My Top Twelve Things to Do on Uist, Benbecula, and Eriskay

I visited North and South Uist, Benbecula, and Eriskay in August 2024 over three days and enjoyed my tour of the island. Planning my trip to the island came with many considerations, but I was able to visit a fair number of places on my personal list by car, from Eriskay in the far south to North Uist. Catriona MacKinnon deserves full credit for driving me around. Here’s a new list of my top ten things to do on an t-Eilean Fada, the Long Island. Some activities I was able to do during my trip, and I hope to do others during my next visit.

By Matthew Rettino

Eriskay. All photos are by the author unless otherwise noted.

1. Attend a Ceilidh or a Concert.

Photo courtesy of Cnoc Soilleir

Ceòlas is the Gaelic-language cultural organization on South Uist. They hold Gaelic language courses and music and dance workshops throughout the year as well as musical events, online and in-person in South Uist.

Although I wasn’t able to visit a piping recital or a ceilidh during my visit, I would make it a priority on a return trip. Nothing conveys the feeling of the Western Isles quite like an evening of fiddle, bagpipe, and accordion music.

Ceòlas is based at Cnoc Soilleir (its name means “bright hill”), Daliburgh and has a new auditorium opening in Spring 2026.

2. Visit a Museum

The Kildonan Museum is a must-see stop for anyone wanting to learn more about the history, crafts, and material culture of Gaelic-speaking Uist. Looms, handwoven suits, posters showing the Gaelic words for fishing implements, and an archive room filled with the history of croft ownership on the island are just a few of the fascinating things I saw there.

Two special treasures at the Kildonan Museum, in my opinion, are the reconstructed birlinn in the hangar outside the museum—a kind of medieval ship derived Viking longboats—and the garments of marram grass woven by outsider artist Angus MacPhee, a man with schizophrenia whose moving story Roger Hutchinson wrote about in The Silent Weaver.

If you love the birlinn at Kildonan, you’ll love the Grimsay Boat Museum in North Uist even more. It houses five Stewart boats and teaches visitors and locals about the practical skills used by Uist fishers and boatbuilders. There’s also local history archive, a café, and a gift shop.

3. Visit an Arts & Craft Studio

Photo of the Uist Craft shop in Kildonan, courtesy of Rosemary Wicks

South Uist is dotted with arts and craft shops, many of them attached to a café or museum. One hidden gem is the Uist Craft shop at the Kildonan Museum, run by Uist Craft Producers, which showcases local crafts from 29 residents of South Uist between April and October every year. The crafters are up to 80 years in age, and their work includes Harris Tweed cushions, book binding, seaweed art, knitting, crochet, and wood and antler crafts.

You can also visit Hebridean Jewellery in Iochdar, Puffin Studio Crafts in Creagorry, Benbecula, McGillivray’s Gift Shop in Balivanich, Benbecula, the Claddach Kirkibost Centre & Café, a community centre with a gift shop, Bernerary Shop & Bistro in North Uist, and Ceann na h-Àirigh, a community centre with a shop in Grimsay, North Uist (the same place as the Grimsay Boat Museum museum). The Uist Soap Company also has a new shop in Mingarry, South Uist.

4. Hike a trail

Uist, Eriskay, and Benbecula each have excellent hiking trails allowing wide views of its beaches, lochs, and hills. Ambitious hikers do the Hebridean Way from Barra to all the way to Lewis over multiple days. However, other trails can be hiked in a few hours.

In the three days I was in the Hebrides, I walked the trails at Eriskay beach, Cladh Hallan, Barpa Langais, and Rueval. I recommend WalkHighlands.co.uk for information on each of the routes. You can learn the length, completion time, and even the bogginess of each trail.

Wellington boots are recommended for hiking through boggy, muddy ground, and be sure to bring wind- and rain-resistant clothes. Trails may appear faint at times, which can be a problem during foggy weather conditions.

Not long before I hiked Rueval myself, a couple lost the trail in the fog and had to be rescued by helicopter. That said, the weather was clear when I went, and I met quite a few families hiking their way up with their kids and dogs. It felt very safe.

Another family-friendly trail is the Langass Woods, an artificial forest on North Uist. Statues of animals and dioramas left near the trail by local children turn hiking into a fun treasure hunt. At the end is a big wooden statue of Hercules the Bear, a trained grizzly that starred in commercials in the 1980s and who famously wandered loose from his trainers before being found after a frantic search. Hercules and his owner, Andy Robin, who later passed away, are buried together near the statue.

5. Follow the Footsteps of Bonnie Prince Charlie and Father Allan

Eriskay and South Uist are perfect places to step into history. The story of how Bonnie Prince Charlie first landed in Scotland on Eriskay beach on July 23rd, 1745, to raise a Jacobite army is well known. The Bonnie Prince Charlie Trail is the best way for history buffs and explorers to see the islands in Prince Charlie’s footsteps.

Consisting of twenty stops including Calvay, Ben Mhor, the island of Wiay, and Lochboisdale, it starts at the Bonnie Prince Charlie memorial cairn on Eriskay beach and takes you across the island. (Eriskay Elementary School children erected the memorial cairn in 1995 on the grassy part above the beach.)

If you can’t see the whole trail, make sure to at least visit Flora MacDonald’s birthplace in Kildonan, South Uist. A Portree innkeeper, Flora is famous for rowing Prince Charlie from Uist to Skye to help him escape the soldiers searching for him.

