Scottish Tour Guide's Blog

Traditional Thatched House, Benbecula, Hebrides

Today we undertook a tour of the heart shaped North Uist, starting Benbecula and finishing Lochmaddy, Hebrides. This encompassed a rich diversity including:

• An otter, eagle and numerous birds including a oyster catcher.
• Stunning scenery with white sandy beaches and seascapes.
• Traditional thatched houses.
• A prehistoric stone circle.
• Prehistoric Neolithic burial cairn.
• Public sculpture.
• A friendly peat cutter
• A Crannog which was last occupied around the 16th century.

Scenic Shoreline, Hebrides, Scotland

Sculpture, North Uist, Scotland

MacLeod's Tower, North Uist, Scotland

Traditional Hebridean House, North Uist, Scotland

Neollithic Burial Cairn, North Uist, Scotland

Pobull Fhinn Stone Circle, North Uist

Mr Mackay, Pet Cutter, North Uist

Hebridean View, North Uist, Scotland

Dun an Sticir, Crannog, North Uist

Castlebay, Barra, Scotland

This morning, we arrived at Castlebay after an 11 hour crossing from Oban on the Scottish mainland.This journey had taken twice the normal time due to delays caused by severe weather conditions.

Upon arrival at Castlebay we checked into the hotel for a freshen up and breakfast and then commenced a tour of the island taking in:

• The magnificent sandy beaches and coastline resplendent in the sunshine.
• Ancient religious site of Cille Bhara which dates from the 12th century but with a Christian heritage dating back to the 7th century.
• Traigh Mhor Airport, Barra’s unique beach landing strip. Here we waited patiently for a scheduled plane to land but it failed to arrive and we eventually gave up.

Mid afternoon we caught the ferry to Eriskay, across the Sound of Barra, and then drove north across the causeway to South Uist and then on to Nunton on Bnebecula where we are lodging tonight in an excellent four star guest house. We plan to catch upon sleep tonight before embarking on our travels to North Uist and Harris.

Castlebay, Barra, Scotland

Beach Scene, Barra, Scotland

Barra Airport, Hebrides, Scotland

Cille Bhara Religious Site, Barra

Peat Digging, Benbecula, Hebrides

Oban Harbour, Scotland

This afternoon our tour is experiencing a 7 hour delay due to adverse weather conditions which has disrupted ferry crossings to the Hebrides. Consequently we are facing an unplanned sojourn in Oban on the west of Scotland.

Because of the heabvy train and wind we took the opportunity to visit Glencoe, about 1 hour away. This Highland village is well known for the scenery and the infamous massacre which occurred in 1692. The latter event resulted in the deaths of up to about 100 members of the local MacDonald community  at the hands of a military unit comprised mainly of members of traditional adversaries from Clan Campbell who were acting under military orders.

At Glencoe we visited:

• The National Trust Visitor Centre
• The glen with its stunning scenery with streams and waterfalls cascading off the mountains.
• Clachaig Inn, famous for its ‘no Campbells’ policy.
• The monumernt erected in memory of the Massacre.

We later returned to Oban, tracking the banks of Loch Linnhe and passing Castle Stalker.

Waterfall, Glencoe, Scotland

Massacre Monument, Glencoe, Scotland