White sandy beaches, scenic roads with lochs,  lambs & rocks and rugged hills… welcome to Outer Hebrides (Scotland). Here is how we did a road trip to the Hebrides.

We have explored quite a bit of Scotland in the past five years with the SLK car group. Lucky for us, there are amazing organisers in the group and we just tag along with minimal research. It is like having a private tour guide.

On this visit, we took a bit more time to explore each of the Islands. Getting the balance right between ticking off places you want to see versus spending time at those places versus having a day of driving around beautiful roads is always hard. Scotland has so much to offer and we keep going back to finish off what we could not before.

The sun made an appearance for the whole trip (yup we even caught a slight tan) making the gusty wind on some of the Islands bearable. The scenery in Scotland is spectacular however when the sun comes out it is just another level. The shades of blue on the lochs and sea are breathtaking. 

April is a fantastic time to visit Scotland. You get to see all the lambs running around and if you are lucky you get less rain and more sun. It is also quieter.

The Hebrides has some of the world’s best beaches, with Luskentype being in the top 25 according to Trip Advisor and West Beach being the top 3 in Europe. 15 degrees warmer and we could easily be transported to a private beach in Thailand or Maldives.

When visiting the Hebrides, especially the Outer ones, accommodation can be hard and expensive to find. The same applies to restaurants. Always make sure you book in advance and if you cannot make it be sure to cancel to give others a chance. We normally use booking.com because of their cancellation policy.

On our road trip, the criteria for accommodation was a location, good reviews, parking, reasonably priced (£100 on average a night) and a private bathroom.

We picked B&B’s for the whole trip and they worked out fine. They are sometimes quirky but that is part of the fun. Also, local knowledge from the hosts is always great. Hotels are an option however they cost more and some of them are tired and lack that personal touch.

The best way to cover the Islands is by car. When you explore the likes of Isle of Skye, you will notice a lot more traffic and caravans because it is a very popular destination. Drive further out and there is less of that.

You just need to be mindful that there are not many petrol stations around, especially on the Outer Isles. So always plan.

The Itinerary

Day 1

We had a late start from Leicester straight to Luss. This was about 5 and a half hours. The sun was out and it was a perfect evening to have a little walk to the Lodge on Loch Lomond for a drink before dinner at Loch Arm.

We had dinner at Loch Arm which serves pub food. I enjoyed the venison burger.

Luss is a pretty village and a popular destination. The B&B owner said some days you can have 5 weddings and considering it is a small village, everywhere gets booked up. 

We stayed at the Global B&B. The location was perfect and everything was within walking distance. Maria is very accommodating and a lovely host. The B&B is basic and serves a continental breakfast with fresh fruit, boiled egg, ham, toast and pastries.

Day 2 

After a walk around the Luss we drove to UIG (Isle of Skye). 

On route we stopped at:

Compared to our last visit in 2020, most the scenic places now require you to pay for parking which is understandable however when you are only there for half and hour and have to pay the minimum stay fee it can get frustrating. Eg £3 for 2 hours. 

We stayed at 5 Glenconon B&B for the night.  Lovely modern rooms with extra touches like homemade shortbread. Great selection of continental breakfast including mixed fruit and croissants. The host Shirley also offered to pick us up from UIG hotel after our dinner. 

Dinner at UIG Hotel was nice and would recommend it. I had the Hebrides deer which was cooked perfectly paired with Isle of Skye gin.

The location is not far from the ferry port which worked perfectly for us. 

Day 3

It was an early start from UIG to Tarbert (Isle of Harris) via a ferry. The ferry was under two hours. We got to Tarbert at around 1110 am.

