Castlebay, the main town on Barra

Barra and Vatersay (connected by causeway) are the southernmost inhabited islands in the Hebridean island chain. There are - surprise, surprise - a range of long, white, sandy beaches to play on. If you need lessons/accommodation/a bit of local knowledge/a fantastic kite bitch Nick and Kay (and Scooby) of Barra Power Kiting in Castlebay are the people to talk to. Sadly, we didn't get much chance to get out kiting while we were there as it was uncharacteristically flat calm/foggy which was a bit of a shitter. It's worth remembering that the beaches on the west side of Barra do get some fab waves, so you can have some fun surfing, kayaking or body boarding if it isn't windy.

The Airport Beach

Yes, Barra Airport is in fact a beach. A huge, hard one (!!). It is therefore buggy/landboard heaven. If the windsock is up, a flight is due in so don't go on the beach. To find out when flights are, either go in to the airport terminal or ask Nick & Kay.

Traigh Eais

We were gutted not to get more time on the water here cos it is a fab beach with lovely waves! Isla managed a swift half hour with local kiter, Jamie in between fog banks but a return visit here is definitely necessary! Traigh Eais faces west and is about 500m west of the airport beach. Again, it's worth checking with the airport when the flight is due in because, in certain wind directions, they'll want you to land your kite. To get to the beach, drive past the airport and turn left through the gate just before Eolaigearraidh school. Follow the machair track onto the top of the dunes. No wind? Build a Beach Dude.

Vatersay

There are 2 sandy beaches either side of a narrow neck of land on Vatersay. You need to park by the side of the road and walk over the dunes as there's a lot of concern about dune erosion. Fair enough really as there will be 2 islands for the price of 1 if the dunes wash away! Bagh Siar to the west gets lovely waves, while Vatersay Bay on the East is flatter water and there is more space for land kiting.

Getting There and Stuff

 We will go back to Barra in the hope of better wind next time, not least because the local kiters Nick, Kay, Jamie and Lachie (and Scooby) are a most excellent bunch of people. There are various ways to get to Barra - you can get a Calmac ferry from either Oban (about 7 hours cos it goes via South Uist or Tiree) or from Eriskay (about 20 minutes) if you've been on the Uists. You can also fly from Glasgow then you get the novelty value of landing on the beach. If you speak to Nick and Kay, they'll come and meet you when you arrive and take you to the location of choice for the wind conditions on the day. 

There's lots of accommodation on the island - Nick and Kay have a very nice 4 person apartment you can rent for a very reasonable price. It is wise to book in advance because it is a small island and, as we discovered, all it takes is a couple of weddings and the Merchant Navy celebrations to make it full! You can camp it up by the airport if you need to but I'm not sure if there are showers/toilets you can use. There are various places to eat out and Cafe Kisimul in Castlebay is well worth a try. If there's no wind and you don't want to build a Beach Dude, you could do a boat tour to Kisimul Castle out in the bay at Castlebay (hence the name). Nick might even be driving the boat!