Barra offers the visitor a superb location with it's great beaches fantastic hospitality and ample Holiday Accommodation you will be spoilt for choice and with its satellite islands Vatersay, Sandray, Pabbay, Mingulay. and the rock of Barra Head stretching still farther south comprises the southernmost of the Outer Hebrides, but it is easily reached by car ferry and by air, its famous 2 sq miles of pure sand beach at the north east corner being probably the only airport in the world washed twice daily by the tide, it is also connected by ferry to south Uist.
Barra is some 8 miles long and 5 miles wide, and its coastal circular road measures only 14 miles but at its ‘capital’ Castle Bay it is well equipped with excellent hotels and guest-houses, and accommodation is available at other points. There is also a Hotel Accommodation at Northbay, convenient to the airport.
- Barra Geolocation Latitude 56.9809° N Longitude -7.4568° W
- Barra Postcode HS9
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Barra is thought to be named after St Findbarr of Cork who is said to have converted the inhabitants to Christianity: the church dedicated to him was at Eoligarry, near the north tip of the island.
Like the rest of the Outer Hebrides it was occupied by Norsemen for some time after the 9th century as many of the place names testify. The main traditional industries are fishing, crofting, crafts and tourism.
Several of the freshwater lochs were restocked with trout some years ago, and sea angling, for which there are plenty of rock vantage points or boats for hire, has become increasingly popular.
A walk around the island is a pleasant expedition, but for the less energetic there are many shorter Walks, and the hill climber has Bentangval (1,092 ft) and Heaval (1,260 ft), from which there is a spectacular panorama of the isles to the south to Skye, Rum and Eigg and to the mainland from Knoydart.