Here is are our stops once we got off the ferry:

• Isle of Harris Gin distillery is located just off the ferry and that was naturally our first stop. After purchased some gin, we had a walk around Tarbert centre. This is the heart of Isle of Harris. The town was quiet despite being a Wednesday. Covid has affected a lot of businesses here because their main trade is tourism. 
• Essence of Harris for some scents, all named after the islands around. 
• Garry Beach in North Tolsta beach
• Stornaway – This is the largest town and port of the Outer Hebrides islands of Scotland. It was still very quiet and many cafes were not open or they had shut early. We found Artisan for a sandwich and coffee fix and it was perfect 
• Butt of Lewis the most northerly point of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. It also has had the record for the most windiest point in the UK and it definitely was. Views were worth battling the wind.

When looking at a map it may seem a long way from one end of Harris to the other but it isn’t. 

Accommodation for the next two nights was at Taylorhill B&B, Leverburgh, Harris. Hot breakfast was available and there was a fab selection of cereals and fresh fruit to choose from. There is a lounge with TV where you can relax in the evenings. 

The B&B is located around the corner from the ferry post and has lovely views. There used to be a restaurant that was nearby however now the closest ones are in Tarbert which is about 25 minute drive. Shona was a great host.

Before checking into our B&B we went for Pizza at Pizza & Pub which is joined to the Harris Hotel. This is located in Tarbert. We would have liked to eat at the main hotel however they were fully booked/ only catering for residents due to staff shortages. The main pizzas were nice and stone baked. I had a small margarita and this unfortunately was an oven pizza.

Day 4

We had one more night in Isle of Harris and explored more of the beautiful Island and Isle of Lewis which are connected.

• We drove around the East of Harris by Manish and Geocrab. Beautiful long stretches of roads surrounding by lakes. There is no greenery around the roads however it is still stunning and the roads are definitely fun to drive on. 
• Calanais Standing Stones: This World-famous 5000-year-old standing stone circles at Calanais, Isle of Lewis. You you can walk among the stones and take in the beautiful landscape created following the ice age many years ago, when the sea levels rose. 
• The Gearrannan Blackhouse Village : The Croft houses are a must visit. There is accommodation here too if you wish to stay here. The entrance is less than £5 and you get to see Harris Tweed in the making and how they lived here before in the croft houses
• Ardroil Beach: The most sandiest beach I have seen. The long stretches of sand open up a beautiful beach. 
• Luskentyre: This was voted the worlds top 25 by Trip Advisor and it’s clear why.. it is a large spectacular beach. We were lucky the sun was out and all the water was sparkling, adding to the stunning views. 
• Tonight we ate at the Hebrides Hotel in Tarbet. I had their mussels and they went down a treat.

Day 5 

Another day, another Island and this time it was Bernaray. 

The Taylor hill B&B we stayed at the past two nights had a view of the ferry port so you can see the ferry pulling up and that was our queue to leave.

The ferry from Levenburgh to Berneray was at 8.25am and took an hour.

Our home for the next two nights was at Brae Lea House, South Uist. There is a different selection for breakfast- from full Scottish to poached egg & garden peas on a bagel. There is a local pub within 10 minute walk however to eat at a decent place you needed a car. Rupert was a friendly host who runs the B&B on his own. The only downside was bathroom could have been cleaner.

Dinner was at Borrodale. It would have been nice to be sat at the bar instead we got put in what seemed like a very old fashioned hall. The food was average.

Day 6

It was time to explore the next Island. We had booked a ferry from Eriskay to Ardmhor (Barra) – less than 45 mins . Got the one at 10am and came back at 5pm and it is a small ferry. 

This gave us plenty of time to whizz around the Island and take in some more  beautiful scenery including the breath taking beaches. 

• Barra is the only place in the world where schedule flights land on a tidal beach. Normally there are two flights scheduled to come in and out however on Sunday there is one. Check the airport website for flight times. The staff said the flights always land early. EG the scheduled 1130 arrival for there at 1115 and took off early too. It’s definitely one to watch. 
• Across the road from the airport are some sand dunes that open up onto another fantastic beach. 
• Vatersay is another area in Barra worth visiting.  There is a community hall on route to the beach where you can have your coffee and toilet break. 
• We ended the day with a lovely meal at The Politician and managed to see the beautiful sunset here.

