Holiday apartment in the Outer Hebrides: Nature and Island Culture

Island culture and nature stand side by side in the Outer Hebrides: crafts, historic sites, coastal landscapes and trails shape the diverse impressions of this island world.

Culture

A characteristic example of traditional craftsmanship is the Harris Tweed Story Room. Its offerings include a live weaving demonstration on a loom. In a guided exhibition, visitors can also see all three types of loom used to produce Harris Tweed. Production follows a specific legal requirement: Harris Tweed must consist of 100 percent pure new wool. This wool is dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides and then handwoven in the islanders’ homes.

Blackhouse, Arnol also offers a vivid insight into island life in the past. The fully furnished, thatched house shows the type of dwelling in which a family and its animals once lived under one roof. The peat fire in the centre of Blackhouse, Arnol is kept burning continuously. The site can be reached on foot from the bus stop in Arnol in ten minutes.

St Clement’s Church was built in the early 16th century as a burial place for the MacLeod clan. The secluded medieval church is located close to the sea and contains sculptures from the late Middle Ages and the post-Reformation period, including the MacLeod tomb.

Kisimul Castle is the only significant medieval castle that has survived in the Western Isles. The visit begins with a short boat trip across Castlebay. At Kisimul Castle, parts of the castle can be visited as part of a guided tour.

The Western Isles are also home to Grimsay Boat Haven, the first maritime visitor attraction dedicated to regional history. It preserves, presents and explains Grimsay boats built by Stewart, a nationally recognised style of clinker-built working boats. The Grimsay Boat Trail is a self-guided circular route leading to around three important historic sites around Grimsay. Dun Carloway also forms part of the islands’ older history and is believed to date from the last century BC.

Nature

Balranald Nature Reserve brings together various coastal and landscape features. It includes sandy beaches, a coast shaped by rocks and tidal pools, dunes and species-rich grassland with wildflowers. A mostly level, 4.5-kilometre circular trail leads through the nature reserve.

St Kilda has some of the highest sea cliffs in Europe and is home to the largest seabird colony in the North Atlantic. Another way to access the changing landscapes is Dùthchas | A Sense of Place, an immersive film about moorland and machair, crofting land and seascapes.

On Benbecula, a short walk leads through the machair landscape of Lionacleit. This distinctive landscape is one of several natural experiences in the Outer Hebrides that are connected with historical and community-based offerings.

Trails

Along the Hebridean Way, there is a network of stops where cyclists and walkers can rest, get refreshments and replenish their supplies. The Calanais Standing Stones and the visitor centre are listed as stops along the Hebridean Way cycle route. Walking guides in the Outer Hebrides offer accompanied walks and tours.

Gearrannan Blackhouse Village is a restored blackhouse village. There, visitors can experience what life was like around a century ago.

Community

The Outer Hebrides Wildlife Festival is an annual, community-organised celebration of wildlife. Events take place on the islands for locals and visitors. In Grimsay, the Grimsay Community Association regularly organises workshops, demonstrations, exhibitions, talks and ceilidhs.

Guided experiences at the Isle of Harris Distillery explain the production and character of the spirits made on the island and provide access to parts of the distillery. The Isle of Harris Gin Experience also introduces sugar kelp, which is harvested by hand from the surrounding sea lochs.

Other places

Other places in the Outer Hebrides: Barvas, Lochboisdale, Isle Of Lewis, Castlebay, Isle of North Uist, Isle of Harris, Creagorry.

To the main travel overview: Scotland.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Dumfries And Galloway.