Cycling UK Forum

If you are looking for a campsite on Barra the new Borve camp site is definitely worth a go. It is new and still in development but the owner Donald is very friendly and helpful.

http://www.barracamping.co.uk/

I have no connection to the site at all and usually prefer to wild camp, but wild camping on the more populated parts of the island is not always easy. Using a site allows you to meet the locals and contribute to the island economy.

Hamish

Great to see that Donald has at last got proper facilities on his site this year. We met him last year when we stayed on the site and the only facility was cold water! Apart from Croft 183 which is small and has very little room for tents there are no other sites on the island and there is very little wild camping available. It is certainly a welcome addition to Barra as hopefully it will give people an alternative to camping on the delicate machair.

I think there are a couple of sites in the far north of the island. This is one of them:
http://www.barracamping.com/
I was directed to these when I asked about places to camp on my recent trip. In the end I camped close to the old jetty at Eoligarry which was ok for the brief time I was there. Note that the above web address is confusingly similar to the one for Borve! I had a quick look at the Borve site as passed on my way North and to be honest it looked a little bleak and more suitable for camper vans, but maybe I just saw it on a bad day...

gloomyandy wrote:I think there are a couple of sites in the far north of the island. This is one of them:
http://www.barracamping.com/
I was directed to these when I asked about places to camp on my recent trip. In the end I camped close to the old jetty at Eoligarry which was ok for the brief time I was there. Note that the above web address is confusingly similar to the one for Borve! I had a quick look at the Borve site as passed on my way North and to be honest it looked a little bleak and more suitable for camper vans, but maybe I just saw it on a bad day...

Thanks for that gloomyandy, there seems to be more sites on Barra than we were told about at the tourist Information office last summer, you obviously asked the right people. May be like Borve they are new since last August. You are right about the Borve site seeming a little bleak, we rode past it thinking the same but ended up going back to it as it was late in the day and we couldn't find an alternative. When the sun comes out it's not so bad and there is at least a good view out to sea, we have certainly stayed on a lot worse .

the Barracamping dot com website has no facilties - it says it is a 0.6 mile walk to the nearest public toilets. Another site for camper vans I think - or those with constipation and strong bladders.

Thanks, Hamish, now added to my useful campsites list and I may even use it next month!

I stayed at the Borve site for 2 nights in July this year. The owner, Donald, is a really nice guy and I have to say that the facilities are pretty good given the size of the site. I got a full load of washing done and dried in about 2 hours and have to say that the bathroom is great - well equipped and clean. And if the mist stays away, the views are fab! Also very close to the hotel just down the road and Castlebay is not much further.

phil parker wrote:Thanks, Hamish, now added to my useful campsites list and I may even use it next month!

Yes, well I took the recommendation and stayed there and concur with all the others as a great place to stay and great facilities. It's a pity I arrived at nearly 11 pm and had to leave the next morning!

Now with a little added wind protection
Very convenient for the fairly late arrival of the Oban ferry.

Looks great. I'm heading up there next month. I've also heard you can wild camp on Vatersay near the community centre and use the toilets.