North Uist
Uibhist a Tuath
More water than land — a maze of lochs, heather moorland, and the west-coast beaches. A base for fishing, birdwatching and the Uig–Lochmaddy ferry.
North Uist accommodation suits walkers, birdwatchers and anyone arriving on the Uig–Lochmaddy ferry. Most visitors stay in self-catering cottages; there are also B&Bs, a hotel at Langass and camping at Balranald and Clachan Sands.
Names people look for: Lochmaddy Hotel · Langass Lodge · Hamersay House · Temple View Hotel · Hebridean Smokehouse · Taigh Chearsabhagh
- Getting here
- CalMac into Lochmaddy from Uig on Skye. Benbecula Airport is about 30 minutes south over the causeway. Ferry timetables →
- Townships
- Lochmaddy, Sollas, Clachan, Bayhead and the west-side townships around Balranald. Grimsay is the next island south on the causeway.
Beaches & walks
Published places on North Uist.
Clachan Sands (Tràigh Lingeigh)
A sweep of white shell-sand with views to Harris. Popular for walking and picnics, with machair behind.
Tràigh Iar (Hosta)
Dramatic Atlantic beach backed by dunes — a favourite for sunsets and surf watching.
Baleshare Beach
A vast, flat tidal beach stretching for miles — wonderful for long walks and big skies.
Eaval
North Uist's highest hill (347m). A rough but rewarding hike through a watery moonscape of lochs, with a superb summit panorama.
Balranald Machair Circuit
Gentle circular through RSPB Balranald's flower-rich machair — listen for corncrakes in summer.
North Uist accommodation
74 places to stay
Apartment 18 Illeray
Well equipped first floor 3 star self-catering apartment with 3 bedrooms, living room/kitchen and bathroom. Central area of North Uist - good for hill and beach walks, birdwatching, fishing. Shops…
Maari
Comfortable Accommodation: Maari in Trumisgarry offers a 4-star holiday home with three bedrooms and one bathroom.
Dusary Millhouse
Comfortable Accommodation: Dusary Millhouse in Paible offers a cosy holiday home with two bedrooms and a bathroom.
3 Bed in Isle Of North Uist oc-77239
Comfortable Accommodation: 3 Bed in Isle Of North Uist oc-77239 offers a holiday home in Sollas, United Kingdom.
Taigh Gorm
Providing a garden, Taigh Gorm provides accommodation in Balivanich.
The Studio, Lochmaddy
Comfortable Accommodation: The Studio in Lochmaddy offers a 3-star holiday home with one bedroom and one bathroom.
North Uist property
15 listings from local agents
Offers around £110,000
2 Mishigarry, Sollas, Isle of North Uist, Western Isles, HS6 5BT
For sale · House
Offers around £25,000
Croft Tenancy Lochmaddy (Market Stance) Isle of North Uist, Western Isles HS6 5AG
For sale · Croft
Offers over £95,000
Vallay View Lodge, Sollas, Isle of North Uist, HS6 5BX
For sale · House
Offers over £299,000
4/5 Carinish, Isle of North Uist, HS6 5HL
For sale · House
On North Uist
51 businesses in the directory
Baleshare Causeway
Spanning the shores of North Uist, the Baleshare Causeway offers a tranquil gateway to a haven of unspoiled natural beauty and endless opportunities for discovery.
Bayhead Shop
Licensed convenience store, Post Office and petrol station at Bayhead on the west side of North Uist, open Mon-Sat 8-6
Caim Candles Gift Shop
A gift shop in North Uist selling handmade candles alongside a curated selection of local crafts, homeware and island-made gifts.
Cakes - Honesty Box
Indulge in the sweet taste of the Hebrides at Cakes - Honesty Box on Baleshare, North Uist, where fresh homemade treats await discovery.
Caroline's Cake Box
A roadside honesty box in North Uist selling homemade cakes and traybakes. What3Words detective.goat.prowling
Clachan Sands
White shell-sand beaches Tràigh Lingeigh and Tràigh Hornais with flower-rich machair in the north of North Uist
Stories from North Uist
All lore →A Viking ship burial lies beside the old Berneray ferry slipway
At Otternish, where the Berneray ferry used to leave from until the causeway opened in December 1998, ancient human remains were found in 1870, and a Viking ship burial was uncovered fifty yards away in the early twentieth century.
FactA linen millionaire built a mansion on a tidal island and dug up its past
Erskine Beveridge, head of Dunfermline's biggest linen firm, built himself a mansion on Vallay, the tidal island off North Uist's north coast, and spent his summers excavating its archaeology. The house is a ruin; he is counted among the first archaeologists of the Hebrides.
FactAn Iron Age broch reached by three causeways and an Island of Bad Counsel
Dùn an Sticir, north of Lochmaddy, is an Iron Age broch on an islet reached by three stone causeways, one of them via Eilean na Mi-Chomhairle, the Island of Bad Counsel. A MacDonald of Sleat was still living in it in 1602.
FactBaleshare's highest point is twelve metres above the sea
Baleshare, the flat island off North Uist's west coast, rises to just twelve metres above sea level. Its causeway, 350 metres long, was built in 1962, and the island's name means east township because its western half was lost to the sea.
North Uist — common questions
Is North Uist worth visiting? ▾
Yes. North Uist has the RSPB reserve at Balranald, the Neolithic cairn at Barpa Langais, Taigh Chearsabhagh arts centre in Lochmaddy, a distillery, and west-coast beaches such as Hosta and Clachan Sands with almost nobody on them.
Which is better, North or South Uist? ▾
They are different. North Uist is lochs, moor and birdlife with Lochmaddy as its ferry port; South Uist is a long machair coast with hills to the east and Lochboisdale for the Mallaig ferry. Most visitors stay on one and drive to the other, since the whole chain is one road.
How do you get to North Uist? ▾
CalMac sails from Uig on Skye to Lochmaddy in about an hour and three quarters, and from Leverburgh on Harris to Berneray in about an hour. Loganair flies from Glasgow to Benbecula, twenty minutes' drive south.
How long do you need on North Uist? ▾
Three nights covers the beaches, Balranald and Lochmaddy. A week lets you add Berneray, Benbecula and South Uist by causeway, plus a boat trip to the Monach Isles or St Kilda if the weather allows.
How do I get to North Uist accommodation? ▾
Sail CalMac from Uig (Skye) to Lochmaddy, or fly to Benbecula and drive north over the causeway (about 30 minutes). There is no airfield on North Uist itself.
Is North Uist good for a first visit? ▾
Yes. You have the Skye ferry, RSPB Balranald, standing stones at Pobull Fhinn, and easy hops to Berneray and Benbecula. Shops are fewer than on Benbecula, so self-catering guests usually shop in Lochmaddy or Balivanich.
What does North Uist property typically cost? ▾
Prices move with the wider Highland market and with whether land or a croft is included. Check the live listings on this page — they come from the local agents and update as houses go on and off the market.