been especially looking forward to visiting Eriskay, the island which was immortalized in fiction by Compton Mackenzie’s novel, Whisky Galore.
As you cross the causeway you can see the spot where the SS Politician ran aground in 1941, with a load of 260,000 bottles of whisky bound for Jamaica and New Orleans. Before the authorities could arrive, the whisky had disappeared – into the homes of islanders, of course! The local pub, Am Politician, has a bottle of the original whisky on display, but to my great dismay the pub hadn’t yet opened for the season.
This small island is also famous for its ponies, beautiful, stately looking creatures that roam wild on the island, and for Charlie’s Beach, the spot at which Bonnie Prince Charlie first set foot in Scotland in 1745, in an attempt to claim the British throne. The sandy shoreline is now the location of a crucial scene in Peter May’s Lewis Trilogy, too, bringing it even more attention.
It wasn’t until our last morning that the cloud finally lifted, albeit slightly.
The islands almost seemed a different place. Where we had barely been able to see further than the house next door, the dunes of the beach were now visible a few hundred metres away from Kilvale B&B.
After a hearty breakfast provided by Margaret, it was time to leave: we had limited time to catch the ferry from Lochmaddy to Skye. A quick detour off the main road took us to the birthplace of Flora Macdonald, who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie evade capture in a journey that was immortalized in the famous song, Over The Sea to Skye. Marked simply by an enclosed stone cairn, it was high enough to afford views over the lochs and machair: a quiet spot for a moment of contemplation before moving on.
In typical Hebridean fashion, it was only as the ferry pulled away from the Lochmaddy pier an hour later that the sun began to break through the clouds.
While the rain had hampered some of our plans, the welcome had more than made up for the weather. Watching as the roofs of Lochmaddy faded into the distance, I knew one thing for sure: I’d be back.
NEED TO KNOW
How do I get there? To reach the southern isles of the Outer Hebrides, you can fly into Benbecula or Barra with FlyBe, or arrive via Caledonian MacBrayne ferry to Berneray, Lochmaddy, Lochboisdale, or Castlebay.
What’s the best way to get around? Some hardy souls cycle their way through the islands, but if you’re anything like me, you’ll need a car – and you can drive from Berneray all the way down to Eriskay, thanks to the causeways.
Where should I stay? We stayed at Kilvale B&B in South Uist, and I can’t recommend it enough. The bedrooms are beautifully decorated, all with en-suite bathrooms, and Margaret is a wonderful host (not to mention cook – the breakfasts are a veritable feast!).
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Have you ever been to the southern isles of the Outer Hebrides, or would you like to visit? What should I do on my next (hopefully sunnier!) visit?
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For more stories from the islands, why not check out my Outer Hebrides Travel Guide?
Always comforting to read of home, even if the clouds hanging round the shoulders taint a fellow expat’s rose-colored memories!
A couple of minor edits: your brief stop in North Uist must have been in Lochmaddy (lochboisdale being at the southern end of South Uist); Balivanich has one L. Excuse the pedancy.
Thanks for your comment Alasdair – I’m glad the story brought back some memories of home for you.
Love the forecasting stone, I have to buy one for New Jersey, I reckon it would beat the weather channel. and have to say I look forward to your blogs, enjoy them so much.
Thanks so much for your lovely comment, Lisa! I’m delighted to hear you enjoy reading the blog, that means a lot 🙂 And I loved the forecasting stone too – it seemed so fitting!
We took the same trip last year in the opposite direction Barra to Harris trying to get ahead of the driving rain. Would love to see the same area on sunny days. Next time we will change our booking at the last minute to a week earlier thus avoiding the most used sentence in the Hebrides “Ach you should have been here last week it was lovely weather!”
Thanks for your comment Allan – it made me laugh out loud! I’m definitely guilty of using that phrase myself 🙂 And since we can get four seasons in a day in the Hebrides, it’s very true! I hope you make it back in better weather sometime 🙂
I love your blog. We drove from Barra to Harris , the the ferry to Skye During two weeks in April. I loved it all. We also stopped at the forecasting stone cafe.
