If just the thought of an airport makes you feel jaded, fly to Barra in the Outer Hebrides where you can land on a sparkling sandy beach. Even the terminal building has a seaview and serves home made scones and fresh coffee to passengers. Air travel will never seem the same again. What’s more this small island makes for a perfect escape for a few days with plenty to explore.

Your flight departs from Glasgow, with timings varying with the tides! - and will take around an hour. As you reach Barra watch for the sandy beaches revealing them selves below, before you land on the beach.

The Island

This is largely a Gaelic-speaking community with the hub being the port of Castlebay, site of historic Kisimul Castle. Barra boasts myriad species of wildflower and some stunning coastal scenery, including the the twin beaches of neighbouring Vatersay, with spectacular views back to Castlebay. Across the sound is the Isle of Eriskay – renowned setting of the novel ‘Whisky Galore’.

Your Hotel

Originally built as a church and mission house in the mid-nineteenth century, your whitewashed hotel enjoys a fine location overlooking the bay, with easy access to both the ferry port and Barra’s unique beachfront airstrip at Cockle Strand. In its previous incarnation as a guest house, it played host to several cast members of the classic 1948 film Whisky Galore, before upgrading to hotel status in 1974, whereupon Northbay could boast its first licensed premises since the closure of the old inn decades earlier.

The hotel was extensively renovated recently and now has five comfortable en-suite bedrooms furnished in contemporary style, some with DVD. The cheerful public bar – whose walls are over 3 foot thick – is a pleasant place to sit and observe the fishing activity across the bay at Ardveenish pier, or to while away an evening listening to the friendly locals share their colourful tales of island life. Meals are served in the bar, or you can opt for the quieter dining room, whose menu features tempting island produce, with an emphasis on locally landed fresh fish and shellfish.

Take a walk along the sparkling white sands of Cockle Strand and enjoy home-baking at the airport while watching planes landing at low tide – an unforgettable sight. Drive or cycle up to Eoligarry and feast your eyes on the springtime profusion of primroses as you gaze across the sound to Fuday, Eriskay and South Uist in the distance. Or head south to Castlebay, the island capital, and visit Kisimul Castle, restored ancestral home of the clan MacNeil. Stop off at the highly informative Heritage Centre, where you can enjoy coffee and refreshments, before perhaps taking a picnic across the causeway to Vatersay, with its glorious twin beaches.

Taking off once more from Cockle Strand and back to Glasgow.

From £249 per person, based on 2 people sharing, for two nights in March & April 2008 and £269 per person for holidays May to October 2008 on a bed & breakfast basis. Price includes return flights from Glasgow to Barra. We can also add car hire from £35 per day.

All our touring holidays include a map of Scotland with recommended routes from your specified starting point, suggestions on places to see and visit depending on your personal interests and our expertise to help you get the most from your holiday.

All itineraries and room types are presented subject to availability at specific hotels.

The McKinlay Kidd Guarantee

All our holiday prices include a service charge of £7 per person per night towards the costs we incur in researching, planning and designing your holiday.

We guarantee to refund this service charge if you believe that arranging your holiday through McKinlay Kidd has not met your expectations for value. All we ask is that you write to us within 7 days of your return and explain your reason for claiming the refund. This will ensure that we can improve the experience for all our future guests.