South Uist – an island with two faces

Mountains in the east, sandy beach in the south, and in between a land full of history. A look at the Hebridean island of South Uist.

Top attractions | Getting there | all attractions

South Uist is a wonderful place to relax: an almost endless sandy beach runs along the west side of the island. Here the Machair Way winds through a coastal landscape that bursts into bloom in early summer.

But South Uist also has another side: in the east, mountains rise to as much as 620 metres. Officially they are only “hills” rather than “mountains”, but they appear much larger when seen from the flat land around them. The highest peaks are Hecla and Beinn Mhòr.

In the south lies the island’s main settlement: Lochboisdale. There are a handful of shops here and the chance to fill up with fuel.

Must See: The main attractions on South Uist

Ein Museumsraum mit vielen Vitrinen, Kleidungsstücken und mehr.

Kildonan Museum

A warm-hearted museum showing life on South Uist. Highlight: the Clanranald Stone.

Ein sehr langer Sandstrand mit blauem Himmel darüber

Cladh Hallan

An impressive dune landscape, where the remains of prehistoric houses can be found.

Ein Raum, in dem viele Vitrinen mit Schmuck darin zu sehen sind.

Hebridean Jewellery

Elaborate jewellery made and sold on the island.

Eriskay

The island to the south of South Uist is known for its ponies, its pub and a very special beach.

Getting to South Uist

If you want to travel directly from the mainland to South Uist, your journey will take you to the main settlement of Lochboisdale. The ferry departs from Oban and the crossing takes five hours. Alternatively, there’s a connection from Mallaig that takes only 3 hours 30 minutes.

From the north, South Uist is connected to Benbecula by a causeway. From the south, the causeway comes from Eriskay, where the ferry from Barra also arrives and departs.

If you’d rather arrive by plane, the nearest airport is on Benbecula.