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Are you and your friends currently considering taking a holiday in the UK? Although the largest numbers of visitors to the UK decide to stay in famous places like London, others would rather take a vacation in Scotland. In the article below I introduce the Isle of Harris and why it makes such a fantastic vacation destination.

Though London may be home to some of the most highly interesting museums and galleries in the whole of Great Britain  together with some of the most widely known tourist attractions  the capital city will not appeal to all types of visitor.

Some tourists have a preference for vacations which are more relaxing and other folk would rather have more exciting vacations such as sports vacations. Interestingly the island of Harris, in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, appeals both types of visitor.

Like a great many other people sun bathing on the beach for the whole of my summer vacation is not my thing. Don’t get me wrong, I often spend time relaxing on a sunny beach, and Harris certainly is home to some of the most astounding beaches in Scotland (and Britain), but, I also like to visit other places on my vacation. I like to soak in the atmosphere, I also like to experience the local culture and especially enjoy sampling the food. If the truth be known each year I like to experience something new and I go to great lengths attempting to discover something or somewhere wholly unique and different. This is the most likely reason why I enjoy visiting the Hebrides island named the Isle of Harris and why I regularly choose to hire self catering houses on Harris.

One of the most common factors in attracting visitors to the Isle of Harris is to enjoy the islands landscape and culture. The Harris culture has, throughout history been incredibly influenced by the Celtic, Norse, English and Scottish races. Nowadays in general most folk speak in the Gaelic language and though many speak English, it is commonly their second language. The Harris folk are amongst the friendliest on our planet and the hospitality is known across the globe. The Isle of Harris folk are very proud of the breathtaking beauty of the island and go to great lengths to keep the island tidy and clean so it is immensely important clean up after yourself.

It is vitally important that you remember that rubbish doesn’t just make the place appear a mess it is also incredibly dangerous to wild creatures.

A further important point to learn is that the roads on the Isle of Harris are not the same as elsewhere in Scotland or the UK in some areas you will need to traverse single track roads and you will need to know how to use passing places to safely let oncoming traffic past and also let traffic from behind to pass too. Just keep it in mind that you come to a halt on the left hand side of the road. If you are faced with an extremely large vehicle wishing to get past and the passing place is on the right hand side of the road you may carefully pull over into to it to let the said vehicle pass more easily but be careful not to drive off the edge of the road too much.

I hope that artcile above sufficiently interests you in taking a short break on Harris. Many visitors the Scotland’s Western Isles decide to stay in two places. There are a small number of other islands to visit including North Uist, South Uist and Lewis. Why not consider staying in a self catering house on Harris for a week and then stay in a room in a North Uist hotel or a hotel on South Uist for the rest of your holiday?

The Western Isles/Outer Hebrides are a group of more than four hundred islands lying off the north west coast of Scotland.  The islands of the Inner and Outer Hebrides have been inhabited since the Mesolithic times and throughout history the culture and way of life has been powerfully influenced by numerous different races and today the Hebridean culture is a mix of Norse, Celtic, Scottish and English influences. In general most people speak in the Gaelic language and though many speak English, it is often their second language. Not that long ago visits to the Outer Hebrides/Western Isles were only for rich people and those people who had plenty of time. Nowadays it is much to travel to the Hebrides, it is possible to travel by car and boat or take a flight to a choice of airports on the islands. Sadly you are unable to get all of the way by train though you can travel to the coast and then travel by coach for the remainder of the trip. Sometimes the only problem that can occur is arranging accommodation especially if  you are in need of Harris accommodation for groups which is more often than not booked up twelve months in advance.

One of the main reasons people visit the Outer Hebrides/Western Isles is that the the culture and landscape of the islands are interestingly unique.  Dotted along the south west coast of the Isle of Harris you will discover some of the most stunningly beautiful beaches of golden sand in the whole of Scotland, and it could be said the whole of Britain. Here and there you will discover a standing stone on Harris however it is on Lewis that you will discover the best standing stones at Calanais not a huge distance from Stornoway the only town in the Western Isles/Outer Hebrides. The standing stones at Calanais is said to be second only to England’s Stonehenge.

Deciding whether to stay on the Isle of Lewis or the Isle of Harris is often difficult and more and more folk are deciding to spend a short time on both. B&B accommodation on Lewis is often more readily available than Isle of Harris accommodation, so it is best to book well in advance.

Bed & breakfast accommodation in Stornoway is far less of a problem to find but to be certain book well in advance. Nearly all accommodation in the Hebrides is high quality and the hospitality is unbeatable and the people helpful and friendly.

Besides the Isles of Lewis and Harris there are a small number of other isles that are relatively easy to visit. The most commonly visited are North and South Uist, Barra and Benbecula and a ferry can be caught which runs from North Uist to the Isle of Harris at Leverburgh on South Harris.