Things to do in Western Isles

Ammhuinsuihde Castle is located on the Isle of Harris in north-western Scotland and overlooks the sea. The castle is fully in tact, and somewhat resembles a country house, with three storeys, sharply angled roofs and many rectangular windows. It has many chimneys and a circular tower. It has vast views of the sea from many of its towers. The grounds span 55, 000 acres and include lochs, glens and beaches. Facilities Ammhuinsuihde is available for use for wedding ceremonies, accommodation and shooting. It has several lavishly decorated suites, and is fully catered by castle staff. The owners of the Isle of Harris originally built Ardvourlie Castle on the Ammhuinsuihde estate in 1863 as to serve as a hunting lodge, in addition to their home. However In 1867, Fincastle was built on the same estate because the owner, Charles the 7th of Dunmore, did not think Ardvourlie suitable for his sporting although the family never lived in the castle. Fincastle's name was eventually changed to Ammhuinsuihde, which means 'sitting by the river'. An extra wing was added later, which contributed to the Dunmores' bankruptcy that forced them off the estate. Sir Edward Scott took over the still-unfinished castle in 1869. The castle was then sold to Lord Leverhulme in 1919, and bought back by Scott in 1925 upon Leverhulme's death. Ammhuinsuihde changed hands several more times between 1925 and 2003, and it is now owned by Ian Scarr-Hall who runs the castle as a venue for weddings, shooting and accommodation. Amhuinsuidhe Castle near to Amhainn Suidhe, Na h-Eileanan an Iar. The house was built in 1865 for the then owner of the Isle of Harris, the 7th Earl of Dunmore. Amhuinnsuidhe Castle dates from 1868

Armadale Castle is a ruined country house in Armadale, Isle of Skye. The building was built as a baronial style mock-castle in 1815, and was abandoned in 1925 and has since fallen into ruin. The estate was purchased by the Clan Donald Lands Trust in 1971.The Trust has restored the gardens and part of the Castle, created a museum and built holiday accommodation and established a visitor centre. The original building was a mansion house built in 1790 by the first Lord Macdonald. Part of this original mansion can still be seen as the white section of the building in the photos. In 1815 the building was extended to form Armadale Castle. In 1855 fire destroyed much of the original house. In 1925 the Macdonald family moved to a smaller house a few miles away, leaving the castle to fall into disrepair.

Caisteal Maol is a ruined castle located near the harbour of the village of Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye. It is also known as Castle Moil. Caisteal Maol is believed to originate from the 10th Century. The present building dates from around the 14th or 15th century and was abandoned by the MacKinnons in the mid 17th Century. The castle is now nearly completely ruined. In 1949 and 1989 parts of the ruins broke away in storms. The remaining ruins have been secured to prevent further deterioration Legends It is believed that one of the early MacKinnon chiefs married a Norwegian princess around 900 and established the original castle. Tradition records that this couple levied a toll on boats passing through the channel between Skye and the mainland, by stretching a chain across the strait as a stop barrier.

The Calanais Standing Stones on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides are among the most important Neolithic monuments in Britain, a complex of standing stones arranged in a cruciform pattern with a central stone circle that dates from approximately 2900 to 2600 BC and represents one of the most ambitious ritual monument projects undertaken in prehistoric Scotland. The site predates Stonehenge in its principal phase of construction and is comparable to the Avebury complex in its ambition if not in its scale, and the quality of its preservation in a remote island setting gives it an atmosphere unlike any other prehistoric monument in Britain. The main stone circle at Calanais consists of thirteen standing stones arranged around a central monolith of exceptional height, from which four avenues of stones radiate outward to create the cruciform plan visible from above. The stones are of Lewisian gneiss, some of the oldest rock on earth at approximately three billion years old, giving the monument a geological antiquity that adds to its already considerable age as a Neolithic structure. The weathered forms of the gneiss stones, their surfaces etched and patterned by millennia of exposure to the Atlantic weather of the Outer Hebrides, have an organic quality quite different from the smoother dressed sarsens of Stonehenge. The astronomical alignments of the stones have been studied extensively, and the monument appears to have been laid out with awareness of lunar cycle events, particularly the significant lunar standstill that occurs approximately every eighteen years when the full moon appears to skim along the horizon in this latitude. The relationship between the monument's orientation and the sacred landscape of the Lewis coastline, including the hill across the loch that appears from certain viewpoints to resemble a sleeping figure known as the Cailleach, has been interpreted as evidence of a cosmological landscape design of considerable sophistication. The Calanais Visitor Centre nearby provides excellent contextual information about the monument and the archaeology of Lewis.

