West Barra Things to Do

The closest beach to Castlebay is Tangasdale beach. Walking over the machair and the sand dunes reveals this stunning beach which is powered by the Atlantic ocean so can have dramatic waves.

Around the headland from Tangasdale beach you can find the ruins of Dun Ban, an Iron Age broch.

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Originally this standing stone stood tall, but it has fallen into the machair and only stands three foot tall. There is a second stone which has completely fallen and has been swallowed by the machair.

At an excavation at the site, human remains were found. It is believed that the standing stones were part of a Viking burial site.

Also known as Traigh Tuath, Craigston beach is a stunning beach with interesting rocks and views over to the big Atlantic waves crashing on the coast.

WARNING:

This beach does have sinking sand at the north end of it, so caution is advised to those walking children and dogs.

Although it is called Dun Bharpa, this site is not a dun but a chambered cairn which was built around 3500 BCE.

This chambered cairn is the best preserved in the Outer Hebrides and stands five meters tall and 30 meters wide. Although it has never been excavated, there are depressions to suggest where burial sites are.

This beach has several names, Traigh Hamara being one of them is a lovely beach which has a stoney section, as well as a long stretches of sandy beaches. The waves crash hard onto the bay and is a lovely place to watch the power of the ocean.

This galleried dun sits upon the hill with views over the west and north of the island. The dun was used as late as the 7th century.

During an excavation of the dun in the 1950's different artifacts were found which dated from the 4th to 7th century such as a bone comb, stone tools and dice made out of bones. The artifacts found are now in the Museum of Antiquities of Scotland.

Barra's golf course is the most westerly golf course in the UK and has amazing views over the Atlantic Ocean. The 9 hole course was established in 1992 and is part of Cleat township.

Golf clubs are available for hire from Buth Bharraigh for £5 per set per day, and green fees are £10 per player.

Tigh Talamhanta - which means The House under the ground - is the ruins of an aisled farmhouse, kiln house and steading. From excavations of the site in the 1950's, the amount of pottery found at the site indicate the site was occupied and used for a long time, with an estimation of the starting dates from the 1st century, however the site did get overlaid with a different structure in the 18th century.