Kisimul Castle rises from a rock in the middle of Castlebay’s harbour, the medieval seat of Clan MacNeil since the 15th century. Ruined by the 19th century, it was restored through the mid-20th by a MacNeil chief who bought back the island, and the clan later leased the castle to Historic Environment Scotland for 1,000 years, at a token rent of £1 and a bottle of whisky a year. The castle was closed to visitors for several years during conservation work; a hard-hat boat tour from the pier now crosses to it again, tickets booked in advance.
At the north end, the tidal sands of Tràigh Mhòr double as Barra’s airport, the only place in the world where scheduled flights land on a tidal beach; the timetable moves with the tide. Nearby, at Eoligarry, the ruined medieval chapel of Cille Bharra stands in an old graveyard where the novelist Compton Mackenzie, who wrote Whisky Galore, is buried. A single road loops the island past flower-studded dune grassland and white-sand beaches, and the family-run Isle of Barra Distillers has made gin here since 2017. A causeway at the south end leads on to Vatersay.
