A short walk taking in the beach, machair, and thatched cottages and hostel at Howmore with time to explore the ancient chapel ruins.
Easy walking on beach and grassy tracks on the machair
Daily (not Sun) bus between Lochmaddy and Lochboisdale stops on main road, 1km from the start.
Church at road end, Howmore (Tobha Mòr ) west of A865.
From the A865 take the turning signed Tobha Mòr and continue, passing several thatched houses, to the road end where there is limited parking near the church or at the hostel a short distance earlier. The hostel is an old thatched blackhouse set off the road to the right and is one of four in the Outer Hebrides run by the Gatliff Trust. Start the walk by heading past the church and along the main track across the machair towards the coast.
The machair is the coastal strip made up of dunes and fertile soil that backs the sea along the western coast of much of the Outer Hebrides. During the summer months it is ablaze with flowers and crops which harbour a wide variety of birds including the rare corncrake. Turn left at a T junction in front of a track to head towards a bridge. Before reaching the bridge bear right to follow a grassy path alongside the Howmore River as it flows into the sea.
At the beach turn right and descend to walk on the sand. These coasts are good places to spot dolphins and other marine mammals and the tideline often teems with seabirds. After some rocks look out for a dip in the low dunes. Head right to go up through this gap.
Go through the gate and then turn right alongside the fence (as the route on the seaward side has been blocked by new fencing). Continue by the fence until a gate, then head through onto a grassy track leading through the machair between the fields and the coastal fence. Continue following these grassy tracks until the outward path is reached near the river. Return to the church and continue a short way along the road and turn right to pass in front of the hostel to examine the ruined chapel. The site has been an important ecclesiastical centre since medieval times, with a carved cross suggesting a Christian presence since the 9th century. The ruins contain the remains of four chapels built in a style similar to early Irish Celtic monastic sites.
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