Walk: Berneray – Borve, beach & beinn

📌 Berneray Harbour, Isle of Berneray
★★★

Berneray is one of several islands scattered across the Sound of Harris; a causeway to North Uist and a car ferry to Leverburgh on Harris provide vital transport links. The famously tall Angus MacAskill was born here in 1825 and must have felt like a big fish in a small pond: most of the island can be explored in a single day on an scenic, varied circuit waymarked erratically by wooden posts. Expansive beaches, windswept summit vistas, seals and a colossal standing stone are among the highlights.

📷 Chronological photo guide

🌍 Location

📌 Start / finish at Berneray harbour

🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NF 923811

🛰️ GPS coordinates: 57.713873,-7.169843

🚌 Bus stops at harbour turnoff

🚗 Car park

📝 Key info

▶ 12 km / 7 mi | ▲ 160 m | ⌛ 3.5-4 hr

Features: ⛰️ Cladh Maolrithe; 🏖️ Berneray West Beach ★★★★; △ Beinn Schlèibhe (93 m); 💧 Loch a’ Bhàigh; 🏛️ Sheila’s Cottage heritage centre

⬤ Moderate | Often quiet roads or sandy beaches; hill sections on faint paths or pathless grass with occasional waymarkers.

➡️ Clockwise circuit: start – leave road at 🧭 NF 917806 – Cladh Maolrithe – Borve village hall – northwest to Berneray West Beach – follow beach north then east to end – Beinn Schlèibhe by northwest ridge – Taraloch – Berneray hostel via beach – Loch a’ Bhàigh & Sheila’s Cottage – start

Download file for GPS

🥾 On our last visit

Wildlife: Seals on the rocks in Loch a’ Bhàigh. Noisy oystercatches, gulls, sheep.

Weather: Mostly cloudy at start with increasing amounts of sunshine. Brief rain shower on Berneray West Beach, light winds.

July 2019