Walk: Garenin to Shawbost – blackhouses, bogs & beaches

📌 Carloway, Isle of Lewis
★★★

This one-way walk along the northwest coast of Lewis is a good way to experience many of the island’s biggest attractions. Starting from a fascinating, restored blackhouse village, the 8-mile route takes in glorious clifftop scenery interspersed with multiple sandy beaches – and plenty of boggy sections too. There are ample opportunities to spot both coastal and moorland birdlife, or possibly marine life on a calm day. If required, the walk can be truncated by finishing at Dalmore, Dalbeg or South Shawbost; wherever you decide to call it a day, getting between the finish and the start will usually rely on a fairly infrequent bus service, so check the timetable carefully.

📷 Chronological photo guide

🌍 Location

📌 Start at Gearrannan Blackhouse Village car park, 5a Gearrannan, at minor road end, Garenin, Carloway, Isle of Lewis

🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NB 194442

🛰️ GPS coordinates: 58.296448,-6.790868

🏁 Finish on A858 at New Shawbost turnoff, Shawbost

🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NB 261468

🛰️ GPS coordinates: 58.324246,-6.680756

🚌 Bus to Gearrannan Blackhouse Village (walk start) / Shawbost at New Shawbost turnoff (walk finish)

🚗 Verge parking on side roads (walk finish) – with bus connection to other end of route (infrequent – check times in advance)

📝 Key info

▶ 13 km / 8 mi | ▲ 560 m | ⌛ 4.5-5 hr | ⚠️ Linear route

Features: 🛖 Gearrannan Blackhouse Village ★★★★ (charge); 🌊 Lewis coastline; 🏖️ Dalmore Beach ★★★; 🏖️ Dalbeg Beach; 🏖️ Shawbost Beach

⬤ Moderate | Most of the route is waymarked by wooden posts & follows a faint, boggy path. Unprotected clifftops, a fair amount of ascent / descent.

➡️ Eastbound linear walk: start & Gearrannan Blackhouse Village – Àird Mhòr – Àird Mheadhonach – Dalmore Beach – Dalbeg Beach – Shawbost Beach via coast – Shawbost & finish

Download file for GPS

🥾 On our last visit

Wildlife: Seagulls, fulmars, rock doves, oystercatchers, terns, golden plover, lapwings; cuckoos heard. Sheep & lambs, lots of snails on sand dunes.

Weather: Cloudy with some sunshine increasingly breaking through. Blustery, temperature in mid teens, rising a little.

June 2025