Sunset on Veilish Point

Veilish Point - North Uist visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Veilish Point' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Western Isles.

Panorama of the sunset over Vellish Point showing the the pristine white sandy beaches and machair sand dunes. Vellish Point is on the northwest corner of North Uist, one of the Wester Isles on the north west of the Outer Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. The unspoilt natural beauty of the land remains unchanged for generations.

Machair is a type of land unique to the Outer Hebridies. As shown in this panorama, Machair is barely a few feet above sea level, made of sand dunes, Maram grass and pasture land. It forms narrow strips between the ocean and the water-saturated peat bogs further inland. Machair is a fragile environment often carefully protected to sustain the habitats of vulnerable species of plants, bird and wildlife. Much of it is registered as areas of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). At Vellish Point the Machair is slightly elevated pasture land which was once a beach. The land has become fertile due to rich nutrients from the sedimentary deposits of seashells and from the seaweed - still used as a tradition fertilizer. This allows farmers to grow crops and graze cattle and other livestock.

In areas throughout the Outer Hebrides, the care and cultivation of Machair land is often done by crofters - tenant farmers who inherit rights entitling them to live on and produce a living from a plot of land owned by another landlord. Many crofters, especially here in North Uist, are born and live locally all their lives. They have a passionate pride in their homeland and environment and work hard to sustain these immaculate landscapes as part of their heritage and inheritance for generations. This benefits both local and migrating wildlife as well as providing stunning scenery for visitors who venture out as far as places like North Uist or the other islands of the Outer Heridies.

Arrive at Lochmaddy on the eastern coast of North Uist via the car ferry from Uig near Portree on Isle of Skye, along the A87 main road west from Inverness city and airport. Ferries to Castlebay and South Uist run from Oban in Argyll.