Outer Hebrides: West Beach on Berneray

What, a whole post about one beach? Keep reading and you’ll see why…

I’d heard about West Beach on the island of Berneray. Not exactly accessible, but worth the effort. You make a left of the main road, and then bomb down an even more narrow single-track road till you get to a cattle guard in the road. Take a left and just keep going, and going, and going. Eventually, you see a small parking lot. If you’re lucky, someone is just pulling out and you can slide into their space.

It was that rare thing, a warm and sunny day on the Outer Hebrides, so the parking lot was full (meaning it had maybe 10 cars in it). People and dogs alike were grinning as I passed them walking, them done with their beach visit and me anticipating what was over the last sandy hill between me and the water.

Oh, was it worth it! As the man standing at what passes for the entrance to the wide sandy beach said with a smile, “ach, it’s a crowded one today, isn’t it?” as we both surveyed the four other people on the entire stretch of beach. You can get a sense of how long this beach is by spotting the two people on the right side of this photo. I walked for a half hour and probably didn’t get halfway to the far end.

And, yes, I took my shoes off and waded ankle-deep into the end of the surf, gentle little bubbles caressing my skin. My toes sank into the soft sand and my heart soared with every step, happy just to be here, walking on this beautiful beach.

For the golfers in the audience, here’s just a bit of the path to the beach. Looks like a Jack Nicklaus sand trap, but it’s actually just one of many sandy areas in the town’s commons, with sheep and cows wandering around. There were zero Highland Cows spotted on this outing.

I loved this beach so much that it’s made its way onto my Top 10 Beaches list, a rare honor indeed.

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I look my best when I’m totally free, on holiday, walking on the beach.

Rosamund Pike