Outer Hebrides - Barra

After another quiet night in a parking lot by Loch Lomond, we drove to the ferry port in Oban to cross over to Barra, the largest southernmost island of the outer Hebrides.

The journey was not calm, and some sick bags were well filled after the 5 hours. We were a bit queasy as well - maybe we should have eaten less for lunch?

We therefore spent some time on deck where we were lucky enough to observe porpoises right next to the ship.

Just as we arrived, the weather cleared up, and we understood the praises for the outer Hebrides. Gentle green hills, beautiful sandy beaches, rocky cliffs, crystal clear waters - there’s something for everyone.

We chose a lovely campsite in the far north with a large lawn and access to the sandy beach. The operator, a chatty Scottish fellow, showed us the site and told us all sorts of things that we only partially understood. The Scottish dialect is quite challenging. It's probably similar for the loud Styrians 😉.

The kids couldn't be held back anymore, and the rest of the evening was spent on the beach with walks and building sandcastles.

Barra is not very large, and the roads are very, very narrow. Usually, the lanes are only as wide as a vehicle fits. Therefore, there are passing bays every few meters and strict rules on how to use them. Since there is very little traffic, the system works well, and everyone politely thanks each other when waiting.

We decided to first explore the island by bicycle. Shortly after a few kilometers, we were caught by a whipping rain, and we quickly took a rain break at the mini-airport of Barra. This was fortunate, as shortly after, one of the 2 planes that land per day arrived. The planes can only land at low tide, as the runway is a beautiful sandy beach.

The airport is regularly chosen as one of the world's most beautiful runways for scheduled flights. It's truly a wonderful experience to sit right by the beach and watch the water/sand landing.