For hundreds of years sailing to the remote islands of Scotland has really only been within the reaches of the very rich.  During the last few decades the Highland infrastructure has improved dramatically. Because of this the Highlands and islands are now accessible to most budgets and islands such as  the Western Isles (also known as the Outer Hebrides) can now be reached via ferry or plane. One of the most common reasons why tourists take a vacation in islands, such as Eriskay and similar, is that, even though tourism is an important part of the local economy, they are extensively unspoiled. In the article below I discuss the small village of Leverburgh on Harris in the Western Isles of Scotland. The village is the second largest settlement on the island with the town of Tarbert being the larger.

Most probably the main attraction of Harris is the huge selection of incredibly beautiful sandy beaches which can be found along the west coast of the island. The beaches feature the clearest waters in the United Kingdom of Great Britain. Beaches such as Huishnish, Nisabost, Seilabost and Luskintyre are amongst the most popular, but do not expect to be confronted with huge numbers of buckets and spades, sand castles, beach towels and wind breaks because  it is most likely to discover yourselves the only people enjoying the astounding panoramas.

Most of the best beaches are found on the south of the island and all are only a few minutes drive from Leverburgh. The village features a selection of places to stay including Grimisdale Guest House, with quality self catering cottages and houses just outside the village and a number of crucial amenities such as a general store, Leverburgh is a superb place to base yourself for a touring vacation of the Outer Hebrides.

Lodging in bed & breakfast on the Isle of Harris is a enjoyable experience. Harris hospitality is world renowned and all providers of accommodation work incredibly hard to make sure that all visitors have an excellent vacation. Guest houses and hotels are always incredibly clean and tidy with fresh towels and bedding and if you are in need of advice staff are always keen to assist.

The unique landscape of the Western Isles supports a an immensely wide range of plants and wildlife, some of these are extremely rare or unique species. Although it is rare to find a naturally growing tree on Harris you will see a small number of plantations dotted all over the Outer Hebrides. A few small forests of pine where cultivated long ago and, thankfully the majority of recent plantations are of naturally occurring species more suitable to the unique environment and certainly far more appealing to the eye.

The human impact on the Isle of Harris is considerable long, long ago the island was tree covered. When man first settled on the island, many thousands of years ago, they they lived on the coast. making a living by hunting and fishing, and using the trees as fuel, gradually they settled inland. In modern times fishing still has a vital role in the local economy and many Hebrideans live on a croft (a small farm where they cultivate crops such as potatoes.

Crofting (farming a croft) develops land which is ideal for endangered and rare birds such as the Corncrake. A huge variety of species of flora and fauna, Golden Eagles are often seen flying above and around the village of Leverburgh are numerous excellent sites to indulge in a spot of birdwatching. Every year numerous twitchers (birdwatchers) arrive in the Outer Hebrides to catch a glimpse of a rare bird. Many people choose to spend a little time in Leverburgh and then catch the ferry over to the Uists to visit such places as the RSPB sanctuary.

If you are planning a vacation on the island please take a look at our listings of Harris hotel accommodation.

Are you mulling over having a holiday in the British Isles? Though virtually all visitors having a vacation in the UK decide to stay in well known destinations like London, other folk would rather stay in places such as Scotland. In the following article I describe the Isle of Harris and the reasons why it is such a great vacation destination.

Even though London may be home to some of the best museums and galleries in the whole of Britain  together with some of the world’s best tourist attractions  the capital of England can not appeal to all types of people.

Some folk prefer vacation which are more sedate and others prefer vacations which feature a little more action such as sporting vacations. Interestingly the island of Harris, in Scotland’s Western Isles (or Outer Hebrides), is ideal for both kinds of visitor.

Similar to a great many others spending the whole of my vacation on the beach is not my thing. Please do not get the wrong idea, at times I really do enjoy relaxing on a sandy beach, and the Isle of Harris definitely has some of the most breathtaking beaches in the United Kingdom of Great Britain, however, I also like to explore a little inland too. I really like to spend time just soaking in the atmosphere of the place, I also like to experience the local food and culture. To be honest each year I enjoy visiting new places and I try very hard trying to discover somewhere or something one hundred percent unique and different. This is the most probable reason why I so thoroughly enjoy visits to the Hebridean island called the Isle of Harris and why I often decide to book Harris self catering houses.

One of the main reasons folk travel to the Isle of Harris is to enjoy the islands culture and landscape. The Harris culture has, through the generations been strongly influenced by the Norse, Celtic, Scottish and English races. Nowadays in general most people speak in the Gaelic language and though many speak English, it is more often their second language. The folk of the Isle of Harris are amongst the friendliest on earth and their hospitality is known throughout the word. The Harris folk are extremely proud of the immensely beautiful Harris countryside and go to some length to keep the island clean and tidy so it is immensely important clean up after yourself.

It is incredibly important to remember that discarded rubbish doesn’t just make the island appear untidy it is also highly dangerous to native wildlife.

Another important thing to learn is that the roads on Harris are drastically different to those experienced on the Scottish mainland single track roads are very common and you will often be forced to used passing places to allow oncoming traffic to pass but also to let traffic from behind to pass. Just keep it in mind that you pull over to the left of the road. If it is a very big vehicle wishing to get past you and the passing place is on your right hand side you may tuck yourself into it to allow the said vehicle pass easily but at all time take care not to end up off the road too much.

I hope that my article above sufficiently interests you in having a vacation on the Isle of Harris. Large numbers of folk the Western Isles decide to stay in two locations. There are a few other islands to visit including North Uist, South Uist and Lewis. Why don’t you think about staying in a Harris self catering house for and then stay in a room in a North Uist hotel or a South Uist hotel for the rest of your vacation?