The Calanais Visitor Centre on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides is the principal interpretive facility for one of the most important prehistoric monument complexes in Britain, the Calanais Standing Stones that date from approximately 2900 to 2600 BC and represent a cruciform arrangement of standing stones with a central circle that rivals Stonehenge in its archaeological significance. The visitor centre, opened in 1994, provides a sensitively designed introduction to the monument and its context without imposing between the visitor and the stones themselves, which stand freely accessible on the moorland a short distance from the building. The exhibition within the visitor centre covers the archaeology of the Calanais complex in depth, explaining the phased construction of the monument, the astronomical alignments that appear to have influenced its orientation, the evidence for prehistoric activity in the surrounding landscape and the various theories that have been advanced to explain the monument's purpose. The quality of the interpretation is high and the presentation respects the genuine scholarly uncertainty about the function of the monument rather than imposing a false certainty that the archaeological evidence does not support. The visitor centre also provides the essential facilities for visiting a remote island monument: a café, toilets and an introductory audio-visual presentation that helps visitors understand what they are about to see before approaching the stones. The gift shop carries a good range of publications on the archaeology of Lewis and the wider Outer Hebrides, and the staff are knowledgeable about both the monument and the island's broader heritage. The stones themselves stand just a few minutes' walk from the visitor centre on a low moorland ridge with wide views across the Lewis landscape, and the contrast between the interpretation centre and the open prehistoric monument allows visitors to transition from the intellectual understanding provided by the exhibition to the direct experiential engagement with the stones that makes Calanais one of the most powerful prehistoric sites in Britain.

Dunscaith Castle is situated on the Sleat Peninsula on the Isle of Skye in the north of Scotland. The castle is built on an off-shore rock rising 40 feet above sea level. There is a gap of 20 feet between the rock and the mainland. The gap was once spanned by a walled bridge that led to a drawbridge. On the other side of the drawbridge, a door opened to a flight of stairs which was also sided by two walls. The flight of stairs led up to the castle. Parts of the castle curtain wall still survive on the cliff edge but most of the inner buildings have gone. The curtain wall was about 5 ft thick. In the courtyard is a well and the remains of a stairway which once led up a tower. Originally the castle belonged to the Clan MacDonald of Sleat . During the 14th century it was taken from them by the Clan MacLeod but was recaptured by the MacDonalds in the 15th century. In the 15th century the castle was captured by King James I of Scotland, although the MacDonalds were allowed to keep possession of the castle. The MacDonalds abandoned the castle in the early 17th century.

Dunvegan Castle is located at Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye, off the west coast of Scotland. It is the seat of the chief of the Clan MacLeod for nearly 800 years. The castle was first opened to the public in 1933 and is one of Scotland's most popular castles. The castle has a number of important clan relics including the Fairie Flag of Dunvegan and the Dunvegan Cup. The Fairy Flag of Dunvegan is made of silk from the Middle East, and has been dated to between the 4th and 7th centuries. Visitors to the castle can experience tours of the castle, estate, take boat trips on Loch Dunvegan to see the seal colony. Dunvegan Castle may b hired for weddings. Self-catering accommodation is available on the estate. There are four shops on the site. Parts of the castle are thought to date from the ninth century. Building has been carried out in almost every century since the 1200s when the MacLeods moved in. Sir Walter Scott, Dr Johnson, Queen Elizabeth II and the Japanese Emperor Akihito have visited Dunvegan Castle.

