Click the map's Google logo to go to Google Maps - for Directions, Street View etc.
Wikipedia Undiscovered Scotland http://www.isleofbarra.com/for-visitors Internet Guide to Scotland Barra Airport: Wikipedia Undiscovered Scotland The island has featured in the BBC2 series Island Parish plenty of stunning shots of Barra if you can stomach (or fast-forward through) the religious bits. The Western Isles (Gaelic: Eilean Siar aka Outer Hebrides) are still very religious - mostly Protestant, though Barra is predominantly Catholic. Other than the Castle the most notable landmark of Castlebay is the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea. There is also a statue with the same dedication halfway up Barra's highest peak, Sheabhal. Barra & WhiskyPlans have been around for some years now to build a distillery on Barra, and there is a comprehensive website, but nothing much seems to have happened recently - latest news dated July 2011.
Kisimul Castle was leased by the Clan MacNeil to Historic Scotland for 1000 years for an annual rent of £1 and a bottle of Talisker. The 1949 film Whisky Galore was filmed on Barra. |
Barra is usually described as the most southerly of the inhabited Western Isles - actually Vatersay is to the South of Barra - linked to Barra by a causeway since 1991.
Its main settlement is Castlebay - Kisimul Castle ancient seat of Clan MacNeil sits on a rocky islet in the bay. The island's website proclaims: Clean skies, open Roads and Empty Beaches. One of those beaches - at Eoligarry - isn't always empty - it doubles as the island's airport at low tide. Eoligarry also used to be the port for a Sound of Barry passenger ferry before the car ferry route was instigated in 2003. Arriving & DepartingOpen Cycle Map Bing Map Sustrans Map (search Castlebay, Barra)
(Some Maps may give place names in only Gaelic or only English, so spellings may vary). By CalMac ferry (timetable Winter Summer). Daily sailings in summer, 3 times a week in winter, takes just under 5 hours from Oban, where the ferry terminal is adjacent to the railway station - Oban (OBN) Live Train Times. In Summer there's a second Thursday sailing that goes via Coll & Tiree - this sailing takes 7 hours, as do some other sailings that call at Lochboisdale (South Uist) first. Some return trips to Oban also go via Lochboisdale. There's also the Sound of Barra ferry service between Barra and Eriskay, which is in turn connected to South Uist by a causeway. 5 sailings each way each day in Summer, 4 (2 on Sundays) in Winter (timetable Winter Summer). Fly from Glasgow or Benbecula with Flybe to Barra's tidal airport SleepingCastlebay - Tigh Na Mara GH 01871 810304
I've visited Barra twice and stayed at Tigh-na-Mara on both occasions - this was in August 2001 and July 2004, so too long ago for any detailed memories of the place - but I went back there, so must have been good. Barra has 4 hotels, 2 in Castlebay (Craigard Hotel, Castlebay Hotel) one in the West of the island (Isle of Barra Hotel), and one in Bàgh a Tuath (North Bay) the Heathbank Hotel. Plenty of B&Bs and Self Catering - see Isle of Barra website EatingCafé Kisimul Castlebay 01871
810870 or 810645
Licensed restaurant serving a mix of Italian, Indian cuisine and seafood, including Scallop Pakora. Other Cafés - see Isle of Barra website The four hotels listed above are also open to non-residents for food. DrinkingOf the licensed establishments mentioned above, only the Isle of Barra Hotel's website specifically mentions having a range of malt whiskies.
CyclingBarra Cycle Hire 29 St. Brendans Road 01871 810284
Nearest Cycle Shops Howmore, South Uist - Rothan 01870 620283 / 07740 364093 Oban ShoppingCo-Op
Pierhead Stores (& Post Office); Da Ablach (open except when closed) Hebrides Business Directory Banking - RBS in Castlebay with ATM. Raining?? |
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Photos on this page were taken by me. Click on photo to enlarge. Full size versions and my other pictures of Barra are available at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/martynjenkins/sets/72157629066779363
http://www.flickr.com/photos/martynjenkins/sets/72157629066779363