We were so happy to finally sail to the Outer Hebrides, after a long period of miserable weather spent in the area of Oban. During this summer, we plan to explore Scotland. It’s a beautiful and interesting sailing that will allow us to enjoy day sails, explore new places and complete professionnal work.
We started with the southernmost island, Barra. The white sandy beaches with turquoise water came as a surprise. They are so inviting for a swim (minus the little detail of the temperatures). One of the beaches at the north of Barra is a runway for planes. This triggered the curiosity of ex-small-plane pilot Yan.
It’s a long way to Tobermory
Our starting point was the lovely village of Tobermory (island of Mull). It was a very well protected place to wait for a weather window.
There are two nice walks for sunny days: one to the water falls and one to the lighthouse.
Crossing the Sea of the Hebrides
On our passage from Tobermory to the Outer Hebrides, the south-west wind pushed us a little too much to the north (see video below for some impressions of this sail). We ended up on the island of Eriskay and anchored in Arcaseid Mhor. Thanks to the Antares charts we negociated the narrow entrance to this well protected anchorage.
Landing on a beach (Barra Airport)
In the north of the island, Barra Airport is unique because it utilizes a tidal beach as its runway. This means that the airport’s schedule is dictated by the tides, with flights operating only when the tide is out and the beach is exposed. When the tide is in, the runway is submerged, and the beach is accessible to the public for recreational activities.
We arrived just in time for the first flight scheduled at 11:50 am.
The plane landed and took off again within one our. Anchored next to the beach, we waited for the second plane to arrive. There are two daily flights connecting the island to Glasgow. Barra Airport handles 14 000 passengers per year.
Planes were not the only attraction. On our way to the site, we watched birds, sheep and seals.
Castle Bay
To the south of the island lays the main town of Barra, Castle Bay.
We took our bikes for a ride, with some steep climbs.
Turquoise water of Vatersay
The colors of Vatersay bay were a pleasure to the eyes.
We came twice to this beach, once by boat and once by bike.
Even in summer, the temperatures remain cold when the wind is blowing.
8 replies on “Landing on a sandy beach (Barra)”
Merci pour ce joli reportage Silvia qui va bien nous servir. Nous avons une idée des mouillages… Nous sommes à South Uits (Lochboisdale) depuis hier soir. Contrairement à vous, notre traversée de Canna à ici a été plus que cool. Les températures augmentent un peu en Ecosse. Ca fait du bien. Nous suivons toujours votre périple sur Marine Traffic. 🙂
Vous avez une longueur d’avance. Ha ha ha ! Changement de décors nous trouvons aux Hébrides extérieurs, même si nous n’en avons vu que très peu pour l’instant. Nous voulions arriver à Barra mais pas possible à cause de la direction du vent. Au retour, peut-être. Il y a tellement d’endroits où se poser par ici… On se dit toujours, “pas grave, on fera cela au retour”… Le retour va être chargé en escales !!! Ha ha ha. Nous vous souhaitons bonne continuation et à très bientôt, j’en suis sûre 😉
Nous avons fait de belles découvertes à tous les endroits où nous nous sommes arrêtés. Heureusement que les mouillages sont bien protégées car il y a bien du vent. A bientôt!
Scotland really is a beautiful country to sail. So many stunning achorages and islands. We lived it and personally I’d go back tomorrow. Talk soon x
We are very happy with our choice for this summer. We also love to watch the birds and seals while at anchorage or sailing.
Great pics, happy to see you made it to these far islands. Kind regards
We thought about you a lot during this passage. All the best for your sailing this summer!
Thank you for these nice pictures. If you’re around, go to Dunvegan gardens and Canna island. Bon vent ! B.
Thanks for the suggestions. When we sail back South, Canna is definitely on the list!