Exploring The Outer Hebrides – A Journey in Pictures

Our invigorating walking adventure through the beautiful Harris terrain started with an exploration of St Clement’s Church in Rodel, which has been restored many times across generations. Catherine Herbert, the Countess of Dumore, was the last to handle a restoration in 1873 before Historic Scotland took over care of the Church.

Failte Gu Tur Chliamainn – Gaelic for welcome to St Clement’s Church.

The Outer Hebrides is one of the last places in Scotland where you can experience Gaelic as a spoken language. Interact with a local resident and they can teach you how to pronounce Gaelic sayings. Thanks to our incredibly knowledgeable guide, Malcolm, I learned that many of the Gaelic names scattered around Harris actually came from the Norse language. You can enjoy a great comedy routine with your fellow travellers trying to guess how to pronounce all the Gaelic and Norse names around the islands!

A stunning view of the Church from outside

The inside of the Church holds a wealth of Hebridean history

The interior of the church is awe-inspiring and abundant with relics. Stone tablets contained some of the most intricate carvings I had ever seen and their detailed design was something to rival the mysterious hieroglyphs of Egypt or the beautiful mosaics of ancient Rome.

I could have explored the Church all day long delving into the amazing history behind this incredible monument. At St Clement’s you can learn about the local poets buried in the church grounds, discover symbolism behind the stone carvings and see Alasdair MacLeod’s Tomb – known to be one of the finest 16th-century tombs in Scotland.

The highest point to the far left was our destination on this incredible walk through the hills of Harris

Our first main walk was a fun journey battling the strong Hebridean winds, or slight breezes as they are affectionately known by the locals. As we climbed uphill we passed a huge herd of sheep, had fun scaling the runrigs (a thin strip of land suitable for growing crops – not to be confused with the famous Scottish Celtic rock group from Skye!) and witnessed a sheep stranded on the cliffside being rescued. It was a challenging first walk but highly rewarding when we reached the summit and were able to gaze at the incredible view. The summit was extremely windy but also felt tremendously exhilarating! I recall thinking “This is about as far away as you can be from busy metropolitan city life.” The wind also provided more fun and games for my fellow travellers – they absolutely loved making shapes and poses against the wind as they enthusiastically snapped photos of each other.

The beautiful Isle of Scalpay has a population of just under 300 residents and until 1997 it could only be reached by boat. We had the pleasure of walking across the bridge from Harris and onto Scalpay with the sun beaming down from the crystal blues sky. It made for a sunny scenic walk to our next destination – Eilean Glas Lighthouse.

It was like walking in a living piece of art. The views we had were spectacular.

Rich green hills wrapped in beautifully carved rocks

Spotted a snip on Scalpay

Walking along the path towards the lighthouse in the warmth of the sun was a peaceful adventure with a relaxing soundtrack of waves splashing against the rocks.

Arrival at Eilean Glas Lighthouse

The lighthouse was an amazing vantage point and we spotted various seabirds, yachts and fishing vessels in the dazzling sea view.

Sadly, the wind was so severe that our scheduled boat trip to St Kilda was cancelled, but our alternative option  was an amazing visit to the Shiant (pronounced shant) Isles. The Shaints are east of Harris and its Gaelic name comes from Na h-Eileanan Seunta’ which means ‘enchanted, or holy, Isles’. Often referred to as ‘mini St Kilda’ or ‘little St Kilda,’ the Shiants Isles have a huge population of seabirds and is known to be a puffin colony. The speedboat journey to the Shiant Islands was incredible – zipping across at high speeds in the heat of the sun with a refreshing splash of cool water now and then.

The shaints or mini “St Kilda”

From the boat I had my first breathtaking view of the islands – it was truly a haven for seabirds. Thousand of birds surrounded us, some birds enjoyed bathing in the ripples of the sea water and while hundreds more dotted the cliffs of the islands.

The Seabirds at the Shaint Islands enjoyed bathing in the sun soaked sea

The Shiant Isles have a significant number of razorbills, northern fulmars, great skuas to name a few and these isles are ‘a must visit’ for any wildlife enthusiast.

On the way back to Harris we were lucky enough to find a pod of dolphins!

Next we travelled to North Uist from Leverburgh to Bernaray via a scenic ferry journey. Uist is famous for its beaches and we had the absolute pleasure of exploring some of the many spread across the north and the south of Uist.

On our way to our next walk we stopped to take in the view of the amazing blue and green Caribbean waters in the warmth of the Scottish sun

After a day of walking through sheep filled fields and lush green tall grass we were rewarded with this:

A tropical beach splashed with six different brightly lit colours.

• Sparkling seas, glistening sands and blue skies – visit the alternative Caribbean beaches of Scotland of on one of our Hebridean tours

We learned about Hercules, the Bear that lived on Uist. His career highlights included featuring on the cover of Time magazine, staring in James Bond movie ‘Octopussy’ and receiving a letter from then USA President Ronald Reagan

• Learn more about Hercules on Uist on our Outer Hebrides and St Kilda tour

Exploring inside the Camera Obscura at Loch nam Madaadh – what lies within?

Stopped to enjoy the breathtaking sight of our surroundings during a scenic walk to the next beach

Machair of South Uist

Further along the walk to the next beach we were constantly listening for sounds of Corncrakes on South Uist.

South Uist Beach

After our walk along the endless beauty of the Machair we arrived at another stunning beach and soaked in the exotic sun.

A plethora of seabirds playing in the waves of the sea

Along the beach there was an incredible array of bird life enjoying the tropical day by cooling in the sea water. The picture above doesn’t do the scene justice as birds scattered the area as far as the eye could see. We watched the sea birds sprinkling the water and floated majestically on the ripples while many other flew above in formation with military precision.

To the joy of many of the group we met the famous Highland Cows! It was time to take a few snaps!

Although we spotted lots of wildlife I was not always quick enough to take good pictures of them but we saw an abundance of species including:

Golden Eagles, White Tailed Sea Eagles, Swans leading their young Cygnets, Hebridean Ponies, Seals, Otters, Dragonflies, Hens with Chicks, Black Throated Divers, Ganets, Red Deer and well behaved timid Border Collie Dogs.

Searching for Otters

Another snap I missed was a family of otters happily swimming near land with some seals nearby as well! The mother otter appeared to be teaching her young cub to swim.

One of our group managed to take a picture of a seal at Loch Eynort

Looking back on these pictures are a great reminder of how amazing the trip was, but it’s not the same as experiencing the Outer Hebrides in person. I highly recommend The Outer Hebrides and St Kilda trip to anyone who wants to visit the Hebridean Islands – it is an unforgettable trip of a lifetime!