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What are the Outer Hebrides

The Outer Hebrides is an islands chain west of Scotland consisting of larger and smaller islands, each unique in landscape, habitats and culture.

What islands make up the Outer Hebrides?

The Outer Hebrides are made up of more than 70 islands of which 13 islands are occupied.

How many people live in the Outer Hebrides?

The Outer Hebrides has a population of just over 26,222 people which is spread across 13 islands with the largest portion of the population-based in the Isle of Lewis

What is the best time to visit the Outer Hebride?

The best time to visit the Outer Hebrides is from mid-April to the end of September for those seeking summer vacations. The weather can be unpredictable but long daylight hours make one end of the day good.

How Long should I stay in the Outer Hebrides?

Depending on your holiday time you can stay from three days to two weeks. The biggest issue in summer is finding accommodation and availability on ferries.

What is the best island to visit?

All parts of the Outer Hebrides are beautiful and there is such a wide variety of landscapes to see but in brief, lewis is more moorland and rugged coastlines, harris is high hills and has beautiful beaches and Uist and Barra are low lying with beautiful beaches and endless machair.

What is the language of Outer Hebrides?

Gaelic is still spoken widely across the islands but today most people speak English and are bilingual.

Did the Vikings own the Hebrides?

The region of Scotland is a former Norwegian colony thanks to the Viking settlements in the 8th century AD. in 1098, Edgar the King of Scotland formally gave Norse control of the Hebrides to Magnus III of Norway.

What is the Hebrides famous for?

The Outer Hebrides is famous for its stunning scenery, Harris tweed, the Lewis chessmen, Harris Gin, Stornoway Black pudding and its amazing shellfish.

Are the Outer Hebrides part of Scotland?

Any visit to the Outer Hebrides will make you feel like you are in another world and with these islands closer to London it is hard to imagine they are a part of Scotland.

Are there midges in the Outer Hebrides?

MIdges are present across the Hebrides but tend to be more prevalent on the east coast where there is heather and bracken although on still nights they could be anywhere if there is a breeze they are less of a problem.

Can you see whales and dolphins?

The summer months from June to August see promising numbers of minke whales common and bottlenosed dolphins around the coastlines and as summer progresses basking sharks can be seen close to the shore. Orca is seen fairly frequently from July onwrds. On the east coast, Risso dolphins are often seen along with porpoises.

Are there any museums in the Hebrides

There are some great museums in the Outer Hebrides with Museum Nan Eilean in Stornoway and throughout the islands, there are other smaller museums all the way to the Isle of Barra. Every island has its own museum with fascinating artefacts and local history.

What is the capital of Hebrides?

Stornoway in the Isle of Lewis is the largest town and with the biggest population. 

How much daylight is there in summer?

At the height of summer from June to August, there are 18 hours of daylight in the Outer Hebrides but it seldom gets totally dark. 

What should I wear in the Outer Hebrides?

It is always advisable to come prepared for all seasons therefore layers, waterproof jackets and clothing, good walking boots, wellingtons, jumpers and casual wear including believe it or not flip flops.

How far is St Kilda from the Outer Hebrides

St Kilda lies 41miles of the coastline of  North Uist and is visible on clear days. It can be reached through boat trips from the isle of Harris

Are there any distilleries in the Outer Hebrides?

Over the past few years there has been a development of new distilleries across the islands with Abhain Dearg, Harris Gin, Uist Gin and Barra Gin .

What is the best time to see Machair flowers?

Machair flowers begin to show in abundance from May to August with the months of June and July the most vibrant.

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