Windsurfing, Surfing and Kite Surfing in West Wales: South Uist & Benbecula

The Island of South Uist is about 21 miles long and 6 miles wide with a population of around 2300. The west coast is a string of long sandy beaches while the east coast is extremely hilly and indented by numerous sea lochs. Ben Mhor is the highest peak at just over 2000 feet while Hecla is 1988 feet. The largest settlement is Lochboisdale in the south. Access is via ferry to Lochboisdale from Oban on the mainland or Castlebay on Barra, or across the causeway from Benbecula and North Uist.

Benbecula is a small island sandwiched between and joined by causeways to South Uist and North Uist. It has a population of around 1800 and could easily be missed on the journey between North and South Uist.

South Uist & Benbecula

Contents of this Page

Lochboisdale
Pollachar
SW coast
Tobha Mhor
Loch Bee
Culla
Interesting Sites

Related Pages on this Site

S. Uist Photos
S. Uist Diary
Hebrides Links

Lochboisdale

The main settlement of South Uist and the place you will arrive at after the long ferry journey from Oban on the mainland. It has a hotel, police station, post office, tourist information centre and shops. Don't expect too much though as these are Western Isle style facilities.

Pollachar

At the southern tip of South Uist is Pollachar, home to the charming 19th Century Pollachar Inn and excellent views south across the Sound of Barra to the islands of Eriskay, Fuday and Barra.

SW Coast

The beaches of the SW coast of South Uist form a continuous band of white sand and are backed by a mile or so of machair ground which provide some excellent camping spots. Although it has been flat along this stretch of coast each time I've been there, I see no reason why it shouldn't provide a variety of beach and rocky reef breaks in the right swell conditions. The sands are also excellent for kite-mountainboarding..

Anna cycling on the machair land of South Uist.

Tobha Mhor

Further north along the west coast of South Uist is the little settlement of Tobha Mhor. The machair land behind the beach again provides a nice camp site and the sand bars formed by the river mouth provide a nice surf spot in the right conditions.

Tobha Mhor, South Uist.

Loch Bee

The waters of Loch Bee provide perfect flat water windsurfing conditions. The water is only waist to chest deep with a solid, sandy bottom substrate...Perfect carve gybe practising conditions. The small car parking space just off the A865 is the ideal place to rig and launch.

Me practising my carve gybing on the waters of Loch Bee, South Uist.

Culla

Continuing north onto the island of Benbecula, and then heading west along the B892, you pass through the town of Lionacleit which possesses a modern school with a swimming pool (useful as a shower facility if you are camping) and the Dark Island Hotel. Further along the B892 is Stinky Bay (so called due to the rotting seaweed that sometimes collects here) and Culla which can be a nice protected surf spot when everywhere else is way too big!

Other Interesting Sites

The following is a list of interesting sites on South Uist and Benbecula that you may wish to visit.

Pollachar Standing Stone: A six foot tall standing stone. 6 miles SW of Lochboisdale, Pollachar
Caisteal Bheagram: A ruined tower house standing on an Islet in Loch an Eilean. 13 miles N of Lochboisdale
Loch a' Bharp Cairn: A chambered cairn 90 feet in diameter. 2 miles NW of Lochboisdale.
Howemore Church and Chapels: Remains of two churches and two chapels, interesting thatched Blackhouse cottages and a burial site. Tobha Mhor, 12 miles north of Lochboisdale.
Ormacleit Castle: One of the last castles built in Scotland (1708). 10 miles north of Lochboisdale.

Places