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The patchwork of crops and fallow support a spectacular

array of wild flowers in summer. The historic churchyard,

together with the gardens of the thatched cottages

(which include a Gatliffe Trust Hostel) are a haven for

corncrakes. The impressive shingle beach at Stoneybridge

is all that protects a huge area of croftland from storm

damage and flooding.

LOCH EYNORT

The trees and shrubs that thrive at the end

of the North Loch Eynort road have been

planted over recent decades by the local

crofter. They are ideal for songbirds and

migrants (even the odd long-eared owl).

Towards the mouth of the loch are two

other small, but important, woods. Meall

Mor is dominated by birch but has recently

been fenced off from deer and planted

with a wider range of native broadleaved

trees. Allt Volagir on the other hand, long

protected from grazing within a small

ravine (and nowfenced), is one of the best

surviving patches of native scrub in the

Outer Hebrides. Woodland flowers include

angelica, wild hyacinth, wood sorrel, wood sage and garlic.

Trees and shrubs are typical of the Outer Hebrides - birch,

rowan, aspen, willows, hazel, honeysuckle and ivy,

together with one of only two ash trees in the Uists.

The sea loch itself is a good place to spot otters and

common seals, divers, eider and black guillemot, with

occasional eagles and other birds of prey flying overhead.

RUBHA ARDVULE

This is one of the few rocky headlands of any size

on the entire west coast of South Uist and is a

good sea-watching point. Shearwaters, petrels and

skuas are seen in May and in autumn. Eiders and Arctic

terns nest while the surrounding machair is good for

waders and corn buntings. Loch Ardvule has mute swans

and a variety of ducks. This area is also part of the MoD

Range so be vigilant of any warning flags.

SOUTH COAST OF SOUTH UIST

From here there are excellent views of Barra and Eriskay. A

small pod of bottlenosed dolphins appear to be resident

offshore and might be seen from the Barra car ferry. The

ill-fated cargo vessel ‘SS Politician’ foundered in the Sound

of Eriskay in 1941, inspiring the book ‘Whisky Galore’ (by

Compton Mackenzie who lived in Barra at the time). Near

the Pollachar Inn and its ancient standing stone outside, is

a large shingle beach, always vulnerable to erosion.

ERISKAY

This attractive little island, with its new causeway, has

a unique free-range herd of small Highland ponies,

now considered a rare breed. It was on Eriskay too

that Bonnie Prince Charlie first set foot on Scottish

soil. Local tradition maintains that

seeds fell from his pocket and the

attractive, pink-flowered sea

bindweed has grown here ever

since. Local schoolchildren have

marked the spot with a cairn. This

small machair is good for orchids,

bumblebees, and butterflies such

as the grayling and dark-green

fritillary. There is a self-guided walk

around the islands, with

accompanying leaflet.

BarraTRAIGH MHOR AND EOLIGARRY, BARRA

The large cockle strand of Traigh Mhor

serves as Barra’s airport, with daily flights

to Benbecula and Glasgow. The cockles

here are particularly large, and harvested

by hand by local people. The dunes and

machair are mobile, with spectacular erosion

features, and stabilised by sandblow fencing

and marram planting. It is said that the

narrow isthmus behind the airport

has been breached by several storms

in the past. Eoligarry machair is

excellent for flowers and insects

such as rare bumblebees. It also

has a famous, and perhaps

unrivalled, display of primroses

in early spring and an impressive

density of breeding corncrakes (30-40

calling males, nearly a third of all those found

in Barra and Vatersay combined).

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terns, also breed on the islands which also supports one of

our largest aggregations of black guillemots. Over 8000 grey

seal pups are born here every autumn. The islands are

managed as a National Nature Reserve through SNH, and

are owned by North Uist Estates. Boat trips may be available

from North Uist and there is a free colour leaflet available

from SNH.

BENBECULA

The name Beinn na Faoghla (Hill of the Fords)

refers to the time when it was necessary to cross

between the Uists on foot or pony at low tide, or

by boat at high tide. With the coming of the

Rocket Range, after the Second World War, South

Uist was linked to Benbecula by a bridge, but this

was replaced in the early 1980s by a causeway.