Day 7

It was time to start making our way back :(. We caught a ferry around 11 am from Lochmaddy to Uig (Skye) and arrived around 130pm.

• If you like the Isle of Skye Beer/Ale, the shop is located just by the port. We went to Smoke on the Water for lunch which is also by the port. The owner smokes all his meat and it is amazing. He also serves coffee locally roasted.
• It was time to burn off what we had eaten and we headed to the Old Man Storr. You have to pay for minimum 3 hours parking and this is sufficient time to walk to the top and back. If you want to walk further pay for longer. The walk took 2.5 hrs and that was leisurely. We were lucky that it has not rained because the ground was dry. It was still tricky getting right to the top due to the moss. Once on top we managed to get some brilliant views of the lochs. I would say it is a moderate hike.

We stayed at Feochan Rooms in Portree. This was about a 20 minute walk from the main town. Nora was a lovely host. The rate for the room is room only however there is Instant Porridge, bananas, cereal bars, juice and yoghurt in the room. Our room had a coffee machine too. 

Dinner the first night was at Portree Antlers Grill. We have been here before and the food was just like we remembered. Again it gets very busy and many were being turned away so make sure you book.

Day 8

After a stroll into Portree, we made our way to Fairy Pools . It is about half an hour drive from where we were staying.  

• Fairy Pools can get very busy so either try and go earlier or later in the day. Parking is £6 for a car regardless of the time you spend there. The walk can be challenging at times especially with the stepping stones and rugged path. Hiking boots are advisable. When we went it was dry and the pools were less full however still beautiful. I can only imagine how it would be after a few days of rain. However on the other hand, the path to the pools would be much trickier. 
• We took a boat trip to Loch Coruisk Boat trip from Elgol. It is about an hour from Portree and the boat trip includes a 1.5 hrs stop over at the Loch’s.  The boat trip is £32 per person. The scenery was just breath taking. It’s perfect for spotting wildlife too. We saw common seals and pilot whales. Around the Loch’s the cliffs are well known to climbers. The rocky cliffs are well known to climbers especially as they are formed with of gabbros which helps with grip.

There are other Isles around and they all have different wildlife and you can get separate boat trips for them.

Dinner was at the Chargrill restaurant, located at Marmalade Hotel. It is about 5 minute walk from the main centre. The meal was delicious. I enjoyed a Barnsley Lamb Chop which came with three sides. The hardest decision on the menu was what sides to have with a variety from heirloom tomatoes to sumac carrots to bacon mashed potatoes. In the summer there is a fire pit and the patio heaters come out. We just missed this.

Day 9

We caught the Ferry from Armadale to Mallaig at 10:20 am to head further south. This took about an hour.

• At Mallaig we straight went for some lunch at The Bake house before walking to the station to watch the Jacobite Express arrive. It is always fascinating seeing steam trains. Mallaig is known for good seafood and you can read about our favourite Scallop stop here.
• As we had never seen it over the Glenfinnan viaduct ( popular Harry Potter scene) we drove towards there to catch the 3pm train. Glenfinnan visitor centre to see the train pass the via duct. It is normally around 30 minutes after/before leaving Fort Williams. There is a car park and the route to see the viaduct is sign posted. To get higher shots, walk up the hills. If the train is coming from Mallaig you want to be on the right hand side (car park on the back of you) and if it’s going to Mallaig you want to be on the left hand side. 

It was our final night and we stayed in Drymen. A cute village worth visiting. Our B&B was a modern house, Glenlaird, Drymen,  and the hosts looked after us well. We had dinner at the Clachan Inn, a traditional pub dating back to the 1700’s. 

The next day we headed straight back to Leicester. When travelling on the A66, going up north Mainsgill Farm Shop is a great place to stop and down south The Bridge is a perfect stop.  Both these places are about half way to Scotland and serve good food and drinks. 

If you have any questions feel free to message me and I will try and help. You can read about my other Scotland road trips on my website too. For more photos head over to my Facebook page.

Neha
x