I have travelled widely in five continents over the years but my favourite place in he world is Harris.
Thank you so much Jenny! Spending two weeks doing that journey must have been lovely (we squeezed it into just a few days). And I feel the same as you – there’s nowhere on earth like the Hebrides 🙂
All of it…the otters sign! Those ponies!
Must get there…
The ponies were amazing – they were so friendly, and so cute! I really want to show you around the islands sometime 🙂
This post had really inspired me to try and plan a trip up there! I’ve never really been any further north than Stirling. I would love to go to the Outer Hebrides but I generally get soooo sick on ferries! They look a lot cheaper than flights though so maybe I’ll have to find the shortest possible ferry journey and brave it… It’s good to know I’d be able to drive between islands rather than having to get more boats though 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that, Jennifer 🙂 Yes, the ferry journeys are much cheaper than the flights. The shortest ferry journey to the Outer Hebrides is probably between Uig in Skye (which is a beautiful drive from mainland Scotland), and Tarbert in Harris.
From there you can see Lewis and Harris by car, and the other two ferry journeys are also short ones: Harris to Berneray, and then when the causeways end, Eriskay to Barra. Don’t let the ferries put you off – it’s worth it! (And if you’re lucky, you can sometimes see dolphins from the ferries, too!)
Thanks Katie, that’s so helpful. It would be great to see Lewis, Katie Morag on CBeebies is filmed there and it’s one of my favourite shows to watch with my little boy, it always looks wonderful. I will just have to gather all my travel sickness remedies and bight the bullet I think – if we did happen to see Dolphins that would definitely make it worthwhile!
I remember when they were filming Katie Morag on Lewis – the village is based in Tolsta Chaolais, and I think (although I might be wrong!) you can see the post office there from the series. I hope you make it out there sometime, the islands are a great place, especially for children 🙂
Those ponies are adorable! I’ve never seen an otter crossing sign before! I love your advice of, no bad weather, only bad clothing. Will keep that one in mind in my travels <3
The ponies were so friendly, it was so cute. And the otter crossing sign was an interesting change from sheep crossing, which is what you usually see in the islands!
I was looking at some photos recently of the days when I used to set off from Lewis for Barra overland (and sea) and the ferry from Leverburgh to North Uist via Berneray was an old lobster boat and the ferry from Ludaig to Barra (sometimes via a call at Eriskay) was an open boat with no shelter at all. Taking the car wasn’t even an option.
That must have been some experience, Graham! It sounds like quite an adventure. It’s amazing to think how recent the causeways and bridges are, really.
Wow this is amazing! These are definitely places I hadn’t heard of before but that I now want to add to our list! I feel I have seen so much of mainland Scotland but the islands at the north stay a mystery. I would love to do a trip around the Outer Hebrides next summer when I’m back!
Thanks Camila! You’ve definitely seen more of mainland Scotland than I have 🙂 But I really hope you make it to the islands when you’re back again – I’m sure you’d love them!
I live in Northern Ireland. Just returned from a second trip to the Isle of Lewis exploring hidden gems of the Island. Something about Lewis that draws one. Alerted to your website by my sister and in particular to the page on the Eye Peninsula. Great website and wonderful photos. Have to go back!’
Thanks so much for your lovely comment, William! I’m delighted to hear you’ve enjoyed your time on Lewis – I hope you get back again sometime soon 🙂
Katie, loved your blog on your Outer Hebrides adventure. I am a Canadian who discovered the least known golf course by Old Tom Morris on South Uist. It’s name is Askernish and it has not undergone the massive makeovers that have befallen all other Morris courses in order to conform to the whims of North American golfers. In other words, it remains a museum to the craft and genius of the master himself..! I am proud to be a Life Member of Askernish and have come across the pond twice a year since 2009 to play this most unique and beautiful links course in the world and to discover my own roots on South Uist. Ah, but that’s another story………!
Hi David, thanks so much for your comment! I’m delighted to hear you’ve been to Uist and loved it 🙂 I’ve never been to Askernish, but I’ve heard of it – that’s brilliant that you’ve been able to visit twice a year!