St. Kilda from Barra

Hi, jjgurley,

The one time I visited St Kilda, it was with Kilda Cruises out of Leverburgh. It was a full day - 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., three hours out, five hours on shore, and four hours back including a tour of the outlying islands and stacks. Well worth the money.

I haven't heard anything about Hebridean Sea Tours - their website looks interesting. As with any tours to St Kilda, it is very much weather dependent. We were fortunate in that our cruise to St Kilda was able to depart on the one day window which we had available. Kilda Cruises called our B&B the morning of our departure to let us know that we were still on.

They usually ask for at least a two day window to be guaranteed of a sailing.

I would say that it would be easier for Hebridean Sea Tours to visit Mingulay than St Kilda, as Mingulay is closer to the mainland. However, if the seas are really rough, that would negate any possibility of a landing.

I asked Angus at Kilda Cruises about sailing to Rockall, which is the westernmost of the British Isles. He said that there were plans to do that eventually. Obviously, it would be a non-landing cruise!

I hope that you get out to St Kilda. It is a unique experience. If all else fails, you should explore Vatersay while you are on Barra. At least you don't have to take a boat to get there!

Best wishes.

Mike (Auchterless)

p.s.: If you haven't already done so, I'd recommend reading A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World, by Charlie Fletcher. A good bit of it is set on Mingulay and the Outer Hebrides.

Thanks Mike.

I read here on the forums that the Uig trip picks up extra folks in Beneray, which might be a better choice, since there's more to do on Uist than Barra if weather is foul. I need to look into it further. We plan to visit Uist and Barra on our next trip, so both will work. Don't really want to spend the requisite three nights in Leverburgh since we've been all over Lewis already. It appears that all the lodging operators know you're probably trying to get to Kilda, so prices reflect that.

Hi again, jjgurley,

You wouldn't necessarily have to stay in Leverburgh when travelling to St Kilda. We stayed at Luskentyre, which was about 45 minutes away from the harbour at Leverburgh. (They didn't overcharge us!) But I see your point. We have stayed on Harris several times, and enjoyed both Tarbert and Luskentyre. There is a great low level hike from Northton, at the south end of Harris.

As you're going to be on the Uists, as opposed to Barra, have you considered going out to St Kilda on Uist Sea Tours? They operate out of Eriskay, and seem to give slightly longer on shore than the trips originating in Uig.

We were surprised at how many visitors there were on St Kilda while we were there. Apparently there are even more companies now who make the trip than there were when we travelled. While we were there, there was even a small cruise ship anchored in Village Bay. There has been quite an upturn in visitation since the days when the only visitors who were allowed were members of NTS work parties.

Last time we visited North Uist, we stayed at the Temple View Hotel, which was quite comfortable, and had excellent meals. In case you haven't already formulated your plans, I'd highly recommend visiting the Balranald Nature Reserve, and taking the circular walk. The beaches are beautiful, as they are all along the west coast of the Uists. Watch out for divebombing terns! Another good place to check out is the Teampull na Trionaid (Trinity Temple), a 13th century nunnery and the site of possibly the first college in Scotland. There are also Scolpaig Tower and the Barpa Langass neolithic tomb.

Farther south, on South Uist, there's the Kildonan Museum and 13th century Howmore Church. The circular walk to Howmore Beach is very good, as well.

The Uists are very peaceful compared to the other Hebridean islands. They don't get nearly as much visitation, and there are some great little shops, including the Hebridean Smokehouse. By the way, if you enjoy beaches, West Beach, on Berneray, is one of the best.

I do hope that you get out to St Kilda.

Best wishes once again.

Mike (Auchterless)

p.s.: Do you live anywhere near Merlin?

I've already found the Uist Sea Tours, although their timetable seems pretty erratic. Another email to hopefully get a response. My latest plan (#3,786a-3) is three nights near Eriskay, and one night on Barra. The backup day would include all the thing's Mike suggested (which were mostly already on my radar). Flying in/out of Benbecula. I'd enjoy the Barra flight, but the rental car drop-off is a killer. If we decide to push the button on St. Kilda, I'll probably reconsider the car fee since it's lost in the noise of an expensive couple of days, or fly in/out of Barra. The LoganAir schedule has a big influence on choice.