Everything(ish) you need to know about travelling the Outer Hebrides in a campervan or motorhome
The Outer Hebrides holds a special place in our hearts. We’ve been there two times now, and we are pretty certain we will keep visiting year after year. It’s a special place, full of beautiful, unspoilt beaches, incredible opportunities to spot nature, quirky and interesting communities, fascinating ancient and recent historical sites, as well as smooth tarmac routes that are perfect for road-tripping.
Read on for some tips on planning for your Outer Hebrides road trip, and here for ideas for Barra, The Uists and Lewis and Harris.
And watch the full video series on YouTube here:
How can I get there?
The Outer Hebrides consists of an archipelago made up of the major islands Lewis and Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist, and Barra. North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist are connected by land bridges with all of the Uists drivable from North to South.
Ferries run regularly from Oban to Castlebay (Barra), Mallaig to Lochboisdale (Uists), Uig (Skye) to Tarbert (Lewis and Harris) and Ullapool to Stornoway (Lewis and Harris).
Prices for campervans and motorhomes can be expensive, and pre-booking in peak season is essential – we paid just under £500 in peak season for all ferries, including between the islands. But we really do think it’s worth it.
If you want to do all of the islands, we would recommend doing it the way we did, or in reverse: Oban to Barra, and then out from Stornoway to Ullapool. You should book your ferries direct from the CalMac website, here: https://www.calmac.co.uk/
Campsites, free-sites or both?
Official advice from Cal Mac and the Outer Hebrides council is to only use designated camp spots; whether it be campsites, crofter-owned fields with donation boxes or other areas designated for campervans or motorhomes. This is to protect the environment, while also ensuring you don’t overwhelm local communities. I won’t replicate all of the guidance – but you can access this via their handy Motorhome and Campervan guide here.
In the short peak season, we understand it may be advantageous to pre-book ahead, and camp sites may be your best option. We visited in June, and didn’t experience any problems with just turning up to spots on the day.
Our favourite places to stay at were crofter or community owned land, with donation boxes nailed onto fences. REMEMBER to bring cash with you. The only digitised donation box is via the West Harris Community Trust
Some great spots based on donation – and found through Park4Night – include:
- Berneray Croft, 10 pounds per night
- Luskentyre – 5-10 pounds per night
- Cliff Beach – 5 pounds per night
- Vatersay – 10 pounds per night
Where can I access facilities for fresh water, grey and black?
On campsites and at designated service areas across the islands. Visit Outer Hebrides have handily created this interactive map:
What are the roads like and what is it like to drive?
The roads on all of the islands we found to be in really good condition. But it does take some time to get used to driving on single track roads, and being aware of what could be coming towards you, and when to pull into a passing place. Some great advice on driving on single track roads from Visit Outer Hebrides is below:
- Please use the nearest passing place to let traffic pass
- Never cross the road to pull into a passing place. Stay on your side and let the oncoming vehicle use the passing place
- Pull in and let traffic behind you pass to avoid creating a queue
- Be aware that, on occasion, you may have to reverse to let a vehicle pass if you have just passed the nearest passing place
- If you see a large vehicle approaching in the distance, be prepared to stop in the next passing place and wait for them to go by you
- Note that vehicles coming up a hill have the right of way and it is the vehicle going down hill that has to stop
When’s the best time to go?
We have been incredibly lucky with the weather each time we’ve visited. And we’ve been told by plenty of people how lucky we’ve been to have experienced such great weather. And it’s true. The Outer Hebrides, being so exposed to the Atlantic and winds from the north, can experience some truly epic weather. We’d recommend any time between May – August, although we can offer no guarantees you’ll get as good weather as we did! We also know of some hardy folk who headed out there in the winter months..!
What is the internet situation like on the Outer Hebrides?
We’re with EE and found signal surprisingly easy to get, although the more remote you go, the less likely you’ll find a connection. We’ve found that with other mobile networks in the UK, and you could struiggle. For example, we’re with 3 on our phones and really struggled for decent 4G. However, tethering off our mifi box which has an EE Sim, we were able to work remotely in the most remote of places!
I’m Vegan, what is being Vegan on the Outer Hebrides like?
Pretty easy, to be honest! The main chain shop – Co-Op – has a growing vegan and plant-based range, and the shops can be found dotted along and around each island. While our personal favourite shop – Uig Community Shop – on Lewis and Harris has an incredible Vegan and Gluten-free range of foods.
While we didn’t really eat out that much, apart from a cook-to-order item at a community cafe at The Edge cafe on Gallen Head. In the main town of Stornoway you won’t struggle. Not only did we find vegan cake in the museum cafe, as well as a vegan sausage sandwich, but we also got vegan pizzas served to us at The Crown Inn.
Got any other questions about the Outer Hebrides? Contact us via Instagram or via our email and we will add them into this post.
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