The Outer Hebrides are the westernmost chain of islands in the Hebrides, west of the Scottish Highlands. They're sparsely populated with poor soil and few resources; historically they were separate local government areas, which hindered their development and culture. But during the 20th century much of the island chain was linked by road bridges, and they also joined politically as the Western Isles (Gaelic: Na h-Eileanan Siar).
Many of the islands are nowadays linked by road. From north to south (which roughly corresponds to largest to smallest) the island groups are:
Lewis and Harris have always been the same island, but divided by mountains with (until modern times) only rough tracks across. It was easier to sail between them, as if they were divided by sea, so they became separate counties. Lewis, the northern and larger section, is mostly low-lying. Inland is infertile heath, but the east coastal strip is farmland. Here is Stornoway, the only place in the entire Hebrides that you could call a town, with an airport and ferry port. To the south (by what is nowadays a good main road) is Harris. It's rugged but more scenic, with the small port of Tarbert as its main village. Leverburgh is a tiny but historically important village nearby. Off the northwest coast of Lewis, Great Bernera 📍 is a small island that is nowadays linked by road.
This series of islands became linked by road during the 20th C, to create one very long island. They are mostly low-lying heathland with a myriad small lochs. Berneray is small, and was obscure until it became linked - the future King Charles III once spent a week working as a crofter here, and no-one noticed him. On North Uist, Lochmaddy 📍 is the main village and ferry port. Next south, Benbecula 📍 has an airport and the little village of Balivanich. South Uist, the longest island, has a ridge to the east and the highway and crofts to the west: the ferry port of Lochboisdale 📍 is the largest settlement. The last link in the chain of causeways joins the island of Eriskay.
Thus, these three island groups all have settlements, regular public transport to each other and to the Scottish mainland, and visitor amenities. They're quiet except at the height of summer. Around them are even smaller islands, innumerably many: the Hebrides have a fractal terrain so however closely you focus in, more islands swim into view. A few have private dwellings but most just have sheep or sea-birds. Little islands important for wild-life, sometimes visited by boat trips, include the Shiant Islands south of Lewis and the Monach Islands off North Uist.
This is an archipelago, and there's no island called "St Kilda". The largest island is Hirta 📍 with towering sea cliffs; the three main others are Dùn, Soay and Boreray. Their tiny population led a precarious existence, crofting and gathering birds' eggs from the cliffs, until illness and other hardships forced them out in 1930. Nowadays volunteers work on the islands to preserve the habitat and ancient farmsteads; there's no visitor accommodation and you can only get in by boat in very favourable weather.
The Outer Hebrides are a fascinating destination. The scenery is beautiful. The landscape is rocky and mountainous, but also lush and verdant - due in no small part to the large amounts of rain which tend to fall. It is easy to find a quiet peaceful spot.
The Gaelic language and culture is appealling. At a practical level this means that place names on road signs are in Gaelic, but the bus timetables use the English names!
Religion still plays an important part in many people’s lives. In Lewis and Harris this is often in the form of Protestant Churches. As a result the Sabbath (Sunday) is respected, so you are unlikely to find shops etc. open on a Sunday. Activities happening on a Sunday often are opposed locally. In contrast Barra and South Uist are mainly Catholic, and many businesses typically open after midday on a Sunday. Benbecula is half-Protestant and half-Catholic, and one can still find businesses open on a Sunday there.
There is only one tourist information office (iCentre), but you will information displays in shops, hotels and ferry terminals.
The main languages are Gaelic (Gàidhlig) and English, with Gaelic (pronounced in English as 'gallick') being the dominant language in people's homes. However, outside their homes, Gaelic is mainly used as a social and cultural language. Virtually all Gaelic speakers over the age of 5 speak English to a near-native fluency.
Most modern maps and road signs show the local place names in Gaelic with the English name shown below, usually in a smaller and often illegible font. However, bus timetables will exclusively use their English names as will locals when speaking English.
Caledonian MacBrayne (Calmac) operate car ferries throughout the Hebrides. On the mainland, which nowadays includes Skye, buses connect between Glasgow and the ferry ports. (No similar connections at the island ports since the ferry lands in what passes for the central metropolis.) The ferry routes are:
See "Get around" for the ferries linking between the Outer Hebridean islands.
There are three airports in the Outer Hebrides. Stornoway (SYY) on Lewis is the best connected, with direct flights from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness on the mainland, and from Benbecula in "The Uists". Benbecula (BEB) has flights from Glasgow and Stornoway; Barra (BRR) only from Glasgow. All flights are operated by Loganair.
Berneray to Leverburgh on Harris 3 or 4 every day, one hour. Eriskay to Barra up to 5 per day, 40 min.
Buses reach all corners but are sparse M-Sa with nothing on a Sunday.
The Western Isles Overland Route is a linked bus and ferry service the length of the Outer Hebrides through Barra, the Uists and Harris and across Lewis to Stornoway, and M-Sa it's possible to go the whole way in one day. There are half-a-dozen services part-route (eg Lewis to Harris), but for the full route you need to set off from Castlebay Barra at 06:20, Lochboisedale South Uist at 09:00, Benbecula at 11:10, Lochmaddy North Uist at 11:30 and Tarbert Harris at 16:20, to reach Stornoway by 17:30. Going south, you leave Stornoway 09:30 to reach Tarbert at 10:45, Lochmaddy at 13:45, Benbecula at 14:25, Lochboisdale at 15:25 and reach Castlebay at 17:35.
The Outer Hebrides are popular for cycle tourists, generally taking around a week to cycle from Barra to Stornoway.
There are many fine sandy beaches, mainly on the Western shores of the islands.
2nd-order administrative division
Primary administrative division