It was the end of July as we said goodbye to Coll and started our voyage to the Outer Hebrides. The Isle of Barra and Vatersay would be our first port of call on our roadtrip north through the islands. The sailing was pretty smooth and once again dolphins swam alongside us as we came towards port. The sky was blue, with a few wispy clouds, and as we approached Barra the white sandy beaches of Vatersay could be seen to our left.
We sailed into the port at Castlebay, past the sturdy looking 11th Century Kisimul Castle, originally the seat of Clan MacNeil and now managed by Historic Scotland for £1 and a bottle of whisky as the annual rent! The village stretches out around the bay with the hills of Heabhal (383m) rising up behind, creating a towering green backdrop to the island's quaint white washed croft houses. Castlebay offers all the services you will need whilst here, including a Coop, local grocery store, hospital, post office, church, hotels, cafés and restaurants, a distillery (of course!), plus boat tours and kayak hire, to name a few. We stocked up on food and headed further west to the Isle of Vatersay and our home for the night.
Vatersay is the most southerly inhabited island of the Outer Hebrides and the starting point for the Hebridean Way, a 185mile bike ride or 156mile hike, that takes you right through the 10 amazingly diverse landscapes of the islands finishing at the Butt of Lewis. We saw plenty of people experiencing this venture whilst we were travelling, and it definitely looks like something worth doing - but beware of midgies, extreme weather conditions, and some bogs! However, the scenery is worth the difficulties and you won't find friendlier people who will do anything they can to help you on your journey.
We, however, had the luxury of Buttercup, and so made our way through the pretty rolling hills and wild landscape leading us west from Castlebay, past the War Memorial and over the short causeway onto Vatersay. Now I'm loathe to share with you how wonderful Vatersay is as I want to keep it all for myself, but I'm too generous! The island is shaped like a rather deformed sea animal but has a large whale tale at it's most southernly end, and this in turn creates a quite spectacular peninsula with two stunning beaches at it's narrowest point. The main body of the island is accessible only by foot, where you'll find the rocky outcrop of Heiseabhal Mor (190m) which offers views across Vatersay and out towards the uninhabited islands of Mingulay, Berneray, Pabbay and Sandray; which all offer an abundance of spectacular wildlife - more on that later.
Back to the whale tale and the beaches... As you scoot down the hill towards the community hall, you will be welcomed by the view of the narrow dune covered strip, with it's sandy beaches and crystal blue seas stretching out either side, and a road that continues to the furthest settlement, the start of the Hebridean Way and a couple of secluded beaches a short stroll from the road end. You'll also find an honesty box full of delicious cakes to sustain you on your outings, and epic views to the Isle of Sandray and it's summit Carn Ghaltair (207m).
Entering the strip as you pass the community hall, you'll find Bágh Bhatarsaigh, Tráigh a Bhaigh (or Vatersay Bay), on your left and to your right is Bágh Siar, Tráigh Siar. You can park by the hall, or choose one of the other two parking areas on this stretch. All allow overnight parking and camping for a donation which can be left at the community hall. The hall also offers toilets, showers (small fee) and a lovely café serving lunches and cake etc. Be warned though; cows roam this area freely and are not opposed to stealing parts of your vehicle or rubbing against it to get to a scratchy head or back. I still have a few little dents and a missing LPG cap!
Tráigh a Bhaigh is probably one of the most photographed places in the Hebrides, thanks to it's quirky gate, which even has it's own trending hashtag! The gate surely is the most famous gate in the British Isles. Despite this, it really serves very little purpose but does frame the stunning white sandy dunes and path to the bright blue water perfectly. Originally the gate and surrounding fence would have prevented cattle making its way onto this bay, but due to years of windy conditions, the fence now stands only about 1foot above the sand and, as such, the gate superfluous in its duties.
Alas despite arriving on Barra in delightful sun, by the time we were settled on Vatersay the rain had crept in from nowhere and the views weren't quite that of the Instagram pictures we had seen previously, but the beaches were still pretty special. We set up 'Steve the Starlink' and carried on with our working day in the company of the cattle and later enjoyed some walks around this beautiful island.
Later, as I cooked dinner, I could smell gas, so proceeded to clamber under the van to suss out the leak. I replaced the regulator, and nearly got stuck (boobs and van undercarriages do not bode well) before realising it was still leaking. Feeling rather stressed, I searched the internet for a mechanic or anyone who might be able to help, only to draw a total blank. So there was nothing for it but to head back towards Castlebay to hunt for assistance. As we drove back across the causeway we spotted an open door to a large workshop, so took a chance that someone within may know someone who could help... 'yes, that lad there can help', said one of the workshop's occupants. A young lad followed me to the van, grabbed his tools and slid under Buttercup far easier than I had, fiddled with a few bolts and voila all fixed! Made me feel a bit rubbish that I'd simply not tightened some bolts fully but job was a good'un and after thanking him profusely and offering money and beer, which were declined, we headed back to our peaceful park up and cow chums on Vatersay. This was the first of many occasions that the wonderful islanders came to our aid, for which we are forever grateful.
