Barra

Barra is a very nice place to visit, with its main town and ferry port, Castlebay, having several shops and restaurants. I enjoyed listening to local band the Vatersay Boys performing in the evening and would love to return for the annual Barra-thon race. The Hebridean Way footpath goes the full length of the island, from the causeway to Vatersay north to the ferry terminal at Ardhmor, where the ferry takes you on to Eriskay. Most of the route goes over the island’s hills, on fairly boggy terrain (and no marked paths) but there are road sections near the Isle of Barra beach hotel and the ferry terminal.

At Allt Easdail, you leave the road and head up over Beinn Tangabhal. This archaelogical site has several boards explaining the various finds here.

Marker posts show the way to follow, in theory. In practice, these markers are quite far apart and can be difficult to spot in the mist. I ended up going much further west than intended and then followed the coastline until I recovered the route.

Some pleasant views back towards Vatersay, and the uninhabited Bishop’s Isles.

The Iron Age fortress site of Dun Bàn, jutting out into the ocean, was a great place to stop for a drink and snack.

A nice statue outside the ferry terminal (which has a cafe selling hot drinks, snacks, sandwiches etc. and a waiting room.)

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