The Isle of Barra is the most southerly inhabited island in the Outer Hebrides. It can be reached by sea or by air, and if you choose the latter you’ll be treated to one of the more unusual plane landings around the world. The runway for the island’s only airport is on a beach, and vanishes under the waves during high tide. It was voted the world’s most scenic landing spot in 2011.
Barra is home to a crofting culture that is particular to the Scottish Highlands and the islands of Scotland. The island has had human inhabitants since the Neolithic era, but it remains a place of raw natural beauty. From the white sandy beaches on the north side of the island to the rocky inlets on the southeast side, it’s known as one of the most beautiful islands in Britain.
MARGARET ANNE ELDER
Margaret is the owner of Herring Girl Knitwear, a knitwear brand inspired by the women who travelled along the coast of the United Kingdom following herring as they migrated throughout the year
herringgirlcollection.com
I WAS BROUGHT up between Barra and Fort William. That happened quite a lot in my generation because there were fewer education opportunities here. The majority of my family was born in the 1960s on Barra and then came back in the 1980s and 1990s, because it wasn't as isolated as it used to be so we could bring our children up here.
I went to Fort William for school. Once I had my family I brought them back to Barra. It was possible for my husband and I to work on our croft, which is a small bit of land tenure that's passed down through generations. I always knew I would come back to Barra, it was just a matter of when the time was right.
This story is from the March 2023 edition of Reader's Digest UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 2023 edition of Reader's Digest UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
EVERY SECOND COUNTS: TIPS TO WIN THE RACE AGAINST TIME
Do you want to save 1.5 seconds every day of your life? According to the dishwasher expert at the consumer organisation Choice, there’s no need to insert the dishwashing tablet into the compartment inside the door.
May Fiction
An escaped slave's perspective renews Huckleberry Finn and the seconds tick down to nuclear Armageddon in Miriam Sallon’s top literary picks this month
Wine Not
In a time of warning studies about alcohol consumption, Paola Westbeek looks at non-alcoholic wines, how they taste and if they pair with food
Train Booking Hacks
With the cost of train travel seemingly always rising, Andy Webb gives some tips to save on ticket prices
JOURNEY TO SALTEN, NORWAY, UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN
Here, far from the crowds, in opal clarity, from May to September, the sun knows no rest. As soon as it’s about to set, it rises again
My Britain: Cheltenham
A YEAR IN CHELTENHAM sees a jazz festival, a science festival, a classical music festival and a literature festival. Few towns with 120,000 residents can boast such a huge cultural output!
GET A GREEN(ER) THUMB
Whether you love digging in the dirt, planting seeds and reaping the bounty that bursts forth, or find the whole idea of gardening intimidating, this spring offers the promise of a fresh start.
Under The GRANDFLUENCE Suzi Grant
After working in TV and radio as an author and nutritionist, Suzi Grant started a blog alternativeageing.net) and an Instagram account alternativeageing). She talks to Ian Chaddock about positive ageing”
Sam Quek: If I Ruled The World
Sam Quek MBE is an Olympic gold medalwinning hockey player, team captain on A Question of Sport and host of podcast series Amazing Starts Here
Stand Tall, Ladies
Shorter men may be having their moment, but where are the tall women?
