Hebridean Way Walking Route Section C: Daliburgh to Howmore

About

Height Climbed: 36m / 117ft

Height Descended: 40m / 130ft

Terrain: 10.5 miles of easy walking on grassy / sandy paths and tracks; 1 mile on quiet single track roads.

This is a wonderful day’s walking, slowly following the shoreline as the Hebridean Way works its way up the west coast of South Uist. The skies are big, with countless peaceful freshwater lochs and low lying machair fields stretching away to the hills of Beinn Mhor, Beinn Choradail and Hecla on the eastern skyline.

Machair is formed when peaty soils are enriched by windblown shell sand. The resulting thin but fertile soils have supported islanders for thousands of years – to this day most people on the Uists live here on the west coast, despite its exposure to fearsome winter storms that roar in from the Atlantic.

Crofters on the Uists are keen on their cattle, which need plenty hay to keep them alive over the winter. The resulting meadows are full of wildflowers in the summer months and provide nesting sites for astonishing numbers of lapwings, redshank, dunlin, ringed plovers, snipe and oystercatchers.

The section ends at the beautiful little village of Howmore, home to some atmospheric ruined chapels and an old blackhouse which has been converted into a simple but comfortable hostel. 

Apart from the hostel, accommodation options in Howmore are limited. There are a few B&B's within three to five miles or you could stay in Daliburgh, for two nights and use the bus service to pick up and drop you off. 

The distances and timings above do not include any extra distance you may need to reach your accommodation for the night. For accommodation, amenities,  places to eat at the end of the section, check out the What's Nearby section below.