Hebrides

The Western Isles are unique and represent the last stronghold of the Gaels. In the Hebrides you'll find an inner peace and tranquillity - a real get away from it all place!

The Western Isles stretch for 130 miles and look out on the western side to the Atlantic Ocean. Here on the edge of Europe, life is very different. The islanders live at their own pace with a deep pride in their ttraditions and values. The walking is excellent with a great mix of road, track, moor and mountains - and there are many fascinating places to stop along the way.

As the Gaels say 'ceud mile failte' - a hundred thousands welcomes. There's one waiting for you.

Moderate Walks

The outer islands of the Hebrides, often called the Western Isles, stretch for 120 miles along Scotland's Atlantic seaboard. Many signs show place names in Gaelic, which is widely spoken throughout the islands, but you will find the locals very friendly and eager to share their rich culture of music and folklore.

Bordering the beaches is the machair (gaelic for fertile low-lying coastal plain), where a multitude of wildflower grow on the fertile shell sand soil and bring a burst of colour to the islands during the summer months. Most of the beaches are easily accessible and offer excellent walks of any length.

Other parts of the coast have different attractions. At Lochmaddy on North Uist the sheltered sea loch with its myriad rocky isles and inlets has one of the highest concentrations of otters in western Europe. Further north at Na Gearrannan on Lewis you can explore a village of restored black houses and wander over short-cropped turf atop cliffs to enjoy the view from one of the headlands.

Longer Walks

Few places feel as open and free as the 120-mile long archipelago of the Western Isles. On these islands, thirteen of which are inhabited, you can escape the noise and rush of modern life as you watch the sun set over the Atlantic. Walking along miles of beach under wide, ever changing skies, or on rugged moorland alive with birdcalls, creates a sense of harmony with nature.

In the north, much of the Isle of Lewis is low-lying peat moorland - a sign of its wildness is that ravens are as numerous here as crows are elsewhere. The best paths run round the coastal cliffs, from the Butt of Lewis in the north down both sides of the island. Halfway down on the west side there is good walking in a greener landscape around crofting villages where some of the best ancient sites, like Callanish standing stones and Carloway broch, are located. Further south there are broad, sandy beaches at Uig and near Stornoway, before the hills rise towards Harris.

Hill Mountain Walks

All the hills in the outer islands of the Hebrides, or Western Isles, have one thing in common - outstanding views, which stretch over lochan-studded moorland to wild rocky shores and long strips of golden beach. Although only one summit tops 2,500 feet (762m) to gain Corbett status, the rugged isolated nature of the hills guarantees some of the most memorable hillwalking in Britain. Over a dozen of the islands in the chain are linked by causeways and ferries, but by chartering a boat you can reach uninhabited isles like Taransay and Mingulay, where few people apart from shepherds have climbed the hills.

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