Vatersay - Bhattersaigh
Vatersay (or Bhattersaigh, pronounced the same, in Gaelic) is the Southern most inhabited island of the Western Isles. It's joined to Barra by a causeway, but it still feels like it has a step change in terms of isolation.
A calm Bàgh Bhattersaigh
Barra - Barraigh
Barra is a small island, about 8 miles by 5, but very well known considering its size and population. It's famous for its airport which is on the beach and gets washed by the tides twice a day, and the island has also been used for many TV programmes.
Eoligarry - Eòlaigearraidh
Around the Northern end of the island the sand is white and sea shallow, and with the high light levels the shallower parts of the sea are always a beautiful turquoise, even when it's raining.
Eoligarry with cloud
approaching (1564)
Mother goose in front, Eoligarry
From Eoligarry, early evening (1566)
Tràigh Sgurabhal
Tràigh Sgurabhal or Scurrival is the most northerly beach on Barra.
It mainly faces north and, like most other beaches around has
beautiful white sand which makes the water a kind of turquoise you expect
from the tropics.
Take a look at satelite photography and it shows you can
see the turquoise from space.
Northern Barra towards South Uist
Shells, sand and dunes (1165 & 1166)
Dunes, Tràigh Sgurabhal, Eolaigearaidh, Barra (1568)
Barra airport beach, Tràigh Mhòr
Barra airport is famous for being the only airport on a tidal beach, where the tides determine the timetable. I may be wrong but I think It's also the only airport with shell mosaics of wild birds on the walls of the cafe, and where you can buy a haggis and cheddar toastie. It's on Tràigh Mhòr, which means Big Beach.
Just off the runway at high tide
Airport beach (Tràigh Mhòr) with cloud approaching
Barra airport runway with an outgoing tide (1165)
Now the airport as an airport
© Gordon Stokes, 2011-15