Isle Of Berneray aka: Bheàrnaraigh, Beàrnaraidh

I first visited Berneray in 1986 I think and stayed in what was a Gatliff Hostel but now SYHA I think. At the time it was the most amazing place I’d ever been. We were short of a bottle of whisky and the only shop then was a non-licensed caravan. We asked a local if there was any whisky on the island and he drove us to his house and presented us with a bottle of Crawford’s whisky and half a dozen eggs, saying, ‘The whisky’s free because I don’t have a licence to sell it but the egg’s will be ten pounds’. Amazing beaches – swam nude from one of them but no one saw and memories of watching fulmar chicks breaking out of their eggshells on sand ledges to the north of the island. A ceilidh in the village hall which proclaimed that no drink would be for sale. Arriving there and find ing the locals with boxes of booze below the tables. Folk singing in Gaelic. Much friendly drunkness. Gathering cockles on the beach and whelks on the shore. Looking at stars that I’d never seen before and never wanting to leave. Later, Prince Charles came on a potato picking holiday and that sort of exposed it to the world and there’s a causeway and a proper village store now but I will always remember it as it was. Magical place with lovely people.

There are loads of good photos of Berneray on Flickr.

Looks like my kind of place. Beautiful empty beaches, friendly people, centuries of history, and a slow pace. Looks like a great place to relax.

Maybe I’d even fit in with my Scottish heritage and Gaelic-derived first name?

John writes back …

Daniel,

Hello from the edge of the world! Thank you very much for your entry, which is much appreciated. Several Berneray people have seen it, and are very pleased.

Tourism: there is a natural limit here, caused by the capacity of the airplanes (tiny, airport 40 miles away) and the ferries (larger but very expensive). We’ll never get overcrowded. Having said that, there are 130 miles of beach in the Outer Hebrides, so there’s plenty of room for all. Find attached a picture of a nearby beach (Clachan sands); that’s about as crowded as it gets J

Life is kinda odd here; everything goes at a very slow pace. Supplies are okay, and the technology is not too far behind the mainland. Though our broadband has, to put it mildly, been a problem. See this news story

I think I owe you a beer. If you make it this far (an achievement in itself) then will be happy to buy a round.

John

If anybody from Berneray ever visits Seattle I’ll buy them a beer!

I received a wonderful email today. It’s from a gent named John who lives on Berneray. John says it best …

Hello,

I live on Berneray. It is a Hebridean island, off the west coast of Scotland. It is small, has a population of 126, and is in the middle of nowhere.

The economy here is very fragile, and relies to an increasing extent on tourism. Basically, the community is in some danger of diminishing to a dangerous level in the next few years.

Unfortunately, the main Scottish tourist organisation doesn’t really promote islands, giving preference to e.g. Edinburgh castle. Despite Berneray having arguably some of the best scenery and beaches in the world. Though hardly anyone comes to visit them. Our entry is at:
http://www.43places.com/gallery/view/625210

I was hoping that lots of people would see it, but am kinda disappointed that only 2 people seem to have. This is probably because we are under “The Hebrides” within “Scotland”, and most people won’t make it to our entry.

Is there any way we can raise the profile of our entry on 43 places? We appreciate that it’s as small and obscure places as you could get, but anything would be mightily appreciated.

Regards and thanks,
John

I’m always thrilled to find a place that has a small population, wants visitors and would be thankful for the modest amount of money I’ll spend while visiting. Hope to buy you a coffee or beer when I visit, John!