Archaeological Splendour

Today, the island's sites offer enticing experiences to the modern traveller.

Follow in the footsteps of the elusive Stone Age hunters and gatherers. The islands are scattered with the remains of ancient stone tombs built by the first farmers, facing solstice or equinox. Standing stones mark auspicious places between the earth and sky, and the footings of roundhouses have been uncovered and brought to light.

More than 2,000 years ago, in the Iron Age, the roundhouses grew more monumental, when master masons built brochs, the towering chieftain's houses, or ingenious wheelhouses, unique to the islands of the north and west. The early Irish monks came this way, bringing Gaelic and the new faith, and building tiny chapels on remote islands and carving stone crosses.

The Picts were here too, with their enigmatic symbol stones, followed by the Vikings, who gave Norse names to most of the settlements in the Outer Hebrides. During and after the Lordship of the Isles, castles were built, forts were defended, churches were endowed, and in the 18th and 19th centuries, the ordinary people built blackhouse villages and groomed the landscape for a subsistence living. The evidence of these settlements, abandoned during the Clearances, lie everywhere to be seen.

Paradise Made Affordable

With ferry fares to the Outer Hebrides reduced by up to 40% on all routes and 5 routes to choose from, there's never been a better time to discover your Perfect Day in the Outer Hebrides. Welcome to Paradise made affordable.

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