Isle of Harris Self Catering Accommodation

The Isle of Harris is one of the most beautiful islands in the United Kingdom. Although very remote, many miles off the north western coast of Scotland, more and more people visit the island every year and tourism is now a vital part of the economy of the Outer Hebrides/Western Isles and none more so than on the Isle of Harris.

There is a multitude of reasons why people spend their vacations on Harris. In the past most visitors wished to experience the unique Hebridean/Gaelic culture but today the reasons are much more diverse.

The Isle of Harris and the other islands, such as the Isle of Lewis, offer unique opportunities for sports men & women. Surfing has long been popular and there are now a number of annual surfing events held on the islands attended by folk from around the world.

Of course the main sports are golf and fishing but cycling is also incredibly popular and hill walking/rambling has always been popular due to the absolutely breath taking scenery that has to be seen to be believed.

There are the usual hotels and guest houses to be found on the Isle of Harris but to fully immerse yourself into the Hebridean way of life there is nothing better than staying in self catering accommodation.

The Isle of Harris is renowned for it's excellent hospitality and the frienliness of the Harris people. You will notice this immediately you set foot on the island and, upon arriving at your accommodation, you will be made most welcome.

All self catering accommodation on Harris is of the highest quality and always luxurious. However the most interesting aspect of this type of Harris accommodation is the rich variety in the type of building available as self catering.

Most properties are two storey stone built crofthouses, which have 3 foot thick walls, but other types include some very interesting self catering cottages on South Harris.

One of the most interesting cottages is not really a cottage at all, it is called a blackhouse. The photograph at the very top of this page shows the blackhouse at Scarista on South Harris with two Highland cattle. At one time the vast majority of Hebridean folk lived in such buildings but they were not as luxurious as the one at Scarista and they certainly did not have all the modern electrical gadgets we all take for granted today.

Whichever self catering house or cottage you decided to spend your Harris vacation in I can safely say that you will be highly impressed. You will be so impressed that I am certain that before you leave for home you will have already made a booking for the following year.

Many people book their self catering accommodation a year in advance to ensure that they can have the accommodation they prefer. Because of this it is extremely common to find self catering properties on the Isle of Harris fully booked so it is incredibly important not to dilly dally and contact the accommodation owner at your earliest opportunity to make sure that it is available.

If you have never visited the Isle of Harris or the Outer Hebrides maybe it is time for you to take a closer look at this most wonderfully unique part of Scotland.

As you can see from this photograph the Isle of Harris has some of the most amazing views and is a photographers dream. Imagine waking each morning and looking out to be greated by such wonders of nature?

I have saved the very best of the Isle of Harris to the very last. The beaches on Harris are so astounding that first time visitors are often so taken aback as they turn a corner to see such awe inspiring sights that, just for a moment, without realizing it, they slow their vehicles. Of course this can be dangerous and it is certainly frustrating if you are behind such visitors but most tourists quickly learn to pullover to allow traffic to pass while they take in the scenery around them.