A lifetime of Islands: Island 71 - Barra, Outer Hebrides

Barra is located at the southern end of the chain of the Outer Hebrides. It can be reached by Calmac vehicle ferries from either the island of Eriskay at the southern end of South Uist or from Oban on the Scottish mainland. Alternatively you can fly from Glasgow to Barra and have the experience of landing on a beach, as this is the runway!

The A888, which is actually a single track road with passing places, runs in a circle round the island linking up all the main settlements. A spur road runs north from Northbay to Eoligarry at the north end of the island via the Airport and a road runs east off this to the ferry terminal at Ardmhor. Another spur runs south from Castlebay to the causeway, which links Barra and neighbouring Vatersay.

The main settlement on Barra is Castlebay, which is on the south coast. Castlebay has a Cooperative supermarket, a couple of general stores, 3 cafés, a few hotels, guesthouses and restaurants, a burger van, a school/public library, a museum, a Catholic church, visitor information centre, community hall, community hospital and the terminal for ferries to Oban. It also has a castle in the middle of the bay, hence its name!

The population of Barra at the time of the 2011 Census was 1,174.

Castlebay, Barra

Stained Glass Window in the Catholic Church at Castlebay

Castle, Lifeboat and Calmac Ferry at Castlebay

Otter Sculpture at Ardmhor Ferry Terminal

Queen Victoria

This rock is a mimetolith and is said to resemble Queen Victoria. It is located on the northern side of the road near the dam at the western end of the island's reservoir Loch an Duin.

Eoligarry

Eoligarry Jetty

The author Compton Mackenzie is buried in the graveyard at Cille Bharra near Eoligarry. This is his simple headstone.

Elaborately carved grave slabs in the chapel of Cille Barra

Cille Barra

Barra Airport

Runway at Barra Airport

- otherwise known as Traigh Mhor

A plane has just landed at Barra Airport

Barra Airport's runway is the beach, so the timetable is tide dependent!

Allathasdal, storm approaching

Dunard Independent Hostel

It offers excellent budget accommodation.

The highest point on the island is Heaval at 383 metres above sea level. Three quarters of the way up there is a statue of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus looking down over Castlebay. I wanted to climb up to it during our 2006 visit, as there was a geocache there but it poured with rain the whole time we were there. So I waited patiently for 10 years until I could return and I was blessed with a clear sunny afternoon. There is a faint path up Heaval from the road to the south but it is a steep climb. I visited after weeks of low rainfall and the ground was dry. However I would imagine that it is usually much more boggy. The 360 degree views from the top of Heaval make it well worth the effort of climbing it.

Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus on her left shoulder

Virgin Mary and Jesus Statue on the slopes of Heaval. Looking south towards Castlebay

Looking east towards Brevig

Trig point on the summit of Heaval

St Barr

This picture is on the wall of St Barr's Catholic Church in Northbay. There is also a statue of St Barr on a small island in the bay. However this was too far away from the shore to get a decent photograph of it.

Northbay Woodland Walk

Barra does have a few trees. There are even a couple of woodland walks. This one at Northbay has a parking space for one car at the western end. The path is initially well surfaced but at the eastern end it deteriorates into a narrow overgrown path before ending abruptly at a barbed wire fence. This rather spooky statue is located near the eastern end of the path. There is another smaller area of woodland just to the west of the Eoligarry road shortly before the turn off for the ferry terminal at Ardmhor.