The Outer Hebrides

The Gaelic heartland of Scotland, the Outer Hebrides, known in Gaelic as Na H-Eileanan an Iar, is a 120-mile long chain of beaches, machair, peat bogs and rocky coastline. The islands stretch from Castlebay on Barra in the south (inspiration for Compton Mackenzie’s Whisky Galore) to Port of Ness on Lewis in the north. The population numbers around 26,400 people.

About 70% of Hebrideans speak Gaelic as a first or second language, and a lively music and arts scene keep the Gaelic and Hebridean culture strong. There are now, more than ever, authors writing in Gaelic and translating books into and from Gaelic. The Islands Book Trust (Urras Leabhraichean Nan Eilean) maintains a collection of 2,500 books on Scottish, Irish and Nordic history. There are two main book publishers in the Western Isles: Acair, based in Stornoway, and Storlann.

The main islands of the Outer Hebrides are Lewis and Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist, Eriskay, Barra, Vatersay, and the St Kilda archipelago.