Hebridean Way Highlights
Arrival day: Arrive in Castlebay
After a scenic ferry from Oban or a flight landing on the beach runway on Barra, your trip begins at your accommodation in Castlebay. This small village with two hotels is the largest settlement on the island.
Hotel in Castlebay (breakfast)
After a scenic ferry from Oban or a flight landing on the beach runway on Barra, your trip begins at your accommodation in Castlebay. This small village with two hotels is the largest settlement on the island.
Hotel in Castlebay (breakfast)
Stage 1: Vatersay to Ardmhor
Red 3 (grade) 24km with 620m ascent, 620m descent
From Castlebay take a taxi to Vatersay to begin the Hebridean Way. The walk starts with one of its most challenging days. There are three distinct climbs, and in good weather you'll experience great views over Barra, back to the mainland and out across the Atlantic. With sections in the hills and the classic Hebridean beaches, this day offers a preview of all to come in the rest of the walk. From the Pier at Ardmhor, take a taxi back to Castlebay for a second night.
Hotel in Castlebay (breakfast)
Red 3 (grade) 24km with 620m ascent, 620m descent
From Castlebay take a taxi to Vatersay to begin the Hebridean Way. The walk starts with one of its most challenging days. There are three distinct climbs, and in good weather you'll experience great views over Barra, back to the mainland and out across the Atlantic. With sections in the hills and the classic Hebridean beaches, this day offers a preview of all to come in the rest of the walk. From the Pier at Ardmhor, take a taxi back to Castlebay for a second night.
Hotel in Castlebay (breakfast)
Stage 2: Eriskay to Dalabrog
Blue 2 (grade) 18.5km with 50m ascent, 50m descent
After a morning taxi back to Ardmhor, catch the ferry to Eriskay. Passing across Eriskay and over the causeway onto South Uist, the day has a feeling of moving through the islands. This extremely flat day of walking is split into 2 sections: the first is predominantly on roads, and the second is the Machair Way along the coast.
Hotel in Dalabrog (breakfast)
Blue 2 (grade) 18.5km with 50m ascent, 50m descent
After a morning taxi back to Ardmhor, catch the ferry to Eriskay. Passing across Eriskay and over the causeway onto South Uist, the day has a feeling of moving through the islands. This extremely flat day of walking is split into 2 sections: the first is predominantly on roads, and the second is the Machair Way along the coast.
Hotel in Dalabrog (breakfast)
Stage 3: Carinish to Lochmaddy
Blue 2 (grade) 18.5km with 200m ascent, 200m descent
Today's stage crosses North Uist and is a day of three distinct parts. After a taxi transfer from Dalabrog to Carinish, you start the day with a stretch of moorland broken by a short section of single track road, before arriving at Langass Lodge, an old hunting lodge. Then head up the hill behind the lodge, past an old stone cirle. Lastly, finish the day with a flat stretch along the old road, and later the main road before heading into Lochmaddy. This is the largest village on North Uist and hosts a ferry link with Uig on Skye.
Hotel in Lochmaddy (breakfast)
Blue 2 (grade) 18.5km with 200m ascent, 200m descent
Today's stage crosses North Uist and is a day of three distinct parts. After a taxi transfer from Dalabrog to Carinish, you start the day with a stretch of moorland broken by a short section of single track road, before arriving at Langass Lodge, an old hunting lodge. Then head up the hill behind the lodge, past an old stone cirle. Lastly, finish the day with a flat stretch along the old road, and later the main road before heading into Lochmaddy. This is the largest village on North Uist and hosts a ferry link with Uig on Skye.
Hotel in Lochmaddy (breakfast)
Stage 4: Lochmaddy to Berneray
Blue 2 (grade) 18km with 250m ascent, 250m descent
The last day on the Southern half of the route, today's route takes you through flat moorland and over a small hill pass, before crossing the final causeway of the trip to reach Berneray. If time allows it's worth exploring Berneray. We love the beach on the North coast.
B&B in Berneray (breakfast)
Blue 2 (grade) 18km with 250m ascent, 250m descent
The last day on the Southern half of the route, today's route takes you through flat moorland and over a small hill pass, before crossing the final causeway of the trip to reach Berneray. If time allows it's worth exploring Berneray. We love the beach on the North coast.
