Scotland

If asked where we are planning to visit for this year’s annual vacation few of us would reply “the Western Isles of Scotland” but to be fair the Western Isles of Scotland have, in the last ten years or so, seen a noticeable increase in tourism. Each year there has been an increase in the number of visitors from elsewhere in the United Kingdom and the U.S.A. Below we examine some of the reasons for this apparent increase in popularity.

The Western Isles of Scotland are a group of around 200 islands separated from the mainland by an expanse of water known as the Minch. The Isle of Lewis is the largest, and most inhabited, island in the archipelago and where you will find the main town (and administration centre) of Stornoway. Considered the heartland of the Gaelic language, of which the vast majority of islanders have as their first language, the islands are also known as the Outer Hebrides.

Because of the fact that, over the centuries, massive numbers of Hebrideans (as people who live in the Western Isles/Outer Hebrides are known) have left the islands to settle elsewhere, such as Canada and America, many folk from around the globe can trace their families roots back to the islands. With the massive increase in interest in genealogy there has been a corresponding increase in interest in the islands.

One famous person who can trace his roots to the Western Isles is Donald Trump who is currently in the headlines for his interest in creating a Scottish golf resort. Golf is played all over Scotland and is considered the home of the sport and golf tourism is an important part of the Scottish economy. Another important sport to Scotland is fishing, especially fly fishing and some of the finest fishing is in the islands of the Hebrides. The golf courses in are also something special and other sports such as surfing and cycling attract more and more visitors each year.

Of course all sports enjoyed in the Western Isles have one distinct advantage to other areas of Great Britain in that the scenery is absolutely spectacular. You can find yourself fly fishing alone on a flat calm loch with open moorland in one direction and a mountain range in the other. All around you will notice the incredibly diverse flora and fauna and, if you are very lucky you may witness otters at play, Golden Eagles hovering above their prey or deer gently roaming nearby.

One thing that the Western Isles are widely known for is the stone circle found at Calanais. Second in importance to Stone Henge these spectacular stones are a “must see” tourist attraction. All across the islands it is possible to find any number of historic sites ranging from further smaller stone circles, monoliths, iron age houses, duns and much, much more.

Many of the place names of the Western Isles are derived from the original name given by the Norse (who once ruled the islands). Originally the Vikings raided the islands just to pillage and on each trip they would visit the islands twice, once on the outward journey and again when they were returning home. Eventually many settled which had a profound effect on the area’s culture.

Finally I would like to make mention of my most favourite aspect of the Western Isles of Scotland, the beaches. The south west coasts of the Isle of Lewis, Isle of Harris and the Uists feature some of the most incredible beaches to be found in the United Kingdom. Often it is possible to enjoy some of these beaches alone and rarely are there more than just a handful of souls even on the most popular beaches in the Western Isles.