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West Beach, Berneray - Lonely Planet's Top 20 Best Beaches in Europe

Beach and Machair in the Outer Hebrides

Just look at them.

Whatever the weather, the Outer Hebrides beaches are built for walking, swimming, storytelling, rock pooling, proposing, dune jumping, tennis ball launching or horizon looking. And they’re everywhere. It’s obvious why Wanderlust named the Outer Hebrides in the top 100 Greatest Travel Experiences, why Lonely Planet ranked West Beach in Berneray as the No 3 Best Beach in Europe and why the Thailand Tourist Board mistaken used a picture of a Hebridean beach to promote one of their beaches! Find out more about our BEACHES BLOG.

Machair is a Gaelic word meaning fertile low lying grassy plain. This is the name given to one of the rarest habitats in Europe which only occurs on exposed western coasts of Scotland and Ireland. Machair habitats in the Outer Hebrides run up the western shores of Uist, Harris and Lewis.

Here sand, largely made up of crushed shells, is regularly blown ashore by Atlantic gales. Over time the calcium rich shell sand and traditional Outer Hebrides crofting land practices have led to the development of a mosaic of fertile Scottish grassland habitats renowned for its Outer Hebrides wildflowers, Western Isles birds and insect life.

The most extensive areas of Outer Hebrides machair can be found on the West Coast of Uist. Here you’ll see the succession from dunes to grassland and traditional arable cultivation worked in rotation. On the fallow areas that have recently been cultivated you’ll find the greatest diversity of flowers where up to 40 Western Isles plant species can be found within a square metre.

Many of these are quite common Outer Hebrides flowers but it’s the sheer abundance of blooms that makes the machair so special. The colours change through the season with yellows dominating at first and then fading into reds, whites and blues.

However, the Western Isles flora on display on each machair is different depending on the history of land use and the local environment so it’s worth visiting several areas. Flowers of the Outer Hebrides are at their best between mid June and mid August.

The diverse plant community supports a rich insect life. The rare Great Yellow Bumble Bee and the unusual Belted Beauty Moth with its flightless female form are two of the most characteristic machair insects found in the Outer Hebrides.

The machair are bustling with Western Isles bird life at all times year. Corncrakes and breeding waders are the most distinctive spring arrivals. Large flocks of geese, lapwing and golden plover make this their home in winter.

This brilliant film explains how crofting methods are in sync with nature:

Machair is a special PLACE, please help us keep it that way by:

Please don’t PARK on Machair land. It causes enormous damage to the fragile ecosystem and reduces the machair through soil erosion
Leave no trace. Take everything with you when you leave, including LITTER. Do not light campfires or use disposable BBQ’s – there is a very real wildfire risk
Be aware of livestock and ANIMALS. Keep dogs under close control and away from livestock, especially in the spring at lambing time. Please also leave gates as you found them, they are important for animal management
Please do not CAMP on the machair unless using an organised camp site/spot and leave no trace when you leave
For more advice on good outdoor ENGAGEMENT please follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

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Am Baile Beach

Address

Eriskay, Isle Of South Uist, Outer Hebrides, HS8 5JL

Isle Of South Uist

The beach is a stunning white sandy beach and easily accessible from the village, near am Politician.

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Tràigh Chuil - Coll Beach

Address

Coll, Isle Of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, HS2 0LP

Isle Of Lewis

Beautiful beach approximately five miles from Stornoway. Suitable for walking, wind-surfing, kite flying.

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Milton Beach and Machair

Address

Frobost, Isle Of South Uist, Outer Hebrides, HS8 5RX

Isle Of South Uist

Along the west coast of South Uist is an approx. 20 mile strip of stunning white beach and machair. Acces from the village of Milton (Gerraidh Bhaltos is the Gaelic translation).

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The Braighe

Address

Braighe, Point, Isle Of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, HS2 0BQ

Isle Of Lewis

The Braighe is the stretch of land (isthmus) linking Point and the villages of Branahuie and Melbost. To the north of the main road there is a sandy beach and a pebble beach on the south side.

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Garrynamonie Machair & Beach

Address

Garrynamonie, Isle Of South Uist, Outer Hebrides, HS8 5TX

Isle Of South Uist

The machair runs parralell to the beach and a great place to walk.

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Tràigh Shanndaigh (Eoropie Beach)

Address

Ness, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrdies, HS2 0XH

Isle of Lewis

Tràigh Shanndaigh (Eoropie beach) is a beautiful sandy beach in the north of Lewis, near the Butt of Lewis

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Polochar Beach

Address

West Kilbride, Isle Of South Uist, Outer Hebrides, HS8 5TT

Isle Of South Uist

Along the west coast of South Uist is an approx. 20 mile strip of stunning white beach and machair. There is easy access to this beach at Polachar.

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Culla Bay Beach

Address

Nunton, Isle Of Benbecula, Outer Hebrides, HS7 5LU

Isle Of Benbecula

Culla bay beach is a stunning white sandy beach and can be accessed from Nunton or Aird.

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Traigh Bhostadh (Bosta Beach)

Address

Bernera, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, HS2 9LZ

Isle of Lewis

Traigh Bhostadh is a sheltered shell sand beach at the north end of Great Bernera. The Iron Age House and Time and Tide Bell are both sited here, along with ample parking and toilets.

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Berneray West Beach and Machair

Address

Berneray, Isle Of North Uist, Outer Hebrides, HS6 5BJ

Isle Of North Uist

A truly stunning beach and was voted in 2021 as no. 3 in Lonely Planet's Top 20 Best beaches in Europe! It is easily accessible through the village of Borve.

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Hougharry Beach and Machair

Address

Hougharry, Isle Of North Uist, Outer Hebrides, HS6 5DL

Isle Of North Uist

A stunning white beach and is easily accessible through the village of Hougharry.

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Traigh Pabail - Bayble Beach

Address

Bayble, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, HS2 0QD

Isle of Lewis

Traigh Pabail or Bayble Beach in Point is a small sandy cove with a pier, just beyond the villages of Upper and Lower Bayble.

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Traigh Mhor Beach - Barra Airport

Address

Eoligarry, Isle Of Barra, Outer Hebrides, HS9 5YD

Telephone
01871 890212

Isle Of Barra

Traigh Mhor is the beach where the plane lands - the only scheduled plane landing that lands on a beach in the world!

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Ormiclate Beach & Machair

Address

Ormiclate, Isle Of South Uist, Outer Hebrides, HS8 5SB

Isle Of South Uist

Along the west coast of South Uist is an approx. 20 mile strip of stunning white beach and machair.

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Luskentyre

Address

Luskentyre, Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides

Isle of Harris

The beach at Luskentyre is the largest and most spectacular of all the Harris beaches.

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Shawbost Beach

Address

Shawbost, Shawbost, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, HS2 9BJ

Isle of Lewis

A horseshoe beach with sand, good birdwatching and safe swimming. There are two access roads to the beach.

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Seal Bay

Address

Allasdale, Isle of Barra, Outer Hebrides, HS9 5XX

Isle of Barra

Watch the seals laze on the rocks off shore - you may even catch them coming for a cheeky peek at you!

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Bornish Beach and Machair

Address

Bornish, Isle Of South Uist, Outer Hebrides, HS8 5SA

Isle Of South Uist

Along the west coast of South Uist is an approx. 20 mile strip of stunning white beach and machair.

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