4 Day Outer Hebrides Private Tour

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Departing early from Inverness, we travel to the coastal village of Ullapool to board the ferry for a 2¾ hour crossing of the Minch. Arriving in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis (my home island), we spend the afternoon stepping back through millennia of Hebridean history. We explore the magnificent Neolithic Calanais Standing Stones, the formidable 2,000-year-old Dun Carloway Broch, and the traditional thatched blackhouses that once sheltered island families for generations. We conclude our first day at the secluded Atlantic beach of Dalbeg before returning to Stornoway for our overnight stay.

Heading south from Stornoway, we cross into the Isle of Harris. The drive along the Atlantic coastline reveals the breath-taking white sands and turquoise waters of Seilebost and Nisabost. At the southern tip of the island, we visit Rodel to explore the medieval St Clement’s Church – home to one of Scotland’s most remarkable 16th-century tomb carvings. After a late afternoon pause in the ferry port of Tarbert, we journey back through the rugged North Harris hills to Stornoway for our overnight stay.

After some morning free time to enjoy the island capital of Stornoway, we venture west into the remote parish of Uig. This is a landscape of dramatic coastal scenery, where we explore the stunning Atlantic beaches of Ardroil, Valtos, and Reef. After an afternoon immersed in the wild panoramas and history of the west coast, we return to Stornoway for our final overnight stop.

We spend our final morning at the Butt of Lewis – the most northerly point of the Hebrides – where a lonely lighthouse stands guard over towering cliffs and the crashing Atlantic waves. Returning to Stornoway, we visit Museum nan Eilean within the gothic splendor of Lews Castle to see the world-famous Lewis Chessmen. The early afternoon ferry carries us back across the Minch to Ullapool, followed by a scenic drive through the mountainous scenery of the Northwest Highlands as we return to Inverness.