Another celebrated historical figure is Father Allan MacDonald, who served the Gaelic-speaking Catholic communities on South Uist and Eriskay in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. A poet and folklorist, his efforts to preserve Gaelic songs and hymns have proven vital to the survival of the language. Roger Hutchinson wrote about his life in Father Allan: The Life and Legacy of a Hebridean Priest.

There is an in-person and virtual Fr. Allan Trail on Eriskay consisting of 11 cairns and plaques marking important sites associated with his life and ministry, such as Saint Michael’s parish, the old schoolhouse, the Our Lady of Fatima shrine, and the fisherman’s wharf. Tours are bilingual in English and Gaelic.

6. Visit an Archaeological Site

People have lived on Uist and Benbecula for thousands of years, and you can still visit where they lived, worked, and died. Standing stones, cairn tombs, brochs, and roundhouses dot the landscape. These archaeological sites are accessible, relatively unmediated, and absolutely worth a visit.

For a great experience, you can download the Uist Unearthed app on your mobile device and take it with you into the field. It comes with a map of Uist showing key archaeological sites like the Neolithic roundhouses at Cladh Hallan on South Uist and Iron Age broch Dun an Sticir on North Uist, both of which I visited.

Look for the Uist Unearthed signposts when you reach the site, then follow the app instructions for using its AR (augmented reality) features. What looks like a few stones and a hole in the ground will become a complete thatched-roof broch or longhouse on your device screen.

Please remember to be respectful of the sites. Do not pick anything off the ground, close any gates you open behind you, and do your part in caring for these cultural heritage sites. You can find more information on visiting archaeological sites at Visit Outer Hebrides.

7. Book a Distillery Tour

North Uist and Benbecula are home to two distilleries. The North Uist Distillery produces Downpour Scottish Dry Gin and is run out of a heritage building with a fancy shop. Contrary to its name, it’s on Benbecula! When you’re finished drinking, their collectable tinted-glass bottles make excellent mantelpiece decorations.

Benbecula Distillery is a state-of-the-art whiskey distillery, a new facility well worth a visit. Its impressive hand-made copper vats are visible through its glass walls. You can book a tour, and the building includes a restaurant and a visitor’s centre. Benbecula Distillery is on Bebecula, not far from the causeway to North Uist.

8. Cottaging and Glamping

Many visitors to South Uist enjoy staying at a self-catering cottage or glamping pod instead of a traditional hotel. Pods place you in the middle of nature, where you can easily go on walks to the shore or along trails. They come with beds, a kitchenette, and are insulated. A few companies offering this experience are Uist Storm Pods and Uist Pods.

More traditional self-catering cottages are offered by South Uist Cottages. Hostelling International even has a youth hostel in Howmore.

If you want an even more traditional experience, you can stay in a thatched cottage, such as this one in South Lochboisdale and Ronald’s Cottage in Rhugashinish, near the old Macaulay family croft (a cottage renovated by Catriona MacKinnon’s cousin).

You can also stay at a far more rugged bothy, such as this one in Uisinis. Check out MountainBothies.org.uk for more information about staying at bothies.

9. Bike along the Hebridean Way

Photo courtesy of Lasgair Bike Hire

One way to see the Long Island is to go by bike. The lonely roads can be excellent places to cycle. It’s also possible to do the Hebridean Way, in whole or in part, by bike. You can book your bike on the ferry from the islands, or to transfer between islands. If you don’t have your own bike, Lasgair Bike Hire is one rental service based in Lochboisdale, while Hebridean Ebike is based on Benbecula.

Cyclists are advised to respect safety rules, like wearing a helmet. It’s also important to pause in passing places to allow car traffic on single-lane roads to move ahead. Roads can also be windy. More information on cycling is available on VisitOuterHebrides.co.uk.

10. Play a Round of Golf

Photo of Askernish Golf Course courtesy of South Uist Estates and Askernish Golf Club

The Askernish Golf Club is the place to go if you’d like to participate in Scotland’s national pastime. The 18-hole golf course is open from Easter to October. The have a shop, provide rentals, and have an indoor practice facility.

One unique fact about Askernish is they do not use artificial fertilizers or herbicides on the green, and cattle and sheep are allowed to graze on it during the winter. This makes it “the most natural golf course in the world.”

11. Fish with a Ghillie

Iain Whithorn on West Ollay. Photo by Gary Bateman, a ghillie for South Uist Estates

I met a group of men on the ferry to Eriskay who were on a South Uist fishing holiday. Although I did not go fishing myself, fishing can be a fun way to relax and experience the islands.

On South Uist, you can fly fish for Brown Trout, Sea Trout, and Salmon in machair lochs and hill lochs. Fishing excursions with ghillies (guides) can be booked with South Uist Estates. Their Facebook page shares photos of fishers, the weight of their catches, and where they were caught.

Another good resource is the South Uist Angling Club, which has further information on tackle, visitor permits, and where to fish.

12. Walk along the beach (or even swim)

Beaches on the Long Island might be colder than Cancún but are still worth visiting. The sand is as white and clean, the rhythm of the waves beating against the rocks is mesmerizing. They can be a great place to walk the dog or bring your family.

Some adventurous souls swim in the ocean, but keep in mind that the ocean can be very cold, even in summer! I went wading into the waves on Eriskay, but it was a real Polar Bear Club experience. I felt some early hypothermia symptoms, such as numbness.

Some of the best beach spots are at Cladh Hallan and on Eriskay. Scotland Less Explored has an article on the ten best beaches on South Uist with information about tide levels and parking.

Macaulay Morrison Family

The Past & Present