Details
Day One – Isle of Barra
Your first Hebridean destination is the tiny island of Barra, where you will enjoy the unique experience of landing on the Cockle Strand, after a short flight from Glasgow. The flight schedule varies with the tides! After collecting your hire car, at one of our favourite airports, its just a short drive to your welcoming small hotel.
Your Hotel
Originally built as a church and mission house in the mid-nineteenth century, your whitewashed hotel enjoys a fine location overlooking the bay, with easy access to both the ferry port and Barra’s unique beachfront airstrip at Cockle Strand. In its previous incarnation as a guest house, it played host to several cast members of the classic 1948 film Whisky Galore, before upgrading to hotel status in 1974, whereupon Northbay could boast its first licensed premises since the closure of the old inn decades earlier.
The hotel has five comfortable en-suite bedrooms furnished in contemporary style, some with DVD. The cheerful public bar ‘ whose walls are over 3 foot thick ‘ is a pleasant place to sit and observe the fishing activity across the bay at Ardveenish pier, or to while away an evening listening to the friendly locals share their colourful tales of island life. Meals are served in the bar, or you can opt for the quieter dining room, whose menu features tempting island produce, with an emphasis on locally landed fresh fish and shellfish.
What to see and do on Barra
Take a walk along the sparkling white sands of Cockle Strand and spot a plane landing at low tide ‘ an unforgettable sight. Drive or cycle up to Eoligarry and feast your eyes on the springtime profusion of primroses as you gaze across the sound to Fuday, Eriskay and South Uist in the distance. Or head south to Castlebay, the island capital, and visit Kisimul Castle, restored ancestral home of the clan MacNeil. Stop off at the highly informative Heritage Centre, where you can enjoy coffee and refreshments, before perhaps taking a picnic across the causeway to Vatersay, with its glorious twin beaches.
Day Three : The Uists
Next cross the Sound of Barra by ferry to tiny Eriskay and spend the day touring through South Uist, Benbecula and North Uist, your next Hebridean base
Your hotel
This characterful former hunting lodge oozes historic charm within its original walls and has also been tastefully extended to open up panoramic views over the nearby loch and surrounding countryside. The restaurant is a great draw and the food is deliciously fresh and very local. In fact you might even catch a glance of the fisherman delivering the day’s catch from the loch.
What to see and do
North Uist offers unlimited access to the interconnected isles of Benbecula, Grimsay, South Uist and Eriskay, all of which are ideal for walking, kayaking, cruising and wildlife-watching. Birdwatchers will not want to miss the RSPB Balranald nature reserve on the west coast – home to thousands of coastal waders and divers. Meanwhile, Lochmaddy itself boasts several unusual attractions, including a camera obscura and the impressive Taigh Chearsabhagh arts centre and museum.
Day Five: Harris & Lewis
The next islands to explore are in fact one land-mass, but two distinctive places, notable for the magical sandy beaches on Harris, and fabulous ancient history on Lewis. You will stay just outside Stornoway, a perfect touring centre.
Your hotel
Your accommodation in Stornoway is a newly refurbished, family owned bungalow with just two very comfortable and cosy en-suite bedrooms. The Stornoway born-and-bred host is here to ensure your complete relaxation and satisfaction, serving authentic, locally sourced breakfasts and giving unique, local advice on anything you might need to know about the Outer Hebrides.
What to see and do
With its magnificent scenery, Lewis is positively bursting with archaeological treasures, notably the eerie Standing Stones of Callanish, the Pictish Carloway Broch and several blackhouse villages. The bustling town of Stornoway boasts a vibrant social scene, where traditional music and crafts thrive in lively pubs.
Harris offers unrivalled opportunities for hillwalkers, anglers, divers, birdwatchers and wildlife-lovers with its spectacular beaches and stunning scenery. Marvel at the sight of golden eagles, cormorants and buzzards swooping down over the uninhabited offshore islands. And don’t miss Rodel’s exquisite 15th century church of St Clement’s, with its wonderful medieval tombs and wood carvings.
Day Seven – Return Home
Return your hire car in Stornoway and catch your return flight to Glasgow, with other options to Edinburgh, for onward connections.
NB This holiday may also be offered in reverse order on certain dates, subject to availability.
Pricing
£1125 per person for April & October, £1235 per person from May to September.
Prices are based on two people sharing a double or twin room ensuite for six nights on a bed & breakfast basis. Also included are return flights from Glasgow to Barra and from Stornoway to Glasgow or Edinburgh, ferry travel from Barra to Eriskay, North Uist to Harris for car and passengers and seven days’ hire of a small manual car. Automatic transmission cars can be arranged given advance notice for a supplement of £10 per day.
The holiday may also be arranged in reverse, starting in Stornoway and ending on Barra.
Before your departure, you will receive personalised holiday information including full directions, recommended routes, and suggestions on places to visit depending on your interests and our local knowledge to help you get the most from your holiday.
Please note that due to conditions imposed on our supplier by insurance companies, the maximum age for a UK licensed driver on this holiday is 79, and 75 for a driver from overseas.
All itineraries and room types are presented subject to availability at specific hotels.
