📌 Howmore, South Uist
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A small patch of land close to Howmore (Tobha Mòr) contains the remains of no fewer than six churches and chapels. Why? We’re not sure: clearly this must have been an important religious site. Most of the buildings are small chapels clustered around the main church of Teampall Moire – probably built in the late 1200s as the parish church for South Uist. However, at least two of the smaller chapels (St Dermot’s Chapel and Clan Ranald Chapel) actually date from earlier in the same century or before. The other two ruins are Dugall’s Chapel and Calbeal Colla, while a much more modern Church of Scotland building completes the sextet. An information panel provides a useful map of how the buildings are laid out, helping to tell which building is which. None of the individual buildings are exceptional, but taken together they make an intriguing spot – albeit an unloved one, with nettles and overgrown access paths on our July 2019 visit. The car park is also one of the easiest places from which to access the vast sands lining South Uist’s west coast, but rotting seaweed made our visit to the beach here one of the smelliest ever…
🌍 Location
📌 Off minor road 0.5 a mi west of Howmore, South Uist
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NF 758365
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 57.303401,-7.384676
🚌 Bus stops at church
🚗 Church of Scotland church car park at road end
📝 Key info
⌚ Always open
🎫 Free
💬 From the modern church, head northeast beyond the hostel. It’s a 5-min walk to the other 5 chapels on informal paths (a little overgrown).
