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North Uist, one of the chain of islands that forms the Outer Hebrides, provides unrivalled peace and tranquility, lovely beaches and scenery, varied hill-walking, fishing, diving, interesting historical remains and the famous R.S.P.B. bird sanctuary at Balranald.
Fishing
Whether you arrive by air or sea, it will quickly become apparent that North Uist is an angler’s paradise. Coming into land or driving from the ferry terminal, you will realise that “what’s not land is water” and a significant portion of the island is made up of freshwater lochs. These abound with wild brown trout; there are no rainbows or hybrids here!
The cottage’s location offers easy access to a range of options for a day’s fishing. A wilderness experience is only a couple of minutes away in the Gearraidh behind the cottage.
Birdwatching
Many visitors head to the Outer Hebrides in the hope of spotting one of the rarer species like the occasionally, visiting snowy owl or phalarope. Others aspire to see incumbents who still cling to the remotest parts of the UK like the mighty sea eagle or the shy and retiring, yet vocal, corncrake. With perseverance, effort and a little luck any of these may be spied However, even the occasional bird watcher can have a most successful and rewarding break with much less effort as the west side of the island, where the cottage is situated, has a very rich and varied bird life.
Diving
My wife and I have been active divers for 18 years but we found diving in North Uist a true revelation. Our initial dive was in Griminish, on the island’s northern edge, 5 miles from An t-seann Dachaidh where we were staying with friends. The shore entry from a small jetty was comfortably easy and once under, the visibility was literally crystal. A natural drift allowed us to follow the contours of the shoreline at about 6 metres and we saw an amazing range of sea life including edible crabs, squat lobsters, plumose anemones and colourful soft corals.
Kite Surfing
North Uist is ideal for kite surfing. Long beaches facing every
direction means no matter what the wind direction, there's somewhere to kite surf. One of my favourite spots is the tidal flat water of Vallay strand. One of my kite surfing friends has a website which is an excellent online resource for identifying sweet kitesuring spots. It includes lots of information about the conditions, wind directions and how to access the beaches.
Walking and Exploring
Uist has something for everyone interested in exploring. There are low-level walks, ridge walks and coastal walks. An t-Seann Dachaidh is within striking distance of some of the most beautiful beach walks imaginable. Crossing the machair from the Bird Reserve, you arrive at Traigh Iar which faces out to the Atlantic and the Monach Isles. Otters and seals can often be spotted at high tide and as you round the point at Aird an Runair. St Kilda sometimes pops over the horizon to the west. In fact the entire west coast of the island is almost one long expanse of pristine white sands.
