OUTER HEBRIDES: SCOTLAND’S WILD, PRISTINE, PREHISTORIC BUCKET LIST MUST

OUTER HEBRIDES

Wild, rough, and mostly barren, the Outer Hebrides, a remote island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland, is utterly beautiful and deeply soulful. Travel here if you are looking for pristine rugged landscapes, links to early origins of mankind, or perhaps if you are looking to find yourself.

Although they lie way north, the Outer Hebrides climate is relatively mild, thanks to its position in the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. If you appreciate pristine landscapes and the beauty of solitude along with a deep connection to ancient humanity, this place belongs on your bucket list.

Formed about 3 billion years ago in the Precambrian period, these islands are mainly made up bedrock formed from pink Lewisian gneiss. They are amongst the oldest rocks in Europe -- mostly igneous in origin, mixed with metamorphosed marble, quartzite and mica schist. The basaltic dykes and granite magma formations found here are jaw-dropping. Anorthosite granite found here is similar to that found in the mountains of the Moon.

There are plenty of natural and human wonders on these magical islands. Check them out below.

Also known as “Innse Gall” or "islands of the strangers" in Scottish Gaelic, the predominant spoken language here, this is a place that feels largely forgotten yet treasured for its ancient history. Only 15 of the more than 70 islands in this archipelago are inhabited by humans, originally settled in the Mesolithic era (9660 to 5000 BCE). The sparse population here today mainly subsists on crofting, fishing, and weaving.

From Barra Head, on the island of Barra, to the Butt of Lewis, on the island of Lewis and Harris, the Outer Hebrides spans roughly 210 kilometres (130 mi). North Uist, Benbecula, and South Uist are the other main islands in the chain. The main way to get here is by ferry from mainland Scotland.

Much of the Outer Hebrides include designated conservation areas managed by Scottish Natural Heritage to protect the natural environment. There are 53 Sites of Special Scientific Interest here.

The largest islands are cut by lochs, such as Loch Ròg, Loch Seaforth and Loch nam Madadh, often referred to as “arms of the sea.” There are also more than 7,500 freshwater lochs in the Outer Hebrides, each with its own beautiful complex contour.

The magnificent western coastlines of these islands primarily consists of machair, a fertile low-lying dune pasture land. Because it doesn’t contain sufficient nutrients, any cattle grazed here must be moved to inland pasture land for part of the year.

The Outer Hebrides are ringed with white wind-flounced sandy beaches, with pillowy dunes, while the island interiors have low-lying hills and small to medium mountains along with vast flat treeless moors and peat bogs.

Hundreds of species of flowering plants have been recorded on the reserves, some of which are nationally scarce. Many are considered European Protected Species.

Important populations of breeding waders fish in Outer Hebrides waters, including common redshank, dunlin, lapwing and ringed plover. Other important bird species such as the corncrake, hen harrier, golden eagle, northern gannet, Leach’s petrel, northern fulmar, razorbill and the cartoon like puffin call these islands home.  

Rare carpet wildflowers, including orchids such as Irish lady's tresses and the Hebridean Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchii hebridensis) are pollinated by rare insects such as the “Bombus jonellus hebridensis,” an endemic bumblebee, and with local variants of the dark green fritillary and green-veined white butterflies.

Basking shark as well as various species of whale and dolphin swim around the islands.

Connect with ancient humanity on the Outer Hebrides. Ruins of important prehistoric structures will give you a taste of how the earliest human settlers lived here, predating Greek and Roman times. The islands were part of the Norse kingdom of the Suðreyjar for over 400 years until sovereignty was transferred to Scotland by the Treaty of Perth in 1266.

Important prehistoric sites include Eilean Dòmhnuill in Loch Olabhat, Scotland's earliest crannog (a type of artificial island); the Callanish Stones, a stone circle similar to Stonehenge; Cladh Hallan, the only site in the UK where prehistoric mummies have been found; and the ruins of Dun Carloway broch dating back to the Iron Age.

And check out the medieval Kisimul Castle, the white marble Our Lady of the Sea statue on the slopes of Heaval, the remains of the Celtic Christian church, as well as the prehistoric roundhouses, cairns and brochs --  all on the isle of Barra.

Learn more about planning to travel to the Outer Hebrides here. It would be great to include a trip to the Inner Hebrides as well, where you can see the mind-blowingly beautiful Fingal’s Cave. These islands are part of why many people voted Scotland to be the Most Beautiful Country in the World.

Read more about Beautiful Scotland in A Most Beautiful Train Ride Across a Most Beautiful Scotland and Bag a Beautiful Munro! Here’s How!

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Mind/Body, Soul/Impact, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Arts/Design, and Place/Time, Daily Fix posts.

Want more stories like this? Sign up for our weekly BN Newsletter, Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr. Join our BeautifulNow Community and connect with the most beautiful things happening in the world right now!

Do you have amazing photos? Enter them in this week’s BN Photo Contest. We run new creative contest every week! Now, it’s even easier to enter with the new BeautifulNow App!

Plus check out the rest of our App’s beautiful features. It’s free to download here.

IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Chris Combe. “Callanish Stones.” Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
2. Image: by Iñaki Queralt. “SCOTLAND-Outer Hebrides.” Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
3. Image: by Sonse. “Luskentyre, Isle of Harris.” Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
4. Image: by Chris Combe. “Dalbeg Beach.” Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
5. Image: by Dewi Sant. Untitled. Isle of Lewis and Harris. Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
6. Image: by Clive. “Lewis & Harris.” Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
7. Image: by Bill Higham. “Tuath Beach - Barra.” Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
8. Image: by Clive. “Lewis & Harris.” Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
9. Image: by James Stringer. “Mingulay.” Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
10. Image: by Mike Gifford. Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
11. Image: by Tom Parnell. “Cille Bharra.” Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
12. Image: by Andrew Bennett. “Callanish Stone Circle.” Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
13. Image: by James Stringer. “Kisimul Castle.” Barra. Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
14. Image: Mike Gifford. Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
15. Image: by Mike Gifford. Berneray Island. Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
16. Image: by __andrew. “Outer Hebrides.” Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
17. Image: by BN App - Download now!
18. Image: by Vanessa. Outer Hebrides, Scotland.