Single-track causeways were completed in 1960

linking Benbecula to Grimsay and North Uist. The

fords around Grimsay are good places to spot

otters and shorebirds and, in winter it is always

worth scanning the gulls at Gramsdale for

glaucous or Iceland gulls. Balivanich has good

numbers of calling corncrakes while central

Benbecula supports nesting hen harriers, short-

eared owls and other birds of prey. It was from Nunton

House in 1746 that Bonnie Prince Charlie was taken ‘over

the sea to Skye’ by Flora Macdonald.

ST KILDA

Lying 64 km (45 miles) west of the Hebrides, the St Kilda

archipelago is a National Nature Reserve and World

Heritage Site, with inscriptions for both natural and cultural

heritage. The islands are owned by the National Trust for

Scotland (who maintain a useful website) and there is a

ranger present in the summer months. SNH have produced

a colour leaflet and a booklet about the NNR. Day trips may

be available from Harris in summer, weather permitting.

ARDIVACHAR AND LOCH BEE

Twenty miles of Atlantic beach stretch from the Ardivachar

headland to the southern tip of South Uist, broken only by

one or two small rocky headlands. These are good places to

look for American waders in autumn, blown off course by

westerly gales, while exceptional densities of other waders

breed on the machair in summer. The first few miles (as far

south as Gerinish) are owned by the MoD as part of their

rocket range. Visitors should look out for the red flags,

warning that the range is active. Mostly however walkers

can continue unimpeded and croftwork proceeds as

normal. Loch Bee is a huge brackish loch of mixed salt and

fresh waters, connected by floodgates to both the Atlantic

and to the Minch, in the east. It is fairly shallow and

contains a range of species typical of brackish waters, with

many breeding wildfowl. Its 500 resident mute swans, form

one of the largest aggregations in Scotland, and are

augmented in spring and autumn by flocks of whoopers,

some of which overwinter.

LOCH DRUIDIBEG

The area around Loch Druidibeg has been a National Nature

Reserve since 1958, maintained by Scottish Natural

Heritage, in conjunction with local crofters and the estate.

The loch itself is large but shallow, with many islands, some

of which still have a cover of native scrub, one of the

reasons for the reserve coming into being. There is a small

heronry. Druidibeg was once one of the few places in the

Uists where the Scottish greylag geese still bred. Birds of

prey hunting over the reserve include golden eagle, hen

harrier, kestrel, peregrine, merlin and short-eared owl, even

the occasional white-tailed eagle. A small plantation along

the Skipport road attracts woodland birds and migrants and

is one of the features described in the leaflet that

accompanies the self-guided walk through the reserve. SNH

also produce a free colour leaflet describing the whole

reserve.

HOWMORE ESTUARY

The Howmore river, with its short estuary, links lochs that

form the premier salmon/sea trout system in the Uists. All

machair lochs also have good brown trout fishing. The

machairs are rich in breeding waders, while long-tailed

duck gather offshore in winter. The area around Verran

Island seems to have a particular attraction for rare gulls.

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The Outer Hebrides

PLACESTOVISITFOR

WILDLIFEANDLANDSCAPE

The Outer Hebrides

The Uists & BarraP L A C E S T O V I S I T F O R W I L D L I F E

A N D L A N D S C A P E

P L A C E S T O V I S I T F O R W I L D L I F E A N D L A N D S C A P E

The Outer Hebrides offer a unique blend of

landscapes, habitats and wildlife and this

leaflet highlights nearly 50 of the bestplaces to

visit. However, anywhere on these islands

offers something of interest, uncomfortable

perhaps in bad weather - but nonetheless

dramatic - and always exceedingly beautiful in

fine weather; few other places in Britain can

match the sunsets.

