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The Isle of
Berneray lies at the northern end of the Uists, but
historically was part of South Harris. The island has a
very active community with some significant
attractions
mainly cultural and related to the wonderful scenery.
The landscape is mainly agricultural, with corn fields on
the western side of the island on the Machair (sand based
grassland) Corncrakes and other long grass
nesting birds are common in early summer. The village
has a small shop and cafe, picturesque fishing harbour, and
the Caledonian MacBrayne pier for the connection to the
Isle of Harris.
At this teminal there are also facilities for camping waste
disposal. Wildlife is prolific on the island and the
'beware of Otters' sign is there for good reason.
Berneray in the north of the uists and Vatersay in the south
of the island chain are the two small but significant
'jewels in the crown' |
Beaches As with the other islands the pale white shell sand
beaches are stunning. Huge sand dunes,
 as high as 15 metres in
places run along the 3 mile stretch of Berneray's west coast. It is
widely acclaimed as one of the world's greatest beaches. There
is a circular walk around the island of approximately 7 miles which
takes in the dunes and the highly fertile machair which can have as
many as 200 different species of wild flowers in the spring and
summer. |
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Seal Colony Bays Loch on the eastern side of
the island is an ideal place to watch the colony of Common and
Atlantic Grey seals. The best way to decide which Seal is which, is
to study the head, as The Common Seal has a much more doglike shape
i.e. forehead and nose, whereas The Atlantic Seal has a very flat
head. Common Seals also have very dark young, which they have in
early Summer, whereas Atlantic Seals have white young in Autumn.
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| Giant Macaskill Angus Mor Macaskill is
known in the Guiness Book of Records as the World's largest giant.
He is noted to be the tallest and the strongest man who ever lived,
and the man having the largest chest measurements of any non-obese
man. Queen Victoria heard about MacAskill's great strength and
invited him to give a demonstration at Windsor Castle, after which
she proclaimed him to be "the tallest, stoutest and strongest man to
ever enter the palace", and presented him with two gold rings in
appreciation. He was born on Berneray in 1825 and the Giant
Macaskill Cairn was erected in 1991 to commemorate his birthplace.
Descendents of the Clan Macaskill still live on Berneray today. The
memorial cairn can be found near the south coast of Berneray. Follow
the road across the machair right to the very end; then walk east
until it comes into view. |
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Clach Mhor Standing Stone stands at 8 feet
high and was built on a site associated with St. Columba on the hill
Beinn a' Chlaidh overlooking Loch Borve. |
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Nurses Cottage Visitor Information Centre
The centre provides leaflets and information on a huge range of
Berneray related topics, including history, ancestry, crofting,
fishing, where to stay and what to do. The centre is open from 11am
to 3pm, all weekdays, from June to August. The centre is inside the
Nurses' Cottage Follow the road around the east coast of the island;
the building is on the left, just after the fishing harbour, and
just over one mile from the ferry terminal. |
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| Thomas Telford Church The church was built
in 1827 by Thomas Telford and has two doors; one was for the
residents of Berneray, and the other for the residents of the Island
of Pabbay, who would row over for the services. |
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Macleod's Gunnery situated close to the
Youth Hostel is the oldest surviving building on Berneray and dates
back to the 16th Century. This was once the home of the famous 17th
Century Knight Sir Norman MacLeod, who was a scholar and
soldier and fought at the Battle of Worcester. A marble slab above
the Gunnery commemorates his birthplace. Close to the Gunnery are a
cluster of traditional Black Houses, some of which have now been
restored and are inhabited once again.
For more information on the island take a look at
the Berneray
Community Website
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