Over to photographer Brendan Pyatt:
Firstly, how do you get to Barra?
Apart from the drive from the south coast to Scotland it’s actually not too bad. The ferry goes four times a week from Oban and takes about 5 hours. You could also take the ferry from Skye to Uist and then catch the ferry from Uist to Barra.
So why the Isle of Barra?
I’ve visited a few of the Isles off Scotland and I’m always struck by their beauty and I wanted to show people what the UK has to offer. Barra is so exposed to the North West Atlantic it seems liked an ideal destination for a windsurfing trip. It is also remote and pretty much unchartered for windsurfing – my kind of place.
Click on the images to enlarge.
It wasn’t ‘going off’ so to speak but has this place potential when it really blows?
Very much so. When you are looking for wave sailing the Scottish Isles all have their quirks; Tiree has a small swell angle, South Uist has many offshore reefs which block the swell and on Lewis the beaches all point in a similar direction. Whereas Barra has a few beaches / reefs at different angles that are open to the swell so on the right day Barra has the potential to offer some awesome sailing. For the average sailor, the airport lagoon is something else – most of the Scottish Isles are pretty extreme but this spot works in all wind directions and is bigger, safer and has clearer water than Lac Bay in Bonaire!
Was the island really that deserted as it looks like in the photos?
Yep. A couple of small hotels, one supermarket, a couple of shops and a pub but it does have a curry house! It’s a stunning place that has seen very little development and the main tourist trade is birdwatchers – a testament to the quality of the environment there.
Click on the images to enlarge.
How many beaches does Barra have and what was your favourite?
It has a lot with most of them being on the eastern side but for windsurfing head to the ‘airport’. Planes can only land at low tide as at high tide the ‘runway’ floods to give the one of the best freestyle / blasting areas I have ever seen – that is where the shot of Klaas was taken. Just over the dunes is a massive beach facing W/NW directly into the eye of most of the storms in the North Atlantic. All down the west coast there are reef setups and on Vatersay which connected to Barra by a road causeway there is a breathtaking surfing beach facing west.
Where did you stay during your trip?
We stayed in a friendly B&B and also in the excellent back-packers hostel in Castlebay. Note that there isn’t much accommodation available on the island so book in advance unless you want to sleep in your van – even the hostel gets full.
For more on Barra visit the community website; www.isleofbarra.com or go to www.visitscotland.com.
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