Visitors are always made welcome and the

unique outdoor experience can be enjoyed at

any time of the year. Since the land is

managed in many ways that sustain jobs, and

wildlife, walkers should ensure that access is

taken in responsible manner. Park sensibly,

keep dogs under control (especially during

lambing in April and May) and be aware of

deer stalking activities on some hills from July

to mid-February. Nesting seabirds such as

terns, and breeding seals (October for grey

seals) are of course sensitive to human

disturbance while a special licence is

necessary to approach some bird breeding

sites, such as those of divers and birds of prey.

Many of the paths are rights of way, but not all

are suitable for all abilities. The machair tracks

are particularly good places to walk, but avoid

growing crops. The clifftops and blanket bog

need special care, but access on the hills, the

open machair and the beaches is otherwise

unrestricted. Local people, visitor centres and

tourist offices are invariably helpful and

informative. Leaflets are available for some

marked paths.

The Scottish Outdoor Access Code is available

from SNH and other outlets, or can be seen on

the Scottish Natural Heritage website:

www.shn.org.uk or on the local site

www.cne-siar.gov.uk/access while more

information on local wildlife can be found at

www.cne-siar.gov.uk/biodiversity

The UistsBERNERAY

Berneray is now linked to North Uist by a causeway. A small

heritage centre on the island explains its history,

summarised in a handy little booklet available locally. A

leaflet is also available for a self-guided walk around the

island. The machair, with no rabbits, must be one of the

finest in the Hebrides - if not the world! Rotational, low

intensity cultivation maintains a breathtaking spectacle of

wild flowers in the summer. In winter the area holds a flock

of barnacle geese from Greenland, while the resident

greylags are becoming more numerous in the Uists and are

impacting upon crofting. Boreray, nearby, is common

grazing for the Berneray crofters, and has a single occupied

house.

LOCHMADDY AND LOCH AN DUIN

Seen from the air these sea lochs are an intricate pattern

of inlets, lochs and channels linked by tidal rapids, with

countless islands and skerries. A video showing some of the

underwater attraction is available from SNH. The shores are

good for otters, common seals, eiders, divers and other

wildlife. The North Uist Historical Society maintain an

excellent museum in the award-winning arts centre Taigh

Chearsabhagh in Lochmaddy village. A leaflet describes a

self-guided walk around the area. The mouth of Loch nam

Madadh itself is guarded by two brooding sea stacks which

give the loch its name, and in

the vicinity of which

porpoises, minke whales and

even killer whales have been

seen. The Outdoor Centre

may be chartered for boat

trips. The open moorland

west of Loch nam Madadh has

some of the best blanket bog

in the Uists with a range of

bird species (such as divers

and birds of prey), while red

deer are often seen

near the road. A small

woodland plantation

is also of interest.

BALRANALD

This corner of North

Uist is managed as a

nature reserve by the

RSPB, in conjunction

with local crofters.

Guided walks by the

warden are available

from the visitor

centre in summer. There is a gradual change from saltmarsh

in the south (adjacent to Loch Paible) through a variety of

marshland habitats. Wetlands around Loch nam Feithean

provide excellent habitat for breeding birds. This supports

a rich assemblage of machair waders - lapwing, redshank,

snipe, ringed plover, oystercatcher and dunlin while birds

of prey are commonly seen. The crofters are participating

in schemes to encourage the corn buntings and corncrakes

and this must be one of the best places to see them. Ard an

Runair is a fine sea-watching point, with a regular passage

of pomarine and long-tailed skuas in mid-May. St Kilda (see

no. 35) is visible in fine weather, beyond Haskeir rocks.

BALESHARE

Baleshare and Kirkibost are machair islands, the former

connected to the rest of North Uist by a causeway, the latter

uninhabited and only accessible by boat. Arctic terns breed

but the shore can change considerably after every winter

storm. The usual waders are abundant on the saltmarshes,

hummocky dunes, on the wet machair or by loch margins,

while the machair lochs support breeding mute swans,

mallard and moorhen. The mosaic of habitats are also

important for plants and insects.