B&B in Berneray (breakfast)
Stage 5: Horgabost to Tarbert
Red 3 (grade) 29km with 600m ascent, 650m descent
Take the morning ferry across the Sound of Harris to Leverburgh. The intricate ferry route, twisting around shallows, is an experience in itself. A taxi will then take you to Horgabost where today's walk begins. Although long, this stage follows mostly good paths and quiet single-track roads. Soak up the final views of Horgabost, Sheileboist and Luskentyre beach and head East to the Bays of Harris along the 'Coffin Route' once used by islanders on the East coast to carry bodies for burial to the graveyards of the West. The day ends at Tarbert, the tiny capital of Harris. With 700 inhabitants it is the largest settlement you have encountered since the start of the walk. (Tarbert means ithsmus and is a common place name in the Highlands. Few Tarberts are as clearly squeezed by the sea as this one!)
Hotel in Tarbert (breakfast)
Red 3 (grade) 29km with 600m ascent, 650m descent
Take the morning ferry across the Sound of Harris to Leverburgh. The intricate ferry route, twisting around shallows, is an experience in itself. A taxi will then take you to Horgabost where today's walk begins. Although long, this stage follows mostly good paths and quiet single-track roads. Soak up the final views of Horgabost, Sheileboist and Luskentyre beach and head East to the Bays of Harris along the 'Coffin Route' once used by islanders on the East coast to carry bodies for burial to the graveyards of the West. The day ends at Tarbert, the tiny capital of Harris. With 700 inhabitants it is the largest settlement you have encountered since the start of the walk. (Tarbert means ithsmus and is a common place name in the Highlands. Few Tarberts are as clearly squeezed by the sea as this one!)
Hotel in Tarbert (breakfast)
Stage 6: Laxay to Stornoway
Red 2 (grade) 25km with 300m ascent, 320m descent
The final section of the Hebridean Way is a walk of two distinct parts. After a taxi ride to Laxay, the first stretch crosses the moorlands of Lewis on a raised turf path with views stretching from the mainland hills in the East to the island of Great Bernera off the west coast of Lewis. After reaching the small village of Achmore, the route changes and now follows single track roads to the outskirts of Stornoway. We enter town past the delightful Lews Castle, to reach our finish point at Stornoway harbour. Congratulations! We love Stornoway's mix of town comforts and island life. It is very much the social centre of the islands. Lews Castle's grounds wrap around the shoreline and offer lovely evening strolls.
B&B in Stornoway (breakfast)
Red 2 (grade) 25km with 300m ascent, 320m descent
The final section of the Hebridean Way is a walk of two distinct parts. After a taxi ride to Laxay, the first stretch crosses the moorlands of Lewis on a raised turf path with views stretching from the mainland hills in the East to the island of Great Bernera off the west coast of Lewis. After reaching the small village of Achmore, the route changes and now follows single track roads to the outskirts of Stornoway. We enter town past the delightful Lews Castle, to reach our finish point at Stornoway harbour. Congratulations! We love Stornoway's mix of town comforts and island life. It is very much the social centre of the islands. Lews Castle's grounds wrap around the shoreline and offer lovely evening strolls.
B&B in Stornoway (breakfast)
Departure Day: Depart from Stornoway
Enjoy your last breakfast in Stornoway before departing from the trip. Take the ferry to Ullapool and enjoy the views back to the islands and forward to the mainland. If time allows this is a good chance to explore the remote North West corner of Scotland, before taking the bus to Inverness for onward travel by train or bus. Or, fly from Stornoway Airport which is near town.
Enjoy your last breakfast in Stornoway before departing from the trip. Take the ferry to Ullapool and enjoy the views back to the islands and forward to the mainland. If time allows this is a good chance to explore the remote North West corner of Scotland, before taking the bus to Inverness for onward travel by train or bus. Or, fly from Stornoway Airport which is near town.
Options
Our Hebridean Way Highlighs trip allows you to see the best sections of the full route in just 6 walking days. We make use of buses or taxis to link up those sections and to travel to and from accommodation off-route if necessary. This makes it quite easy to make the trip shorter or longer, by changing the taxi pick-up points, and spending multiple nights in the same hotel. We advise on the main options below, but please ask up for further options.
