Planning a trip to Barra

Getting There

At the northern end of Barra is Cockle Strand, the airport. A long and wide beach of white sand, it's the only runway in Britain that's washed twice daily by sea tides. The Scottish airline Loganair ([tell] 0871/700-2000; www.loganair.co.uk) flies here from Glasgow or from Benbecula, on Lewis.

From the mainland at Oban, Barra can be reached by Caledonian MacBrayne car ferry (tel. 08705/650-000; www.calmac.co.uk), which docks at Castlebay. Subject to weather conditions, departures from Oban are on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, with a return on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. Sailing time is 5 hours, and a round-trip ticket is £22.

Visitor Information

The Castlebay Tourist Information Centre (tel. 01871/810-336) is near the pier where the ferry docks. From Easter to mid-October, it's open Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm. The staff will help you locate a room should you arrive on Barra without a reservation.