Across a long stretch of sand from North Uist’s north coast lies Vallay, an island reached on foot rather than by boat, and only around low tide. The sands flood quickly, so check the safe crossing times before you set out.
The ruin on the far side is Vallay House, built around 1902 for Erskine Beveridge, a linen manufacturer from Dunfermline who spent much of his fortune on archaeology, excavating sites across North Uist and publishing the results in 1911. Up to sixty people once lived on Vallay, working the machair, grassland grown on wind-blown shell sand and bright with wildflowers in summer, and the shore; the house has stood empty since the Second World War, and the low remains of an old chapel are the only other sign of that older settlement. North Uist’s ferry port, Lochmaddy, lies on the other side of North Uist.
