More tours

If you really want to get away from it all, visit the tiny island of Barra for its empty golden beaches, sandy grasslands, wild flowers and rugged interior. Nestling near the bottom of the Western Isles chain, it has been quite rightly called "Barradise". The old b/w movie "Whisky Galore" (known as "Tight Little Island" in the US) was filmed here based on the novel by Compton MacKenzie who adapted the true story of the S.S. Politician which sank off nearby Eriskay with its cargo of whisky in 1941. Its sequel Rockets Galore made in colour a few years later was also shot around the island. An excellent place for cycling, Barra's main road loops twelve miles around the island. At Northbay, an offshoot takes you up the Eoligarry peninsula to Barra's northern tip. The airport is set on a huge sandy beach where planes land from the mainland and neighbouring islands. The population of the island is just over 1100. Many of the islanders still speak Gaelic. There are plans to build a whisky distillery on Barra. Travel Tips: Barra Island Tours is a family-run business offering guided trips (2 - 4 hours) for up to 6 people in an executive MPV. Collection from and return to anywhere on Barra is included. Ideal if you do not have your own transport. Day tours to Eriskay, the Uists and Benbecula can also be arranged. Contact Rob Daly on 01871 810255 or 07972375494. Car hire is provided by Hugh MacNeil in Northbay who will deliver the car to any part of the island (tel: 01871 890 313). Also Margaret Macmillan in Eoligarry (tel: 01871 890 366) who has a fleet of cars. Taxi services are available - tel: 01871 810 216 or 01871 810590. Island tours can be arranged. Bikes can be hired from John MacDougall at 29 St. Brendan's Road, Castlebay (telephone 01871 810 284). You can pick up free sheets with timetables for each local route from tourist offices in the Western Isles and at Stornoway bus station. Buses generally run in time with the ferries and there are less in winter than in summer. My travellers' tips file may also be useful if you are planning a trip to Scotland. Read more...http://www.scotland-inverness.co.uk