Outer Hebrides
Isle of Harris
About
Isle of Harris
Harris is the southern part of the largest island in Scotland — connected to Lewis to the north across a narrow mountain spine but distinct in character, dominated by a dramatic interior of ancient mountains and a west coast of world-class beaches that have made it one of the most photographed landscapes in Britain. Luskentyre, Scarista, Seilebost, and Traigh Iar are among the most beautiful beaches in Europe — vast expanses of white shell sand with water of impossible turquoise clarity backed by flower-rich machair grassland and mountain views. Beyond the beaches, Harris is home to the Isle of Harris Distillery in Tarbert — producing a distinctive Atlantic gin and, more recently, a highly regarded single malt — and to the tradition of Harris Tweed, the hand-woven woollen cloth produced exclusively by islanders in their own homes under strict legal protection. The tweed has been made here for centuries and remains one of the world's great textile traditions. The dramatic 'Golden Road' on the east coast gives access to a completely different landscape of rocky sea lochs and remote crofting townships.
Things to see & do
FAQs
Harris is known above all for two things: its beaches and its tweed. The west coast holds some of the finest beaches anywhere, Luskentyre, Scarista and Seilebost among them, while Harris Tweed, the cloth hand-woven by islanders in their own homes, is one of the world's great textile traditions. The Isle of Harris Distillery in Tarbert has made its own mark since opening in 2015.
They share one island, the largest in Scotland and third largest in the British Isles, but Harris and Lewis are treated as distinct places with quite different characters. Lewis to the north is flat moorland; Harris to the south is mountainous. The boundary is mostly administrative, crossing the narrow isthmus at Tarbert, the main village of Harris.
The main route is the CalMac ferry from Uig on Skye to Tarbert, a crossing of around 1 hour 45 minutes. There's also a ferry from Berneray in North Uist to Leverburgh in South Harris. Or you can fly into Stornoway on Lewis and drive south into Harris.
May to September brings the most settled weather, the best light and the machair in flower. June and July give you long daylight and the warmest conditions, though Harris is worth seeing at any time of year. Weekends in high summer are busiest, so a mid-week trip in May or September pairs good weather with quieter beaches.
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Isle of Harris
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Tours visiting this attraction
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