North Uist Page Updated 31/01/12Click the map's Google logo to go to Google Maps - for Directions, Street View etc.
Wikipedia Undiscovered Scotland Internet Guide to Scotland Explore Scotland Isle of Berneray Community Website North Uist & WhiskyNothing further to add than shown under Drinking.
|
Looking at a map of North Uist (Uibhist a Tuath), you can easily see that the island is more water than land - particularly in the South and East though there is a string of hills on the East coast. Loch Maddy (Loch nam Madadh) is never more than a mile wide, and only five miles long, but its coastline has been calculated to be 300 miles long! The West of the island still has its fair share of water but also has the largest areas of dry land, and even a forested area.
Historically the crossing to Benbecula was problematic - most of the time the water was too shallow to ford safely, but never deep enough for a ferry. This was solved with the construction of the causeway in 1960. Causeways were also constructed to Baleshare (Baile Sear) in 1962 and Berneray in 1999. The main settlement is Lochmaddy. Arriving & DepartingOpen Cycle Map Bing Map Sustrans Map (search Lochmaddy, North Uist)
(Some Maps may give place names in only Gaelic or only English, so spellings may vary - alternate spelling shown in brackets in some cases). By CalMac ferry to Lochmaddy (timetable Winter Summer) - sailings at least daily in Winter; twice daily most days in summer. Crossing to Uig (Skye) takes 1¾ hours - a few sailings are via Tarbert (Harris) and take 2 hours longer. Head North via the causeway to Berneray for the Sound of Harris ferry to Leverburgh (Harris) (timetable Winter Summer) - twice daily sailings in Winter (stepping up to 3 from February, except Sundays); 4 times daily in Summer (reducing to 3 in September, only 2 or 3 sailings on Sundays). The crossing takes an hour. Fly from Glasgow, Stornoway or Barra with Flybe to Benbecula airport. Tourist Information Centre - Pier Road, Lochmaddy 01876 500321 SleepingAs well as the Hotels listed below, North Uist has several B&Bs, though the one I stayed at in 2002 is no longer in business.
List of B&Bs from Explore Scotland. EatingTigh Dearg Hotel Lochmaddy 01876 500700
Lochmaddy Hotel 01876 500331 / 500332 Lobster Pot Tearoom Borve (Borgh), Berneray 01876 540288 Taigh Chearsabhaigh Café Lochmaddy 01876 500293 Temple View Hotel Carinish 01876 580676 Langass Lodge Hotel Loch Langass (Langais) 01876 580285 (Often listed as in Locheport (Euphort/Euphiort - various spellings), which is misleading, though it is clearly signposted from the A 867) Carinish Inn listed on some sites is no longer an Inn - shockingly it has been converted into a church!! DrinkingSee warning on Carinish Inn above. No sites advertise range of whiskies, though picture of Tigh Dearg Hotel shows a well stocked bar.
CyclingCycle Hire
Tigh Dearg Hotel Lochmaddy 01876 500700 Nearest Cycle Shops Rothan Howmore, South Uist 01870 620283 / 07740 364093 ShoppingRaining?? |
|
Photos on this page were taken by me. Click on photo to enlarge. Full size versions and my other pictures of North Uist are available at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/martynjenkins/sets/72157629066181489
http://www.flickr.com/photos/martynjenkins/sets/72157629066181489