Make the trip shorter
The stages on our standard Hebridean Way are already quite long; however, if you’re up for a quick dash across the islands it’s possible to shorten the trip a little. As you will have to take a taxi or public transport between most of the stages, the best way of shortening the trip would be skipping or shortening some of the sections. Please ask and we will be happy to advise.
Make the trip longer
Walking days on the Hebridean Way are quite long, so for anyone looking to shorten the stages of the trek, we are more than happy to advise about splitting up the longer days. For example, on Harris, the long day from Horgabost to Tarbert can be split onto 2, staying at Groesabhagh (or with taxi to Tarbert to stay) and it happens that this would reflect the contrast in scenery between West and East Harris. We advise that the shorter days might mean using more transport on the route, to get to and from the hotels, but that this need not put you off a less challenging pace. Or you could, of course, have a look at our full Hebridean Way if you are looking for a longer trip!
Hike with a leader
Hike with confidence in the company of our fully qualified International Mountain Leaders (IMLs), with the navigation, accommodation and arrangements taken care of. You're welcome to walk on any date within our season and we can adjust the hike to suit your needs. Please get in touch for dates and availability on our private guided option. Thank you.
Prices
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Hebridean Way Highlights 2 May to 17 Sept 2021 and 1 May to 16 Sept 2022 |
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| Hutty | Classic | Comfy | |
| Self-guided | |||
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5 stages (6 nights) |
Please ask |
GBP 810 Singles 200 |
Please ask |
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6 stages (7 nights) |
Please ask |
GBP 890 Singles 225 Main Trip |
Please ask |
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7 stages (8 nights) |
Please ask |
GBP 970 Singles 250 |
Please ask |
Private guided |
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6 stages (7 nights) Group of 4 or more |
Please ask |
GBP 1,590 Singles 225 |
Please ask |
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6 stages ( nights) Group of 1, 2 or 3 |
Please ask us | ||
| Options | |||
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Baggage transfer |
Please ask us | ||
Accommodation
Where we stay
Our standard schedule of accommodation uses a mix of comfy and welcoming hotels, inns and B&Bs. Breakfast is included every morning and we book ensuite rooms whenever possible. Unlike in the rest of the UK, most villages don’t have a pub or a restaurant, so we make greater use of hotels (with restaurants) than on our other UK holidays. We book accommodation as close to the route as possible, but should any off-route travel be necessary to reach your accommodation, this will be included in your trip. Your info pack contains full details of your accommodation including contact details, any taxis booked, and directions.
Hutty and Comfy
Due to the more limited accommodation options along the Hebridean Way, we don’t currently offer trips using more basic, or more comfy, accommodation than our classic itinerary. If you’d like to customise your accommodation in either of these ways, or in any way, please contact us and we’ll advise on the small ways we can alter your trip.
Single Supplement
The single supplement covers the difference in cost between a single room and a double room on a per person basis.
Our standard schedule of accommodation uses a mix of comfy and welcoming hotels, inns and B&Bs. Breakfast is included every morning and we book ensuite rooms whenever possible. Unlike in the rest of the UK, most villages don’t have a pub or a restaurant, so we make greater use of hotels (with restaurants) than on our other UK holidays. We book accommodation as close to the route as possible, but should any off-route travel be necessary to reach your accommodation, this will be included in your trip. Your info pack contains full details of your accommodation including contact details, any taxis booked, and directions.
Hutty and Comfy
Due to the more limited accommodation options along the Hebridean Way, we don’t currently offer trips using more basic, or more comfy, accommodation than our classic itinerary. If you’d like to customise your accommodation in either of these ways, or in any way, please contact us and we’ll advise on the small ways we can alter your trip.
Single Supplement
The single supplement covers the difference in cost between a single room and a double room on a per person basis.
Route
The Hebridean Way is a relatively new walk, launched in 2017. Our Highlights trip gives you the best sections of the full Hebridean Way from Vatersay to Stornoway on Lewis, using two ferries and crossing six causeways. After a careful review of the the route, we have chosen what we think are the 'Highlights' and then use comfortable taxis to connect those stages. Whilst you will still walk at least one section on each of the main islands, our Highlights trip will allow you to move along a little quicker, with more changes in scenery along the way. You will be staying in the comfiest accommodation as close to the route as possible. Every year we recce and update our routecards to inform you of any changes ahead of Summer.