THE MONACH ISLES

The impressive brick lighthouse was built in 1864 ,

decommissioned in 1942, then reinstated by a small

automatic light erected

alongside in 1997. Although

uninhabited since 1949, the

islands are still grazed by

sheep while fishermen still

occupy the old schoolhouse

in the summer months. The

extensive and uncultivated

machair hosts nearly 200

species of plants and is an

important wintering area

for several hundred

barnacle geese. Seabirds

such as shags, cormorants,

fulmars, eider and Arctic

BARRA

A circular tour of Barra

(less than 20 miles)

includes the machairs and lochs of the west coast,

croftland, through the moorlands and uplands of the

interior to the sheltered inlets of the east coast. There are

even a few interesting planted woodlands and scrub, where

ornithologists now turn up some rare and interesting

migrant birds. The flowers of Barra are impressive and

there is a useful little booklet produced locally, on the

island’s orchids. The rare Irish Lady’s Tresses is a speciality.

There are some interesting walks, some led by a part-time

ranger, and a small boat will take visitors out to Kisimul’s

Castle. If one cannot visit any of the other islands to the

south, a hike up to the statue of ‘Our Lady of the Isles’

above Castlebay will be rewarded with one of the most

spectacular views in the whole of the Hebrides.

VATERSAY

This beautiful, H-shaped island, immediately south of Barra,

is now connected by a causeway. The strip of land between

the two main sections of Vatersay is machair, with lovely

white strands on either side. The east one is a popular

bathing beach in summer. The west one however can be

stripped down to shingle after storms and is highly

vulnerable to erosion. There is a monument here to the

‘Annie Jane’, an emigrant ship which foundered offshore in

September 1853 with the loss of some 300 lives.

There is a leaflet available for a self-guided walk

around the island. The Prince’s flower, sea

bindweed, also grows in Vatersay - although

Charles never set foot here! The island is rich in

orchids and other plants, with good numbers of

corncrakes and corn buntings.

SANDRAY, MINGULAY, PABAY AND BERNERAY

The southernmost islands of the Hebridean chain have

sheer gneiss cliffs, with spectacular sea stacks, caves and

arches ideal for breeding seabirds. The people of Mingulay

used to harvest these, much in the manner of the St Kildans.

The island was finally evacuated, mostly to

Vatersay, in 1908 and the empty village,

clustered around the only beach on Mingulay,

is slowly being overwhelmed by sand.

Berneray, or Barra Head is the southernmost

point of the Outer Hebrides. Berneray has

the largest concentration of breeding

razorbills in the UK. Mingulay and Berneray,

like St Kilda, have their own distinctive race

of field mouse while grey seals breed on

Mingulay’s shore. All but Sandray are now

owned by the National Trust for Scotland and boat trips

may be available from Castlebay. Puffins frequent the rock

that serves as a landing place on Mingulay. There is a lovely

machair on Pabbay and an ancient burial mound with

incised stones, while Sandray, just to the north, is the

common grazing for the Vatersay crofters. Flocks of

barnacle geese overwinter on these islands.

Scottish Natural Heritage32 Francis Street, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, HS1 2ND

T: 01851 705258www.snh.org.uk

Text by John Love, Design by Iain Sarjeant (T:01349 86254), Maps by Wendy Price, Printed by Woods of Perth,

Photography by Lorne Gill/SNH, Laurie Campbell, Keith Ringland, John Love, Andy Robinson, Iain Sarjeant, P&A MacDonald & Sydney Clarke

Front cover: Traigh Geiraha, Isle of Lewis; machair; corncrake & bottle-nosed dolphinsBack cover: Corn marigold

ISBN 1 85397 480 3 W5k0306

Scottish Natural Heritage is a government body responsible to the Scottish Executive and Scottish Parliament.

Our mission statement:Working with Scotland’s people to care for our natural heritage.

Our aim:Scotland’s natural heritage is a local, national and global asset.We promote its care and improvement, its responsible enjoyment,its greater understanding and appreciation and its sustainable use

now and for future generations.

The

Outer Hebrides

Razorbill

Lochmaddy

Dunlin

BlackGuillemot

Loch Bee

Ramsons

Great yellow bumblebee

Vatersay

Sea bindweed

Irish lady’s tresses

Corn bunting

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