Oh, the beaches

On Barra we were quite lucky with the weather so we could climb Ben Heaval, the highest peak, paddle our inflatable canoe across the bay to Vatersay and collect whelks and mussels there. We also walked to possibly the most beautiful beach we've ever been to. We then tried our hand at a spot of hitchhiking around the island's 'ring road': the first car stopped. The driver, the coxswain of the Lifeboat, could only take us part of the way as he had to visit his parents so he directed us a pub in North Bay, where he would pick us up later and drive us back to Castlebay, which he duly did. It was a breezy day, but he told us that in the winter there were several days where it blew up to 150-odd miles per hour. Ouch.

Ben Heaval from Vatersay

On top of Ben Heaval

Dunes on the west coast of Barra

Our favourite beach

And the cows like it, too