Kisimul Castle can be reached by taking a small boat from Castlebay (five minute trip, weather permitting). It is recommended visiting with a helper due to the boat crossing, difficult terrain and various levels within the castle. Kisimul Castle is a small medieval castle located in the centre of Castlebay on the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. It is known locally as the "Castle in the Sea". Kisimul Castle is the only significant surviving medieval castle in the Western Isles. Construction of Kisimul Castle was started by Niall of Barra around 1039, making it one of the oldest castles in Scotland. Since that time, Kisimul has been the stronghold of Clan MacNeil. It is built on a rocky outcrop in the bay, completely surrounded by water. Many of the buildings within the curtain wall are still standing. The castle is open to the public every day from April to September. Much of the interior of the castle is accessible, although some of the rooms are still used by the MacNeil family. There are magnificent views of Castlebay from the walkway around the curtain wall. The earliest structures standing today probably date from the early 15th century. The original design was a three story tower house surrounded by a curtain wall. Inside the wall a number of other structures were built, including the hall that still stands, and the chapel. In the late 15th century or early 16th century a range was built adjoining the tower house, and the curtain wall was raised. By the mid 18th century the castle was abandoned, and some time later was gutted by fire. In 1838 the MacNeils became bankrupt and were forced to sell Barra to Colonel Gordon of Cluny. In 1937 the American architect Robert MacNeil purchased most of the Barra estate including Kisimul Castle. He started restoring the castle, and restoration was completed in 1970. In 2001 the castle was leased by the chief of Clan MacNeil to Historic Scotland. Kisimul Castle Caisteil Chiosmuil (Kisimul Castle). The castle in the bay at Castlebay (Bàgh a' Chaisteil). The seat of the Macneils of Barra.

Knock Castle is situated on the east coast of Sleat, approximately 5 miles north of Armadale on the Isle of Skye. The castle is also known as Caisteal Chamuis (Castle Camus). Today the castle is in ruins. All that remains is an old 15th century keep with traces of later buildings. The castle was constructed in the 15th century by the Clan MacLeod. It was later captured by the Clan MacDonald in the late 15th century. Ownership of the castle passed between the two clans several times. It was rebuilt in 1596 by the MacDonalds. By 1689 the castle was abandoned and fell intop disrpair. Most of the stones were then used for nearby buildings. Legends It is said that the castle is haunted by a Green Lady - a ghost associated with the fortunes of the family who occupy the castle.

Lews Castle is a Victorian castle situated west of Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. Today the building is owned by the local council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and is category A listed building. Comhairle nan Eilean and its partners propose to regenerate the vacant building through a mixed development comprising a museum and a hotel with function rooms. The castle is used as the main venue of the annual Hebridean Celtic Festival, a 4-day international music event held in July. The castle itself is not open to the public, but visitors can walk around the extensive grounds. The Woodland Centre houses exhibitions, a tea room, gift shop and toilets. Lews Castle was built between 1847 and 1857 as a country house for Sir James Matheson who bought the island in 1844. In 1918, the Lewis estate including the castle was bought by Lord Leverhulme from the Matheson family. He gifted the castle to the people of Stornoway parish in 1923.During World War II the Castle was used as accommodation for the 700 Naval Air Squadron, who operated a detachment of six Supermarine Walrus aircraft from the castle grounds. From the early 1950s until 1989 the Castle served as a Technical College and school - Lews Castle College. Lews Castle, Stornoway Stornoway, Lews Castle

