Family Holidays in Scotland
During our last family visit to the remote and tranquil Outer Hebrides of Scotland, was in September 2018. Having not written about our visit I felt it would be useful to share a few of our experiences with our then two and half year old daughter.
As we set sail and left the mainland, as always we got comfortable and settled in for our two and a bit hour sailing across from Ullapool on the mainland to Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. Stornoway is the larges town, not only on Lewis, but on all of the Outer Hebrides, still only a few thousand inhabitants. We found a local bar and had a quick bit of lunch before starting our adventures!
Isle of Lewis
What can you expect to do with kids;
- Beaches, make sure you bring waterproof clothes for you and the kids as your bound to get wet, if not from the rain, then from playing in the water! You will find beautiful beaches from the Butt of Lewis to the Isle Barra and everywhere in-between.
- Wildlife, no matter where you go on the isles you’re likely to see wildlife and there are several tours and arranged activities where you can go to see the likes of dolphins, seals and many types of birds. The North Harris Eagle Observatory is great, but a big walk for some of the smaller kids.
- Attractions and Museums we didn’t spend much time indoor during our last visit, but the isles has several attractions and museums, including the Callanish Alpacas and Mollans Café and the Calanish Visitor Centre
Next up we met up with a friend who wanted to show us somewhere pretty special, well guess what, he did not disappoint!
After dropping past his house, we went for a bit of a drive to explore somewhere I would never have imagine existed on the wild and remote of the Outer Hebrides, a bothy, but not just any bothy, apparently Scotland’s favourite Mangersta Bothy. To read the touching and full story as to why this was build, you should check out the link below…
https://lindanorgrovefoundation.org/mangersta-bothy/
Butt of Lewis
Following day we heading north to the Butt of Lewis which is the very northern tip of the isles. Here you will find a few cafes, we went for Cafe Sonas which has a nice selection of foods, friendly service and spectacular setting overlooking the local harbour. Even on a windy and cloudy day this place is out of this world and amazing!
Stornoway
During one of our days we paid a visit to Lews Castle in Stornoway. Here you will find a wonderful and upmarket cafe and a great wee play area for the kids to run off some energy. When the weather is good the grounds are also a great place for the kids to play.
During our week in the Outer Hebrides, we spent several just visiting and playing on the many beaches. The Dalmore, Traigh Dhail Mhor is not far from Calloway and an absolute hidden gem in an iconic setting.
When you have the opportunity to visit while everyone else is still sleeping, you need to make the most of it! Despite us seeing the sun in this photo, I did actually only see it for about 5 minutes and the mist and rain was making the place look mysterious and magical again!
Isle Of Harris
After spending a number of days staying in and visiting the Isle of Lewis, we headed south to the Isle of Harris. As you drive south you will see a distinct difference in the landscape between the Isle of Lewis with its bare landscape and the Isle of Harris with a more rugged and rough landscape. Both with their own very special beaches and coastline.
We managed to get a couple of nights in one of the Sandy Bay Croft Wigwams. The couple of Wigwams are only a couple of minutes from this remote and tranquil beach on the Isle of Harris.
Excited to be back on the ferry, yet sad to be leaving the Outer Hebrides behind, for now!
If you plan to visit the Outer Hebrides, I recommend you check out my previous post on Why to Visit the Outer Hebrides but there are also many more great suggestions and ideas on Visit Outer Hebrides official site.
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