Uist and Barra « The Western Isles “As for the emigrants, even now and knowing the hardships and tragedies to which they were exposed, it is not possible to judge where advantage may have lain between an island where one family could lose ten of eleven children in childhood, or in risking all and paying the price”. (Angus MacMillan) The Uists are the central group of islands in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. North Uist and South Uist are linked by causeways running via Benbecula and Grimsay, and the entire group is sometimes known as the Uists. Over several centuries, the Uists and especially Benbecula, have been the centre of the alginate industry which harvested seaweed. Gur duilich leam mar tha mi ‘s mo chridhe an sàs aig bròn Bhon an uair a dh’fhàg mi beanntan àrd a’ cheò, Gleanntanan a’ mhànrain, nan loch, nam bàgh ‘s nan sròm, ‘S an eala bhàn tha tàmh ann gach là air am bheil mi an tòir. MacDonalds of Uist Barra
Getting Here | St Andrews St Andrews is easy to reach A modern bus station From Edinburgh to St Andrews: Leave the city via the A90 (follow signs for the Forth Road Bridge). From Glasgow to St Andrews: Leave the city via the M8 towards Edinburgh. From Dundee and the north to St Andrews: Leave Dundee city centre via the Tay Road Bridge (A92), Continue for two miles, then at a roundabout take the A914, then the A919 (passing Leuchars Rail Station), then the A91, all the while following signs for St Andrews. St Andrews is served by Leuchars Rail Station, which is on the East Coast main line linking London, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Visit National Rail enquiries for timetables and on-line booking or try Traveline Scotland for a comprehensive journey planning service. The modern bus station in St Andrews is very well served by frequent and comfortable express coaches running from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee, and also by an extensive local public bus network which operates throughout St Andrews and the wider Fife area.
South Uist South Uist (Scottish Gaelic: Uibhist a Deas) is an island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. In the 2011 census it had a usually resident population of 1,754, a fall of 64 since 2001.[8] There is a nature reserve and a number of sites of archaeological interest, including the only location in Great Britain where prehistoric mummies have been found. The population is about 90% Roman Catholic. The island, in common with the rest of the Hebrides, is one of the last remaining strongholds of the Gaelic language in Scotland. Geography and geology[edit] South Uist has a bedrock of Lewisian Gneiss,[9][10] high grade regional metamorphism dating back to 2900 million years ago in the Archaean. Etymology[edit] History[edit] Lochboisdale became a major herring port later in the nineteenth century. Economy[edit] South Uist is home to the Askernish Golf Course. Missile testing[edit] In the north west of the island at ( WikiMiniAtlas Nature reserve[edit] Archaeology[edit] Notable residents[edit] See also[edit]
Kildonan Centre Cladh Hallan Mike Parker Pearson, Peter Marshall, Jacqui Mulville and Helen Smith South Uist's machair was densely populated in prehistory, from around 2000 BC until the end of the Viking period around AD 1300. The machair is a kilometre-wide strip of shell sand along the west coast of the islands which is today covered by grassland. Prehistoric life on the machair The west coast of South Uist looked very different in prehistory. Until a few years ago almost nothing was known about the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age in the Western Isles. Cladh Hallan - a prehistoric landscape Between 1989 and 2002 archaeologists had the opportunity to investigate two of these mounds, as they were being dug into for sand quarrying. Daliburgh's machair contains a complete cross-section of settlement history from 2000 BC to AD 1300.
South Uist, Benbecula and Eriskay walks South Uist has two contrasting sides. Its eastern half rises in mountains which may be low by mainland standards but are as rugged and wild as any you'll find, they offer spectacular views over land and sea. To the west the fertile Machair - formed by sands blown onto the peat beneath - runs the whole length of the island and is fringed by an almost continuous beach. South Uist is linked to its neighbours, both north and south, by road causeways.