home page | contact | about us | booking information | booking form | latest vacancies

area guides > europe > uk & ireland > Outer Hebrides

Outer Hebrides
Barra, the Uists and Benbecula

Sunday 1 - Saturday 7 June 2008 (7 days)

The islands of the Outer Hebrides, or Western Isles, are renowned for their wild, windswept beauty, with glorious white shell-sand beaches on the Atlantic coast, and rugged moorland indented with numerous lochs in the east. All these habitats can be found within a few minutes drive of each other, and it is this diversity, packed into a small area, that gives these isles such a wealth of birds. These are also isles of hauntingly beautiful landscapes, still sprinkled here and there with traditional turf-roofed 'white houses', built with mighty stone walls to keep out the all-pervasive wind that is such a constant feature.

The "machair", an alkaline grassland formed from seashell sand, is in full bloom at this time, but the main attraction here will be one of the best concentrations of breeding waders in Britain. Amidst the cacophony of wader calls here we shall pick out Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Redshank and Dunlin, with the fabulous 'drumming' of Snipe. Here too we listen for the area's most sought-after bird: the elusive Corncrake. We will hear the distinctive rasping call of this formerly common British bird around the crofts, but patience will be needed to see them well.

In contrast, the eastern moorlands and lochs should hold breeding Red- and possibly Black-throated Divers, and the skies are always worth inspecting here - these islands remain one of the best areas in Britain to see the magnificent Golden Eagle, while other breeding raptors include Peregrine, Merlin, Kestrel, Hen Harrier, and Buzzard, with White-tailed Eagle always a possibility. Short-eared Owls are another delightful moorland bird, and Arctic Skua also breed.

The Uists, Benbecula, Berneray, and, now, Eriskay (the ‘Whisky Galore’ island) are all linked by causeways, and are in many ways the best of the islands to visit, with the healthiest raptor populations. This year, for the first time, we are also including a night on the superb small and rugged isle of Barra, for an even more comprehensive trip!

We travel to the islands from Oban, in daylight on each occasion, to get the best out of one of the most attractive of Hebridean sea voyages (a five-hour crossing to Barra and six hours back from Lochboisdale), with Manx Shearwaters, Gannets and auks abundant on the sea, and with a possibility of Storm Petrels, porpoises and dolphins as well.

This will be our ninth visit, once again in the good company of Phil Read, who used to live and work here, and in some ways is virtually a local guide!

Price: £ 1,065
Single supp.: NIL
Deposit: £ 200 per person

The price is per person and includes 6 nights' accommodation, all meals (except on the ferry crossings), ferry crossings as described above, minibus transport, admissions, incidental tips and the services of the leader(s).

The price excludes travel to and from Oban, travel insurance, meals on the ferry crossings, drinks and other personal expenses.

Leader: Phil Read

Itinerary
Day 1
We meet at Oban at around 1.00 pm, for a 2.00 pm ferry departure to the isle of Barra, and arriving at around 7.00 pm.
Overnight Barra

Days 2 - 6
After a morning exploring Barra, we catch the small ferry to Eriskay in the afternoon, and make our way via the causeways to South Uist, and then Benbecula.
Five nights Benbecula

Day 7
We depart Lochboisdale on South Uist at about 1.30 pm on Day 7, returning to Oban by around 7.30 pm. We can give details of overnight accommodation in Oban if required.

Accommodation
We stay in a beautifully-located hotel on Barra (2-star) and a well-situated hotel on Benbecula (2-star, "Taste of Scotland" awards) with all rooms en suite.

Numbers: Max. 7 clients