If you really want to get away from it all, visit the tiny island of Barra for its empty golden beaches, sandy grasslands, wild flowers and rugged interior. Nestling near the bottom of the Western Isles chain, it has been quite rightly called "Barradise". The old b/w movie "Whisky Galore" (known as "Tight Little Island" in the US) was filmed here based on the novel by Compton MacKenzie who adapted the true story of the S.S. Politician which sank off nearby Eriskay with its cargo of whisky in 1941. Its sequel Rockets Galore made in colour a few years later was also shot around the island.

An excellent place for cycling, Barra's main road loops twelve miles around the island. At Northbay, an offshoot takes you up the Eoligarry peninsula to Barra's northern tip. The local Post bus running between Castlebay and the airport takes on passengers for a small fee.

The population of the island numbers approximately 1300. Many of the islanders still speak Gaelic.