South Uist is a beautiful island in the Western Isles of Scotland. Also known as the “Outer Hebrides” the islands lie off the West coast of Scotland a little further out from the Isle of Skye (in the Inner Hebrides). South Uist is the second largest, of the archipelago, being 22 miles long (north to South) and roughly 7 miles wide (east to west). With a multitude of breathtaking sandy beaches, fascinating history and historical sites of interest, the island is increasingly becoming the vacation destination of choice for those looking for something that little bit different.
Once incredibly difficult to get to, the Outer Hebrides/Western Isles are now incredibly easy to reach by road/sea or by air. The construction of a bridge over to the Isle of Skye now means that you can reach South Uist taking only one ferry journey. Following extensive investment in the islands infrastructure it is now possible to move across to each of the other islands of the Hebrides using a combination of causeways and bridges with only a couple of ferry journeys required for more remote islands, and a short ferry journey across to the Isle of Harris. With vastly improved transport links South Uist, and some of the smaller islands such as Eriskay, are an excellent place in which to base yourself for a Hebridean touring vacation.
Places To Visit On South Uist (Uibhist a Deas)
Traveling around South Uist you will immediately notice that the road signs and signposts are all written in Gaelic with their English equivalents below. I shall use the English names for the sake of simplicity. You will also not fail to notice how stunning the scenery is and while I shall write of just a few places to visit you can literally stop anywhere on the islands and be assured of gorgeous scenery with a quality beach not too far away. One of the true beauties of taking a vacation in this area of Scotland is that it is one of the few unspoilt spots left and you can often find yourself alone in a truly spectacular setting.
If you are interested in Scottish history then you may already know that South Uist has a strong connection with the plight of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. Prince Charles Edward Stuart was aided, in his flight to France, by Flora MacDonald and there are a number of places to visit relating to both Charles and Flora including Flora MacDonald’s birthplace.
Other places of historical interest include Ormacleit Castle which, although it was one of the last of the Scottish castles to be built, is sadly in s state of decay following an extensive accidental fire in 1715. To gain an understanding of the history of South Uist you may wish to visit the Kildonan Museum which is housed amongst a small collection of buildings which include a souvenir/tourist shop and a cafe/restaurant which serves superb food at a reasonable price.
As mentioned earlier there are a multitude of places of beauty to visit but of special note is the quaint village/hamlet of Howmore (Tobha Mor). Although little more than a small collection of houses set along a winding single track road the hamlet is most picturesque as most buildings are of a traditional style, many sporting a thatched roof, coupled with an unusually large amount of flower gardens (for the Outer Hebrides) the number of photo opportunities is immense for such a small area.
There are many, many more places of interest in South Uist but to introduce you to them all would merit the writing of a book, or certainly a medium sized web site. Even writing about the small island of Eriskay (a place you really must get to visit) would fill this page alone. To find out more I would suggest visiting a site such as the Virtual Hebrides or take a look at some of the sites offering accommodation (I prefer self catering accommodation myself) as these often include useful information about nearby places to visit.