Alpine Exploratory's 2020 research on the Hebridean Way was led by Hannah G and Simon Stevens in August
The Terrain
The Hebridean Way terrain comprises wild sections of moorland, narrow hillside paths, farm tracks, and roads. On South Uist in particular the route sticks close to the coast making use of the beaches and paths through the machair. Machair is the low-lying rich grassy plain found on the coast on the exposed North West coastlines of Ireland and Scotland, and in the summer it is covered in a carpet of wildflowers. On moorland sections, peat provides a challenge for maintainting paths, as rocks can sink into the soil, and raised turf paths have been built to show the way and keep feet dry. Old military roads, often running close to today's roads, provide good paths underfoot and are used where possible. There's also time spent walking on roads, including, of course, all the causeways. Many roads are narrow, single-track with passing places, and this includes the main road through the islands to the South of Tarbert.
Is it for me?
The Hebridean Way is a manageable trek for walkers who are happy to walk for between roughly 5 and 8 hours per day along a long-distance trail. Some of the days are a little longer than one might normally plan, due to the location of accommodation. However, the easy flat sections often let the miles pass quicker than expected. The Hebridean Way will suit walkers who are looking for a little isolation in quite a wild location. Shops, cafes and restaurants are few and far between, so planning where to buy food is more important than on other treks.
Difficulty
The challenge of the Hebridean Way comes not in high mountain days but in the general remoteness and wild atmosphere of the Western Isles. The settlements are scarce and on many stages there are few refreshments stops or points of shelter. There is no climbing or scrambling, and very view sections of steep rocky paths. With little ascent and descent, it's important to consider the distances, with the longest day in our normal schedule being 27km.
For an even more detailed read, please see our Hebridean Way Walking Guide
How to get there
Your holiday starts in the small village of Castlebay on Barra and ends in Stornoway on Lewis, the main town of the Outer Hebrides and a bustling harbour. The quickest way to arrive and depart is to fly directly to the beach airport on Barra and to return from Stornoway airport. Glasgow Airport is the typical hub for these flights to the Western Isles but other UK airports also have links: Edinburgh, Manchester and others. Flight routes, in good weather, show a large portion of the Scottish Highlands.
The ferries also work well: from Oban to Castlebay, then back from Stornoway to Ullapool. The ferries work in conjunction with trains and buses: assuming you reach Glasgow, you would take either train or bus to Oban for the Castlebay ferry. Then once at Ullapool off the Stornoway ferry, you would take the bus to Inverness and then onward bus or train to Glasgow or Edinburgh. Or, fly from Inverness airport.
Travel to and from the trip is not included in the holiday price. We take care to give the most useful notes possible about all the travel options. We supply these both on booking and in your info pack, and we offer personalised tips at any point. The aim is that our trekkers arrange their travel by the simplest and most scenic means as suits their plan.
Included
- Bespoke accommodation itinerary - tailored to suit your particular requirements
- Breakfast every morning
- Taxis to and from your accommodaiton when needed
- Detailed Routecards HBW1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 12 of the Exploratory system, printed on waterproof paper
- The 5 topographical maps needed
- Expert advice and local information
- A comprehensive 'Season Update' following our pre-season recce
- Full support during your trip from the Alpine Exploratory team (8am until 8pm in the UK)
Not included
- Travel to and from your trip
- Local transport whilst on the trip unless specified
- Travel insurance
- Lunches, snacks, drinks and evening meals
- Baggage transfers (available as an extra)
Baggage transfer
Our baggage option on the Hebridean Way takes your bag to each night's accommodation. In the morning, simply leave your bag with your host or at reception. We then take it to your next accommodation while you walk.
Got questions about the Hebridean Way Highlights?
Feel free to ask us any questions you have about any aspects of your planning and preparations! Lucy, Steph, Hannah W, Hannah G, or Nicky will reply with expert advice. We spend a lot of time walking our routes and more broadly exploring ski and hiking trails around the world so do feel free to ask anything at all.
  Hebridean Way Highlights enquiry form
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If you prefer, please feel welcome to email or call us. Thanks!
| Contact Alpine Exploratory | |
| info@alpineexploratory.com | |
| Phone | +44 (0)131 214 1144 |
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Since Alpine Exploratory started in 2005 we have loved getting to know our clients from around the world. Along with the UK, our best-represented countries are the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Please use our national-rate numbers for a cheaper call to contact our office in Edinburgh.
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