An Outer Hebrides Road Trip

I love our Scottish islands with a passion and would love to visit them all!  I have previously visited the Isle of Lewis and Isle of Harris twice, but as we hadn’t made it to the Uist’s I thought it would be a great family road trip in the Hebrides.  We hired a campervan from Edinburgh airport (not far from our home) and travelled up the West coast to the Isle of Skye to begin our trip. If you are a cyclist you will also be pleased to hear about the Hebridean Way cycle route so do bring your bikes if you want to ride at least some of it! I hope you enjoy your Outer Hebrides road trip!

How To Get To The Outer Hebrides, West Coast of Scotland

You can of course fly to the Outer Hebrides and then hire a campervan there to travel. However, most people hire a van or take their own to the West coast islands via the Calmac ferry. Your options for ferries are either Ullapool to Stornoway in the North of Lewis, Uig to Tarbert on Harris, Uig to Lochmaddy on North Uist or Oban to Barra in the South.

For the purpose of our trip here we chose to arrive at Lochmaddy and travelled South. But I have also included what options there are for accommodation and activities in Lewis and Harris at the bottom of this post.

Are There Many Petrol Stations In The Outer Hebrides?

Yes! Obviously they are mostly located at the larger settlements such as Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis or Balivanich on North Uist.  However, there are lots of other smaller petrol stations around the islands, often with only one or two pumps. Obviously islanders need to fill up their vehicles too, so there is usually plenty of fuel available when you visit the islands.

When Is The Best Time To Visit For An Outer Hebrides Road Trip?

It’s best to visit the outer Hebrides in either May/June or September. These are the shoulder seasons when the weather is improving and warm (although it will always be windy here!). However, it’s also outwith the summer school holidays when the tourist season is at its busiest. So you are more likely to find quite spaces away from others!

North Uist

We arrived at Lochmaddy in North Uist from Uig on Skye in the Scottish Highlands.  This is the shortest ferry crossing to the outer Hebrides and the easiest choice for us with two young children.  We travelled from Central Scotland to Uig in one day, camping at Uig over night before we caught the ferry the next day.  There’s a lovely campsite just near the ferry terminal that’s perfect to stay and give kids the chance to run around.

Arriving on North Uist we had a short drive across to the RSPB reserve at Balranald where we were booked to stay for a few nights.  This has to be one of my favourite campsites.  The main reason is the stunning white sand beach just over the dune from the campsite.  Crystal clear waters and white sands make it appear as if you’re in the Caribbean and is one of the best places to hang out as a family.  I highly recommend taking bikes as you can cycle along the road and visit the bird reserve.  In May when we visited the ground and skies were filled with all kinds of bird species, which was amazing to see.  It’s also a nice place to cycle along the single-track roads and visit other little bays and beaches nearby.  This is certainly a wonderful place to visit!

You will find plenty of other stunning beaches in North Uist if you spend more time exploring.  If you continue North of Balranald you will find more stunning sandy beaches to relax on and dip your feet in the ocean.  Most of the sandy beaches tend to be on the West or North coasts.

Another fun outdoor activity on North Uist is the Uist sculpture trail.  You can check the link out here for more information, but there are beautiful sculptures to discover throughout the island.  This would be a fun trail to visit with the kids, stopping at each sculpture to admire them.

Benbecula

Sandwiched between the islands of North and South Uist is Benbecula.  The island was connected to it’s southern neighbour in 1942 by a bridge and later a causeway was built in the 1960’s to join Benbecula to North Uist.  The bridge was later updated, but this was definitely a new stepping stone in the connection of the Western Isles.

Benbecula has several shops, restaurants and cafes.  We visited the Stepping Stones restaurant which was lovely and very family friendly.  There is also a busy co-op for supplies and several lovely craft shops to visit.

South Uist – Hebrides Road Trip

The longest of this chain of islands, South Uist has plenty of stunning white sand beaches all along it’s West coast.  Be aware that the wind can be quite fierce, so warm clothing, hats and gloves can be required at all times of year.  Especially for the kids!  You could easily walk for miles down the beaches on the West coast, they really are gorgeous.

Keep listening out for Corncrakes whilst on the islands.  They are rare, elusive birds and you will probably hear them calling a LOT whilst staying on the Hebrides.  However, they can sound a lot closer than they are, so it’s good to be patient and wait for them to walk near you.  We were very lucky to spot one in the long grass of a derelict cottage whilst out cycling one night.  I had heard it’s call a lot louder than anywhere else we had visited on the island and suddenly saw it pop out of the grass in front of me!

Kildonan museum is a fantastic museum for all the family.  You can find out lots of information on the local history, culture and plenty of interesting artefacts to peruse.  There is also a lovely cafe and small shop selling beautiful local crafts.

Eriskay

After South Uist we headed over to Barra via the ferry at Eriskay.  Although I do wish we could have stayed at least one night on Eriskay as it’s a beautiful little island!  The ferry area is near a gorgeous beach, just perfect for playing on with the kids.

