The Western Isles - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 318

Museum nan Eilean
Liniclate School (Sgoil Lionacleit) • Mon-Sat; phone for times • T 01870 602864
The only secondary school (and public swimming pool) on the Uists and Benbecula
is in Lionacleit (Liniclate), in the south of the island. The school is home to a small
Museum nan Eilean , which puts on temporary exhibitions on the history of the islands,
as well as occasional live music and other events.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE BENBECULA

6

By plane Benbecula Airport ( W hial.oc.uk) is just a
10-15min walk north of Balivanich. There's a small café
inside the airport building.
By bus Buses en route to and from South or North Uist
stop at Balivanich's airport and post o ce.

Destinations Berneray (Mon-Sat 5-7 daily; 1hr 10min);
Eriskay (Mon-Sat 5-7 daily; 1hr 30min); Lochboisdale
(Mon-Sat 7-8 daily; 1hr); Lochmaddy (Mon-Sat 6-7
daily; 30min).

ACCOMODATION AND EATING
Kyles Flodda Kyles Flodda (Caolas Fhlodaigh) T 01870
603145, W kylesflodda.com. Secluded, picturesque, beauti-
fully converted Victorian B&B halfway down the dead -end
road in the northeast corner of the island. Free wi-fi. £80
Nunton House Hostel Nunton T 01870 602017,
W nuntonhousehostel.com. Four small dorm rooms in
the former clan chief 's house, where Bonnie Prince Charlie
dressed up in drag before his esca pe over the sea to Skye.
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 (inclu-
ding laund ry) t hough it's not the most romantic of spots.
April-Oct. £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.

South Uist (Uibhist a Deas)
To the south of Benbecula, the island of South Uist is the largest and most varied of the
southern chain of islands. The 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 the
summit of Beinn Mhòr. The Reformation never took a strong hold in South Uist (or
Barra), and the island remains Roman Catholic, as is evident from the various roadside
shrines. The only blot on South Uist's landscape is the old Royal Artillery missile range,
which dominates the northwest corner of the island. Whatever you do, however, don't
make the mistake of simply driving down the main A865 road, which runs down the
centre of the island like a backbone.

The north
The northern half of the island contains the best of the mountains and the beaches.
To climb the mountains in the east, you need a detailed 1:25,000 Explorer map, in
order 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 gain access to the sandy shoreline is at HOWMORE
(Tobha Mòr), a pretty little crofting settlement with a fair 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.
In among the crofts are the shattered, lichen-encrusted remains of no fewer than four
medieval churches and chapels, and a burial ground now harbouring just a few