Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Free wi-fi and a free terminal.
£20
/person
Shell Bay
campsite
Liniclate (Lionacleit)
T
01870
602447.
Flat grassy field right next to the main school (and
museum) on Benbecula - facilities are good (including
laundry) tho
ugh
it's not the most romantic of spots. Closed
Nov-March.
£21
/pitch
Stepping Stone
Balivanich (
Baile a Mhanaich)
T
01870
603377,
W
steppingstone10.tripod.com.
A modern café-
restaurant that serves chips with everything during the day
(mains £7-8), and more varied dishes in the evening, such as
local scallops and lamb burgers (mains £14-17).
Mon-Fri
9am-9pm, Sat 11am-9pm, Sun noon-9pm.
14
South Uist (Uibhist a Deas)
South Uist
is the largest and most varied of the southern chain of islands. he west
coast boasts some of the region's finest machair and beaches - a necklace of gold and
grey sand strung twenty miles from one end to the other - while the east coast features
a ridge of high mountains rising to 2034ft at Beinn Mhòr. he Reformation never took
a hold in South Uist (or Barra), and the island remains Roman Catholic, as is evident
from the various roadside shrines. he only blot on South Uist's landscape is the Royal
Artillery missile range, which dominates the northwest corner of the island.
The north
he northern half of the island contains the best
mountains
and
beaches
. To climb the
mountains, you need a detailed 1:25,000 map, to negotiate the island's maze of
lochans; to reach the beaches (or even see them), you have to get off the main road and
pass through the old crofters' villages that straggle along the west coast.
One of the best places to reach the sandy shoreline is at
HOWMORE
(Tobha Mòr), a
pretty little crofting settlement with a number of restored houses, many still thatched,
including one distinctively roofed in brown heather. It's an easy walk from the village
church across the flower-strewn machair to the gorgeous beach.
ACCOMMODATION
THE NORTH
Howmore (Tobha Mòr) SYHA hostel
Howmore
(Tobha Mòr)
W
gatliff.org.uk.
Simple Gatliff Trust hostel
occupying a lovely thatched crofthouse ne
ar th
e village
church, and just a short walk from the beach.
£10
/person
Kinloch
Grogarry (Groigearraidh)
T
01870 620316,
W
kinlochuist.com.
A fine, modern B&B sheltered by a
little patch of woodland and overlooking freshwater Loch
Druidibeg - run b
y a ve
ry keen angler, who will do evening
meals on request.
£90
Orasay Inn
Lochcarnan (Loch a' Charnain)
T
01870
610298,
W
orasayinn.co.uk.
A modern purpose-built
hotel off the main road; rooms are pretty standard, but the
location is peaceful and the breakfasts goo
d -
if you're
looking for a bar meal, it's best to book ahead.
£85
Lochboisdale (Loch Baghasdail) and around
LOCHBOISDALE
occupies a narrow, bumpy promontory on the east coast, but, despite
being South Uist's chief settlement and ferry port,
has only very limited facilities
(there's a bank here, but the nearest supermarket is three miles west in Dalabrog). If
you're arriving here late at night on the boat from Oban (or from Barra or Tiree), you
should try to book accommodation in advance; otherwise, head for the tourist o
ce.
Kildonan Museum (Taigh-tasgaidh Chill Donnain)
April-Oct daily 10am-5pm • £2 •
T
01878 710343,
W
kildonanmuseum.co.uk
Five miles south of Howmore lies the
Kildonan Museum
(Taigh-tasgaidh Chill Donnain),
which has mock-ups of Hebridean kitchens through the ages, two lovely box beds, which
has and an impressive selection of old photos, accompanied by an unsentimental yet
poetic text on crofting life in the last two centuries. Pride of place goes to the sixteenth-
century
Clanranald Stone
, carved with the arms of the clan who ruled over South Uist
from 1370 to 1839. he museum café serves sandwiches and home-made cakes, and has
