South Uist & Barra

The landscape in South Uist is hilly with fantastic white sandy beaches and machair on its west coast, many sea lochs on the east coast and numerous inland lochs.  In the north are the Loch Druidibeg Nature Reserve and restored blackhouses at Howmore.  In the south, the Kildonan Museum depicts the lives of local crofters (many were ousted during the Clearances) and Milton is the location of Flora Macdonald's birthplace and ruined blackhouses.  Lochboisdale is the island's largest village and port for ferries to Barra and Oban.

The hilly island of Eriskay is famous for its wild Eriskay ponies, being the place where Bonnie Prince Charlie first landed in Scotland and for the sinking of the SS Politician when the locals consumed its cargo of 250,000 bottles of whisky, the basis of the book and film Whisky Galore.  The island of Barra has many splendid beaches and is the location of the restored 11th century Kisimul Castle (seat of the MacNeil clan), restored 19th century thatched house and the Barra Heritage Centre.  From Barra, there are bird-watching cruises to Mingulay which has many rock stacks and caves.

Information
There is a tourist office in Pier Road in Lochboisdale.  The hotels in the area include: the Orasay Inn near Lochcarnan; the Polochar Inn; Lochboisdale Hotel; and Craigard Hotel, Tigh-na-Mara, Isle of Barra Hotel and Castlebay Hotel on Barra.