The Hebridean Way: Vatersay and Barra

by Alan Cole · Saturday, August 2nd, 2025

We met a lovely German couple over breakfast at the hostel. We later found out their names were Stephanie and Christian, but for now, we were calling them “The Germans” — I don’t know what they called us!! They were also walking the Hebridean Way. They hadn’t organised a taxi to get to Vatersay though, so were planning to skip that section and start from Castlebay. It seemed a shame for them to miss out on the island of Vatersay, so we suggested they jump in the taxi with us.

The Start at Vatersay

Just after 8:00 a.m. on a grey, overcast day, the four of us were dropped off at the official start point for the Hebridean Way on the small island of Vatersay. Anna and I had been here before and didn’t really want to gate-crash the start of The Germans’ walk – nor did we want them to gate-crash ours – so we headed down to the white sands of the beach for a bit to give them time to get going.

Oystercatchers called, and there were a few small yachts moored offshore in the mist, but otherwise the beach was deserted. The weather wasn’t great, but it wasn’t raining, which is always a bonus.

After a short while, we headed up to the marker post, where we caught up with The Germans just as they were setting off. We took photos of each other and then lingered for a few minutes to give them a head start.

We would leapfrog ”The Germans’ and cross paths a few times over the coming days, and although we got to know their names and struck up a friendly rapport, we never exchanged contact details.

A few days later, I started pushing on ahead and didn’t see them again, so we don’t know how they got on. If you happen to be reading this and know a German couple named Christian and Stephanie, in their 50s, who walked the Hebridean Way in July 2025 – do share this post with them or put them in touch. We’d love to know if they made it all the way, and what they thought of it!

Vatersay and the Causeway to Barra

Anna was joining me for part of this first leg, so we would be taking it easy and enjoying the walk. We strolled along the coast road, pausing now and then to take in the views, admire the gneiss, and inspect the wreckage and memorial from a 1944 plane crash that claimed the lives of nine crew members.

We continued around Vatersay, then crossed the causeway to Barra – island number one complete.

Heading Into the Hills

Not long after crossing to Barra, the trail climbs into the hills. Anna left me here to return to Castlebay along the coast and enjoy a day of exploring and relaxing — hills aren’t really her thing!

I headed steeply uphill and soon caught and passed The Germans. They were carrying full rucksacks, while I only had a lightweight daypack. The climb was quite steep and led to the highest point on the entire trail – just over 270 metres.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have to gain much height today before I was in the clouds, so the spectacular views from here were completely obscured. The trail markers were hidden in the mist and murk as well, so I relied on other navigation methods. The ground was rough, with no real paths through the heather, so I picked my way between boggy patches before finding a faint track that led over the flank of Beinn Tangabhal and down towards the sea.

Back to the Coast

Back at the coast, I followed the shoreline over rocky outcrops and past Loch na Doirlinn to the lovely machair-backed beach of Tangasdale.

The Barra Beach Hotel was visible on the far side. I headed inland through the dunes to Tangasdale, then along the road past the hotel and a couple of small campsites before turning right onto a track that led back into the hills in the middle of Barra.

Eventually, the track became a boggy path, with marker posts appearing now and then to confirm I was still on course.

Lunch, Lochs and Lily Pads

I stopped near the top for lunch, and even took my shoes off to have a little rest and relaxation. The Germans were far behind me by now so were unlikely to catch me and I’d seen no one else since leaving them. I then descended through more boggy ground to pass a small loch with lily pads, followed by the larger Loch an Dùin, which I believe is a reservoir.

The trail briefly joined the road before heading steeply back into the hills of northern Barra. The skies had cleared a little by now, so I finally got some views – of lochs, tidal inlets, peninsulas, and islets off the north coast of Barra.

As I crested the last hill, I could see Traigh Mhòr below – the very beach we’d landed on the day before – and I soon dropped back down to the road.

A Jog, and a Mix-up

My destination for the day was the ferry terminal at Ardmhor, where we’d catch a boat the following morning. At the end of the road to the terminal, I checked the bus timetables. I wasn’t sure of the difference between “Ardmhor Slip” and “Ardmhor Slip R.E.” but saw that the next bus to the “Ardmhor Slip R.E.” stop was due in 22 minutes. The slipway itself was 1.5 miles away – I’d have to get a move on!

I started jogging along the road – not fast, as I had a rucksack on and had already walked around 14 miles, but fast enough to arrive with eight minutes to spare. I caught my breath and checked the bus stop timetable… which said the next bus wasn’t due for another 3 hours!

Confused, I double-checked the online timetable and realised my mistake: “R.E.” stood for “Road End”. That particular bus didn’t come all the way to the slipway – it stopped at the road junction I had just run from. There was no way I’d get back there in time.

A Lucky Lift

A little dejected, I wandered back along the road wondering what to do. I didn’t really want to hang around for 3 hours, and the walk back to Castlebay was about 9 miles – a good 3-hour walk in itself. I got to the road end (R.E!) and continued on to the main road, where I sat for a while considering my options.

In the end, I started walking back towards Castlebay and decided I may as well try to hitch a lift. It wasn’t long before a Tesla pulled up – inside was a very nice couple from Edinburgh (and their dog), who kindly gave me a lift all the way back to the hostel.

We had a nice chat on the way, and I was incredibly grateful. I doubt they’ll ever read this, but if you know them, let them know I’m very thankful for their kindness as it meant I had somer time in the afternoon to chill with Anna before having dinner at the hostel.

Stage One Complete

Anna had enjoyed her relaxing day in Castlebay, and I had successfully completed stage one of the Hebridean Way.

Tomorrow, I’d be heading on to islands three and four.

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Mum x says:

Saturday, August 2nd, 2025 at 7:49 am

Sounds good so far, Well except for RE.
Shame you didn’t exchange contacts with the ” German couple,” can you put something on social media ?

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