Day 13: North Bay, Isle of Barra, Outer Hebrides  

Weather: 10º - 13º - Sunny, patches of light rain, strong winds 

Accommodation: Sunamul Cottage

To our surprise we woke up to sunny skies and lovely views over the countryside. The view from our cottage was awesome. 

It was also blowing a hoolie and I had hoolie doolie hair all day. We had no firm plans except we wanted to see as much as possible as this was our only full day on Barra. We set off to visit the Information Centre at Castlebay only to discover that it didn’t open until ten o’clock. We didn’t mind as there was plenty to see in Castlebay.

A short distance from where we parked was Kisimul Castle, a medieval castle, sitting on its own little island. Kisimul is a Norse word for castle island so its an apt name. In 2001 Historic Scotland leased the castle and island for 1000 years from the Chief of the MacLean Clan for an annual fee of one pound and a bottle of whiskey. The only way to get to the uninhabited island is by a small boat and today was not the weather for getting in any small boats. The castle was looking wonderful in the sunshine.

We wandered the little town and found two more grocery stores. With no signage outside them it was hard to know what was inside the buildings but they were well-stocked. 

We had morning tea in a teeny tiny section of the Information Centre which also had groceries, haberdashery, gifts, books, local crafts and wool and anything else needed to survive on the island. I loved it! I could have spent far more time there but we needed to press on to see the island.

After leaving Castlebay we spent most of the day touring the Barra coastline and the small island south of Barra called the Isle of Vatersay. Vatesay is only about five kms square and is the most southerly inhabited island on the Outer Hebrides. It is linked by a short causeway which was built in 1991. There were smatterings of houses dotted over the island with calendar/postcard beaches.  

The small island has stunning pristine white beaches with turquoise water. On the eastern side of the island the water was calm and protected and on the other side the water had breaking waves from the strong winds. We couldn’t stay for long on the unprotected side as our faces felt like they were being sandblasted by the wind and the sand.

On the western beach we came across the ‘Annie Jane’ Monument which commemorates the tragic shipwreck of the emigrant sailing ship the ‘Annie Jane’ in 1853. The remains of 350 men, women and children are interred in two mass graves in the sand dunes. The exact location of the graves is unknown. The ship was sailing from Liverpool to Quebec and was forced onto rocks due to strong winds.

We followed a road to a dead end at Vatersay Village and were keen to find the cafe shown on the map. When we arrived there was no cafe but a bright pink cupboard-like structure with lots of freshly locally baked cakes inside and an honour system for paying for any purchases. Called ‘Piece of Cake’ it has an its own instagram site: isleofvatersaycake. We chose the coffee and walnut cake and it was the best. We had to eat it in the car to get out of the wind. 

When we returned to Barra across the causeway we drove by the unique airport which uses the enormous beach as a runway. We saw a plane ready to takeoff so we quickly parked the car and watched it taxi down the beach, turn and take off into the strong headwind. The flight was headed for Glasgow.

We were back at our bungalow at three ready for a cuppa and rest. We then set out to walk around the area we are staying. It has little nooks and crannies and once again I couldn’t stop taking photos. 

Before going to dinner a quick shower went over and a rainbow appeared. The house across the street which had dramatic clouds above it this morning now had a rainbow. We wondered if they realised they had a pot of gold at their house. 

Dinner was at six thirty at Castlebay Hotel. The restaurant had a fantastic view over the harbour including the large ferry docked at the port. It was a great meal and we were hungry as we hadn’t eaten since the cake at Vatersay. Unfortunately, our order was overlooked and we waited for an hour before they realised there was something amiss. We could have eaten the table leg by this stage. I opted for more local seafood with langoustines and it was delicious. 

It was a great day on the Isles of Barra and Vatersay. Around every corner was a photo opportunity and we were lucky to see the isles in sunny weather. Tomorrow we catch a ferry to the Isle of Uist. 

And finally…we didn’t think the wind was that strong!