Western Hebrides

The Western Hebrides – Scotland
Scottish Gaelic name – Na h-Eileanan siar

I love staying on the islands in Scotland. I try to visit one every time I go home. I will share information about some of my favorite hotels that I have visited many times. I am a Scotsmaster, one of very few experts in America. These were easy exams for me, since I grew up there, and went to University in Edinburgh. One of my degrees is a Master’s in Scottish Tourism and Marketing.

These islands are in the Atlantic Ocean, off the north west coast of Scotland. There are 15 islands in the Outer Hebrides, Lewis, Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, Barra, Scalpay, Great Bernera, Grimsay North, Berneray, Eriskay, Vatersay, Baleshare, Grimsay South, Flodaigh, and Fraoch-Eilean. The most popular are Lewis, Harris, Eriskay and Barra. You have to be brave when you fly into Barra, on a dinky little plane, and you land on the beach. The 13 islands in the Inner Hebrides chain are Arran, Bute, Coll, Colonsay, Gigha, Iona, Islay, Jura, Mull, Staffa, Tiree and Small Isles, with Arran, Iona, Islay, and Mull getting the most visitors. Over 50 islands are uninhabited. There are only 26,000 people living on all the islands.

The islands can be reached by ferry, and air. They are regularly cut off in the winter, because of storms. They don’t say, its windy, or stormy, they quote the Beaufort Scale which is an empirical measure designed in 1805 by Rear Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort that relates wind speed. I remember as a little girl having my Granny say – include in your prayers the Hebrides tonight, it’s a Scale 10, which meant they were getting their heads blown off. A heat wave is 65 degrees. You have 24 hours of day light in the summer, and I have played golf and tennis when most people are in bed. A very calm lifestyle among the islands. No one gets their knickers in a twist (gets mad ) and are always polite and happy. Everyone cuts peat from the meadows to burn in their fireplaces.

I remember one year I was home there was a report on the tele. There were six gales in one day off the Butt of Lewis, and the fish where being blown onto the grass on top of the 650 ft. cliffs at Barra during the storms. No need for a rod, just take a bucket to pick up the fish providing you could stand up in the wind.

A wonderful area to look at important ancient prehistoric sites and they have rare bird sightings almost daily in many of the islands. You have wonderful hiking on all the islands and all you need is boots, your binoculars and a windbreaker. A brolly (umbrella) is no use. You could be like Mary Poppins air borne between islands.

Maureen Jones

All Horizons Travel/Frosch

825 Santa Cruz Ave

Menlo Park, CA 94025

650-961-2340 direct

www.froschvacations.com/www.froschluxurytravel.com