Traigh Iar Beach

The white sands of Traigh Iar Beach are on the southwest corner of the Isle of Harris, the largest of the isles in the Outer Hebrides. It is one of a number of unspoilt white sandy coves on a coast that is popular for surfing and kite buggying.

Traigh Iar Beach is easy to access from the island’s one and only main road. Flanked by low dunes covered in hardy grass, the white sandy bay sweeps in a half moon around the clear turquoise waters with flat rocky areas defining either end. It has breathtakingly beautiful views of the Harris Hills and nearby Isle of Taransay.

On the headland at the north end of the beach is the ancient standing stone, Clach Mhic Leòid, (MacLeod’s Stone) thought to be around 5,000 years old. With several flat stones around its base, it may have been a prehistoric place of burial. It would have marked the territory as belonging to the MacLeod family clan.

The beach has a campsite nearby and is overlooked by the Traigh Seilebost observation platform and local restaurant on the clifftop.