Ormacleit Castle (also spelled Ormiclate or Ormaclett) is located on South Uist in the Western Isles of Scotland. The building is a ruined mansion house rather than a defensive structure. It was a T-plan, two-storey house which faced north onto a courtyard. The ruin is a Scheduled Monument and a category B listed building. The castle is on privately property, the ruins are unstable and not open to visitors. Ormacleit Castle was built in the early 18th century by Allan Macdonald, chief of Clanranald, and was completed in 1708. Macdonald was killed at the Battle of Sheriffmuir in November 1715, and Ormacleit Castle burned down on the eve of that battle. After the fire, the Clanranald seat moved to Nunton on Benbecula, and Ormacleit was abandoned. That must make Ormacleit Castle one of the shortest lived castles in Scotland. The first structure at Ormacleit was built in the 16th century by Macdonald, 9th chief of Clanranald. Parts of this building may be incorporated into the present house. Ormacleit Castle

Luskentyre Beach on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides is consistently ranked among the most beautiful beaches in Britain and Europe, a vast expanse of white shell-sand exposed at low tide in the estuary of the Laxdale River where the sand, the turquoise and emerald water, the dune grassland and the mountains of Harris converging from every direction create a scene of extraordinary natural beauty that seems improbable in the latitude of northwest Scotland. On a fine summer day the combination of colours and the clarity of the water gives Luskentyre a tropical quality that astonishes visitors who arrive expecting a northern beach. The white sand of Luskentyre is composed almost entirely of fragments of marine shell, ground to fine particles by wave action over thousands of years, giving it a brightness and a texture quite different from the quartz sand of most British beaches. The combination of this shell-sand, the shallow water over the pale sand and the particular quality of Hebridean light produces the distinctive turquoise and emerald colours of the water that make Luskentyre so frequently photographed. In calm, clear conditions the water transparency allows the sand patterns on the seabed to be visible from the shore, an effect more reminiscent of a tropical lagoon than the northwest coast of Scotland. The surrounding landscape of the Isle of Harris is equally dramatic. The rocky peaks and moorland of the Harris hills, the distinctive Hebridean architecture of the scattered crofting settlements and the extraordinary light quality of the Atlantic horizon create a total environment of great beauty and emotional power. The Golden Road, a single-track road through the rocky southeast coast of Harris, provides one of the most dramatic driving routes in Scotland. The beach is accessible from a small car park and is free to visit, though the approach road is narrow and the car park small relative to demand in summer.

St Kilda is one of the most remote and remarkable places in the British Isles, an archipelago of sea-girt rock columns and cliffs lying 65 kilometres west of the Outer Hebrides in the North Atlantic, the last outpost of land before the open ocean that stretches to Canada. The main island of Hirta, and its dramatic satellites Boreray, Stac Lee and Stac an Armin, support the largest colony of northern gannets in the world and some of the most astonishing seabird densities anywhere on the planet. The place has a quality of absolute geological and biological scale that is genuinely overwhelming. The human history of St Kilda is one of the most extraordinary stories in British history. A small community of between 30 and 100 people inhabited Hirta for at least 2,000 years, surviving in conditions of near-complete isolation on a diet composed almost entirely of seabirds, their eggs and their fat. The community developed unique skills and traditions shaped entirely by their environment: the ability to climb the nearly vertical cliffs of Stac Lee and Boreray using only bare feet and primitive ropes to harvest gannets was passed down through generations and represents a physical achievement matched by very few people in history. Their social organisation, the Village Parliament that met daily to decide the work of the community, reflected a democratic tradition born of absolute necessity. The last permanent residents evacuated St Kilda on 29 August 1930, overwhelmed by the cumulative pressures of disease, emigration and the impossibility of maintaining an economically viable community in such extreme isolation. The evacuation was largely voluntary and the evacuation ship's departure was met with a mixture of relief and grief that neither the evacuees nor subsequent observers have ever quite resolved. The ruins of the village street on Hirta and the restored buildings managed by the National Trust for Scotland preserve this haunting legacy. St Kilda is designated both a World Heritage Site for its natural value and a World Heritage Site for its cultural value, one of very few places in the world to hold dual designation. Access is by passenger vessel from the Outer Hebrides during the summer months, with the journey taking several hours depending on conditions. Day visits allow exploration of the village and the extraordinary seabird spectacle. A small National Trust for Scotland working party is based on the island throughout the summer season.