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Route · Outer Hebrides · Wester Ross

The Long Island

Suggested 11–13 nights

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Tailored to your dates. No package price.

The pale curve of Luskentyre beach on Harris, turquoise shallows and a few white crofts under dark hills
Luskentyre, Isle of Harris
Fishing creels and blue nets on the gneiss shore of Barra, with a yellow boat behind
Isle of Barra
The main Calanais stones on Lewis, lichen-grey slabs standing in green grass with the loch beyond
Calanais Standing Stones, Isle of Lewis
Golden dune grass and shell sand on Harris, with a sea loch and bare hills behind
Isle of Harris
Oban harbour on a still morning, a ferry at the pier and the town reflected in the water
Oban

Oban to Barra by sea, north through the Uists by causeway, Harris and Lewis, then the Ullapool ferry and the mountains of Assynt.

The route

About this route.

Barra to the Butt of Lewis: one long island, four crossings and the mainland at the end.

Where you’ll travel: Lewis and Harris · The Uists and Barra · Wester Ross and Assynt

Nights 1–3

Oban to Barra

A night in Oban, then the morning ferry out past Mull to Castlebay. Two nights on Barra: the island road, Vatersay’s beaches, and the cockle shore at Traigh Mhòr where the plane lands.

Oban harbour on a still morning, a ferry at the pier and the town reflected in the water
Oban

Nights 4–5

Eriskay and the Uists

The short ferry to Eriskay and then causeway after causeway north. Machair walks on South Uist in June, corncrakes at Balranald, smoked fish and long beaches. Two nights, near the west side.

A wet road across the flat peatland of South Uist in black and white, telegraph poles to the horizon
South Uist

Nights 6–9

Harris

The Berneray ferry across the Sound of Harris to Leverburgh. Four nights on Harris: Luskentyre and Scarista, the Golden Road, a weaver’s shed, and the St Kilda boat if the swell drops.

The pale curve of Luskentyre beach on Harris, turquoise shallows and a few white crofts under dark hills
Luskentyre, Isle of Harris

Nights 10–11

Lewis

North into Lewis: Calanais at the end of the day, the blackhouses at Gearrannan, the cliffs at the Butt. Two nights, then the ferry from Stornoway to Ullapool.

The main Calanais stones on Lewis, lichen-grey slabs standing in green grass with the loch beyond
Calanais Standing Stones, Isle of Lewis

Nights 12–13

Assynt

The mainland at the end: Suilven, Stac Pollaidh and the coast road, two quiet nights and a long drive or a train south.

The dome of Suilven in Assynt rising out of a bank of morning mist
Suilven, Assynt

Everything arranged

Every crossing, booked.

Where you stay

  • Barra[PLACEHOLDER] A small hotel above Castlebay harbour
  • South Uist[PLACEHOLDER] A guest house on the machair side
  • Harris[PLACEHOLDER] A shore house on the west side, four nights
  • Lewis[PLACEHOLDER] A restored blackhouse or a Stornoway hotel
  • Assynt[PLACEHOLDER] An inn on the coast road

Crossings, in order

Oban Castlebay, Barra CalMac
Ardmhòr, Barra Eriskay CalMac
Eriskay South Uist Causeway
South Uist North Uist Causeways via Benbecula
Berneray Leverburgh, Harris CalMac
Harris Lewis Road
Stornoway, Lewis Ullapool CalMac
Ullapool Assynt Road

Routes and operatorsverify pending a specialist check. We never quote timetables or fares; we book them.

Also arranged

  • Every ferry booked, with car spaces held
  • A driver-guide for the Uists if you’d rather not drive
  • The St Kilda boat, with a spare date
  • A weaver’s visit on Harris
  • An archaeologist at Calanais (optional)

Experiences on this route

When to go

Months and light.

Daylight on the 15th of each month at Stornoway, computed from the latitude. Our favourite months for this route are marked.

Day length is sunrise to sunset. The dusk is long in summer and the north never gets fully dark in June.
MonthSunrise to sunsetDaylight
January09:00 to 16:097 h 09 min
February07:58 to 17:229 h 24 min
March06:42 to 18:2711 h 45 min
April06:14 to 20:3714 h 23 min
May Best05:00 to 21:4416 h 44 min
June Best04:20 to 22:3218 h 12 min
July04:45 to 22:1817 h 34 min
August05:48 to 21:1215 h 24 min
September Best06:55 to 19:4712 h 52 min
October08:01 to 18:2210 h 21 min
November08:13 to 16:077 h 54 min
December09:07 to 15:346 h 27 min

The map

The route on the chart.

Dotted lines are ferries and boats; solid lines are causeways and roads; dashed is the sleeper.

Change it in the Crossings

Map of the The Long Island routeObanBarraEriskaySouth UistBenbecula and North UistHarrisLewisUllapoolAssynt
Oban to Castlebay, Barra; Ardmhòr, Barra to Eriskay; Eriskay to South Uist; South Uist to North Uist; Berneray to Leverburgh, Harris; Harris to Lewis; Stornoway, Lewis to Ullapool; Ullapool to Assynt. Approximate; not for navigation.

Speak to a specialist

Let’s plan your route.

Tell us your dates and who’s coming. A specialist will reply with questions, then a written proposal for The Long Island, changed to suit you.

How this form sends for now: pressing “Send” opens your own email app with your answers filled in. Nothing reaches us until you send that email. You can also write to us at [email protected].

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