The little island found fame when a ship carrying whisky was shipwrecked just off the island.  The islanders recovered some of the whisky themselves and hid it around the island.  Reportedly burying some bottles in the marshy ground to avoid the customs and excise people!  you can watch a film all about the whisky shipwreck, titled ‘Whisky Galore’.

From here there are ferry services over to the North of Barra, with fantastic views across the sea.

Isle of Barra

When you first embark at the North of Barra it’s best to check the time of the next plane arrival on the island.  If it’s likely to be soon head right as you leave the ferry road and follow signs to the airport.  Barra is the only airport in the world to use a public beach as a landing strip. If you want to arrive by plane, this is one of the best spots on the Hebridean Islands to do it!

It’s great to see parts of the beach being used at other times of the day, then planes landing along the sandy beach once it’s cleared of people.  This is a spectacular sight to watch and you certainly won’t be alone.  Make sure you get there with time to spare to find a good spot to park.

A little further North of the airport, before the road runs out you will find a small hill with the remnants of an old broch.  Brochs were defensive homes and were round in shape, similar to a tower.  All that remains of this particular broch is the stone base covered in vegetation.  It still makes a great spot to look down at the beaches below and watch the small planes fly over to Barra airport!

Castlebay is the main settlement on the island with several cafes, co-op to get supplies and a small castle out in the bay, which gives the village it’s name.  You can get the boat across to the castle from the little pier, it’s a Historic Scotland site and free for members.  Inside the castle seems more like a small townhouse than a castle, with a tiny courtyard in the middle.  It’s a great place to visit for an hour or so!

We particularly enjoyed the cake and hot chocolate at the post-office cafe, it’s a lovely little place with tasty food!

Vatersay

Vatersay island is connected to Barra by a causeway to the North of the island, and is definitely one of the smaller islands.  There are a few scattered houses and a small village, beside the twin beaches is Vatersay Hall Cafe.  You can get some simple lunches and drinks here, although it can get quite busy in the summer.

The twin beaches here are well used by surfers on the West side and boats landing small craft on the Eastern beach.  We still found it fairly quiet for the kids to play and use their body boards in the sea.  The beaches are white sand and despite it sometimes being quite windy it’s still a stunning place to visit on a spring or summer day.

From Vatersay we headed back to Castlebay on Barra to catch the Calmac ferry back to Oban.  It’s a 6 hour trip, but the ship has plenty of tables, seats and a restaurant. If you choose to brave the upper deck you’ll have a good chance of spotting wildlife.  We were lucky to see dolphins swimming alongside the ferry in the open sea.

Northern Islands of The Outer Hebrides

As mentioned above we didn’t travel through the Lewis and Harris on this trip, but have done previously. If you want to include Lewis and Harris in your Hebridean road trip I would recommend and additional week at a minimum. They are much larger with more attractions and walks available, so definitely don’t skimp on time!

It is also possible to wild camp on the islands, however as wild camping doesn’t include taking your car near the camping spot I haven’t included it here. Remember wild camping in Scotland must follow the outdoor access code, where you camp away from buildings, livestock and roads, not within crop or livestock fields. It also must be in small numbers and only for a few nights, plus you must leave no trace.

Isle of Lewis

Isle of Lewis is the largest of the islands ant 36 miles long and there are a lot of campsites to choose from. Ardroil Sands campsite has good reviews and a semi-wild feel. It’s right beside a beach with toilets, shower block and car parking. However, there is no electric hook-up. Further North at Shawbost is Eilean Fraoich campsite, open to campers, motorhomes and tents, with full facilities and electric hook-up.

You can find lots of outdoor activities from enjoying the beautiful beaches and walks, to visiting various museums and historical sites. I’d highly recommend visiting Callanish standing stones (an awesome stone circle!), Gearrannan Blackhouse village (the black houses are particularly interesting) and Bosta Iron Age House. There is also an interesting family friendly museum Nan Eilean at Lews Castle in Stornoway and plenty of wildife watching boat trips. We also managed to watch dolphins in the far North of the island at the Butt of Lewis.

Isle of Harris

Harris is smaller and the gateway to the islands further South on the island chain. Ferries leave to Berneray from Leverburgh. It’s only a 30 minute drive between Tarbert and Leverburgh, the two main towns on the Isle of Harris. So you only need to stay in the one campsite here to explore the island.

Horgabost beach campsite has excellent reviews. Located on the opposite side of the estuary from Luskentyre, it’s right on a beautiful white sand beach. With all the facilities you could need, including showers, toilets and chemical disposal. However, there are no electric hook-ups, instead they recommend solar panels.

Wondering what there is to do on the Isle of Harris? As with most the Hebridean isles, it’s definitely a place to be outdoors. From playing on the different beautiful beaches to walking in the hills or out to Eilean Glas lighthouse on the Isle of Scalpay. You can also shop for authentic Harris Tweed, visit the distillery to find out how whisky and Harris gin is made. Or take a boat trip to the Shiant Isles to spot wildlife. Or even take a day trip to St Kilda.

Harris is also home to the most stunning beach, Luskentyre. It’s a favourite of both locals and tourists, mainly because it has a huge expanse of white sand and turquoise waters. 

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