The next morning George was out exercising with an audience of curious calves, before we enjoyed a stroll around the area and a coffee at the hall. We drove back to Barra and followed the A888 anti clockwise around the island. The drive was gorgeous, taking us over rugged moorland, through pretty crofting and fishing hamlets and past lochs and pale blue bays with glimpses of chalky white sand below the shallow water. Just after Bayherivagh the road splits and we headed right to Ardmhor and the breath taking view of Tráigh Mhór and the famous Barra Airport.
From the airport we continued to the most northernly end of the island and our campsite, Croft Number 2, near Port an Lodain, which was to be home for the next two nights. This tiny secluded site is somewhere I would certainly recommend staying at if you visit Barra, whether in a camper, caravan or tent. You'll get the friendliest welcome, the staff are super helpful, there's great simple facilities, kayaks for hire, and the views across the Sound of Barra towards Eriskay and South Uist are simply stunning. It also has direct access on to Tráigh Sgurabhal, where you may be lucky enough to see seals and otters whilst enjoying the powdery white beaches that stretch on forever.
The next day we set off for a walk around this top section of Barra, starting off from the van and heading onto the beach through the little private gate. The white sands stretched out as far as the eye could see, broken only by the sweeping turquoise water that lapped gently against the sandy shore. Small dunes rose from the beach to our right and random old machinery and vehicle parts could be spotted every so often buried in the soft sand.
We followed the curving bay of Tráigh Sgurabhal, stopping to paddle and admire the glistening sand bars. The bay continued past the small islet of Eilean Mhíathlais and on towards Cidhe Eólaigerraidh and it's small jetty. We re-joined the road for a short way until we could once again walk along the beach. We dropped back on to the darker sandy bay of Tráigh Mhór and the first signs of the unique airfield that lay ahead of us. The little Twin Otter aircraft, that hops from the mainland to the World's only tidal beach airfield, was scheduled to arrive soon, so we rushed along the beach to near the signposted 'runway' and climbed back off the beach before being evicted by the airport's staff! We sat on a little grassy mound the other side of the fence and listened for the plane... suddenly, 'whoosh', I honestly ducked as the aircraft whizzed over our heads from behind; it's approach fast and seemingly from nowhere! We mooched around to the airport to view the lucky passengers who had experienced this unusual landing disembark, and those heading back to Glasgow board, before the plane was whizzing along the sand and taking off just before the water's edge, and once more flying over the sea to the Scottish mainland.
From the airfield we crossed the road and headed towards Tráigh Eais. This mile long beach sits hidden behind towering sand dunes, created by the forceful weather coming straight off the Atlantic. The bay is a surf haven but beware of the undercurrents and also it's a bit of a trek, as there's no real carparking around bar that at the airport, which is limited. We clambered over the dunes following a well defined path and dropped on to the beach; the onshore wind was blowing hard and so we headed north towards the peak of Beinn Eólaigearraidh Mhór (105m) to be greeted by spectacular views across the north of Barra. We continued through the machair and over the craggy ridge, following the marked trail to Dun Sgúrabhal and views over the rugged cliffs to the caves below. From here a short descent returned us to the quiet road which we walked along back to our campsite for tea and cake to watch the sun go down over the tranquil sea.
Leaving the campsite we drove back past the airport and headed right at the A888 junction to take us along the other side of Barra, through craggy moorland and along small white sand bays. We paused to view the beaches of Borve but had plans to return to Vatersay for another night; so continued with the promise to return another day to explore the rest of Barra fully and to ensure we took time to enjoy it's surf beaches and stunning trekking opportunities. After a quick grocery restock we ventured back to our cow neighbours on Vatersay for an early night, as the next day a full on adventure was on the cards...
We woke early, packed up the van and retraced our previous day's route back to Castlebay where we had a date with a small boat and some puffins!
The Boy James bobbed in the harbour waiting for their passengers to board. We hopped on, grabbed a seat and settled in, anxious for the trip to the abandoned Isle of Mingulay. One of the Bishop's Isles, Mingulay sits around 22km south of Barra and is well known for its birdlife and towering cliffs. It was finally deserted in 1912 after a sustained period of adverse weather, loss of stock over the cliffs and the continued struggle to live on this exposed and wild island. The islanders relocated to Vatersay to resume crofting life, and the village fell in to ruin. Mingulay was eventually taken into the care of National Trust for Scotland who now protect the heritage and wildlife of this beautiful place.
