Croft 183 Caravan and Camping Site

For an island where the film Whisky Galore was filmed, it’s surprising that Barra doesn’t have its own whisky distillery. Yet – it’s in the pipeline. In the meantime, there are all sorts of wholesome activities to take to: birdwatching, surfing, hill walking and fishing off loch and shore – or simply sitting and contemplating the views over Skye, Eigg, Canna and Rhumm. There’s even a golf course, which the owners claim to be the most westerly course in the British Isles. Head first for Heaval, the highest hill on the island and with its iconic statue of Virgin and Child (that’s it in the Croft 183 photos). Ben Tangaval in the west and Ben Cliad in the north are the main options on Barra for high hill walking, or, for confident types, there’s a Heavel Race to the summit and back every July. Almost any walk or hill walk will take strollers past historical monuments including Iron Age fortresses, a World War II bunker and old ruins, with wildlife also spottable along the way: look out for otters, seals, golden eagles, dolphins, basking sharks, buzzards and over a thousand different species of wild flower. There are several lochs on Barra for fishing, mainly for brown trout, with sea fishing (and wildlife spotting) trips for mackerel, pollock and more available during the summer. Very keen inland anglers can try the Barra Challenge, catching one fish from all seven named lochs on the island in one day: just the ticket to fry up back at camp while the sun comes down over the croft.