We set sail, a full boat of excited and apprehensive passengers, bouncing our way out of Castlebay past the eastern tip of Vatersay and towards Sandray. The weather was clear and the journey smooth as we crept alongside the picturesque islands to our right. Sea birds flew overhead, swooping around us in the rising thermals, as others watched us with great interest from their perches on the cliffs of Pabbay. As we approached Mingulay the beach ahead looked grey, not the white sands we were used to. Suddenly the beach started to move... thousands of grey seals bounded into the sparkling azure waters, flopping and sliding on their bellies, keen to inspect the newcomers approaching their bay. The water near us turned to seal soup as these inquisitive creatures played, fished and swam around us. The trip there would have been worthwhile just to see so many seals in one place, living a happy natural life, splashing about in the crystal clear sea.
We got as close to land as we could before dropping anchor and ferrying across to the 'pontoon' (read slippery rocks) on a small boat, we had towed from Barra, to step onto this enchanting island. We were greeted by the two conservationists who stay on the island to monitor and protect the wildlife, plus welcome visitors and provide guidance on where to go and what to look out for. They found my puffin leggings funny and said 'they may be the only puffins you see today', which made me want to cry as I was there mainly there for the puffins! Not to be discouraged, we set off towards the old Schoolhouse (now used as a base for the conservationists) and through the deserted village in search of the cute feathery guys. As soon as you step foot on the island you are met with the most breath taking views. The pretty bay, with a handful of seals who had returned from their welcome party, stretched out in front of us. It was backed by the remnants of stone buildings, grassy rolling hills and an abundance of colourful machair. We wondered through the machair, past a handful of old houses and crossed over a stream that sat hidden amongst orchids, ferns, and so many plants I did not know the names of. The small track led us over the burn, onto the beautiful beach before heading uphill to the grassy cliff edges. Suddenly we could see the burrows dug into the soft cliff tops and we strained as we desperately searched the burrows, grasslands and sky for the little black and white puffins with their bright orange beaks. But nothing, they had clearly already flown the burrows and headed out to sea in preparation for the fast approaching autumn.
Feeling rather disheartened, we sat amongst the burrows and enjoyed the views, which were out of this world and relaxed under the gentle warmth of the summer sky. Then... 'whoosh'... nope not another plane but a puffin, it's beak full of glistening silver sand eels, flying over our heads as it returned to it's burrow to feed the last few young yet to leave the safety of land. My heart was a flutter, the grin on my face permanently fixed, and we continued to watch as the puffins flew around us as they whizzed back to land and then back out to sea in quick succession.
It was the end of the season, so we didn't get to see these cute feathery creatures waddle around up to their normal antics, but seeing them in flight was pretty spectacular.
We left the puffins to their fishing and headed up through tall grasses, over peaty mounds and slippery crags towards the cliffs. The Carnan cliffs rise from the rough sea over 250m on the western side of Mingulay. They provide refuge for the vast array of seabirds that call this daunting and rugged landscape home. Fulmars, guillemots, kittiwakes and other noisy birds can be seen nesting on the narrow cliff edges, and flying fast around the rocks as they dive into the crashing waves below. From here you can also see Golden Eagles cruising above the cliffs and Great Skua perch around the craggy tops keeping an eye on you as if you may be about to steal their dinner and not the other way around! As we commenced the hike back towards the boat we got chatting to one if the conservationists who told us about the depleting number of puffins and eagles in the Hebrides. Just then a white tailed eagle (sea eagle) flew over our heads, so close I could feel the beat of its wings as it elegantly soared past us. It was huge; I hadn't seen a sea eagle before and I was awestruck by it's sheer size and beauty.
After such a wonderful experience on this tiny island full to the brim with flora and fauna, it was time to set sail again. The aim was to sail around the southern end of the island to the caves that sat at the bottom of the behemoth cliffs. As we rounded the bottom of the isle though, the sea had other ideas... the swell was huge and we crashed and rolled over each wave, hoping it would settle further around. But the conditions worsened and although we could admire the caves and cliffs from afar, we wouldn't be getting any closer today. However, despite the conditions we were lucky enough to see more eagles soaring near the cliff tops and hundreds of tiny puffins floated on the swell around the boat, as kittiwakes flipped and flapped skimming the powerful waves. Adamant not to fall overboard or vomit, I was grateful when the swell calmed and we exited the wild waters of the western side of Mingulay and started our journey back to Barra and solid land again!
Our final day exploring the first of the Outer Hebridean islands hadn't disappointed and we set off towards the ferry port of Ardmhor ready to sail to Eriskay, excited for more island adventures, friendly locals, epic beaches and amazing wildlife.
Thank you for reading; I hope you've enjoyed this segment of our adventures. Please do drop me a line if you'd like more information on visiting the Hebrides in a van, things to see and places to stay.
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