Barra

Eriskay

SouthUist

NorthUist

Benbecula

Harris

Lewis

Berneray

Scalpay

Bernera

Grimsay

Lochboisdale

Balavanich

1 2Castlebay

3

6

45

7

98

10

131112

14

15

16

1817

19

2021

22

Lochmaddy

Leverburgh

Tarbert

Uig

Ness

Whisky GaloreCastlebay's main street is seen as thelocation where news of thegrounding of the S.S. CabinetMinister spreads among thepopulation.

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Island ParishChurch of Our Lady Star of the Sea.The largest Catholic Church in Barrafeatured frequently in Island Parish.

This is'headquarters'for Fr. JohnPaul, priest forthe Isle ofBarra. 2

Monty HallsGreat Hebridean EscapeThis circular walk, laid out by Monty,starts at St. Barr's Church. Follow themain road and track up the hill to thefar side of Loch an Duin. Join the trailto Loch nic Ruadhe, then down tofinish with a refreshment at theHeathbank. See our Googlemap for more details - ideallyuse an OS map. 3

Monty HallsGreat Hebridean EscapeLangass Lodge, off the main road toLochmaddy is the location for anumber of celebrations. excellentbar and restaurant (book ahead).

The Hebridean HopscotchHolidays ‘Literature Trail’

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Monty HallsGreat Hebridean Escape - the cottageNot accessible by road, the cottage ison a private road at Griminis.However, we understand thatScottish open access legislationwould not prevent you taking a walkfrom the main road.

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Castaway 200036 men, women, and children whowere tasked with building acommunity on Taransay island.Occasional summer boat trips fromHorgabost beach.

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Island ParishSt Michael's Church, EriskayHome Church to the late Fr. Calum.See the boat shaped altar andadmire he panoramic views.

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Whisky GaloreWreck-site of the SS PoliticianKnown in the film as SS CabinetMinister, the ship grounded atRoshinish Point, near Calvay Island,between Eriskay and South Uist.

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Island ParishSt Peter's Church, DaliburghFr. Roddy, who appeared in earlyepisodes of the Outer Hebrides'Island Parish was the parish priesthere.

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Find the locationsUse our Google web map to help - https://goo.gl/maps/ws2FqOn a map as small as the one above, it’s impossible to show precisedirections to individual places, so we have created a more detailedmap that you can view on the internet.Using Google maps, you can zoom into the locations and get amuch better idea of where they are.However, please be warned that there’s almost no mobile internetin the Outer Hebrides, so you’ll need to prepare/print your maps athome, or by using wi-fi at your accommodation.Above open source map adapted from openstreetmap.org.

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Rocket Post Scarp - is not accessible from Harris,but there are good views when youpark and take a walk over fromnearby Huisinis. Filming actuallytook place on Taransay.

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Katie MoragRiof harbour - Artistic licence showsin this location, as the slipway here isshown in the series as the oneoutside Katie's house.As you can see from the map, it’saround 30 minutes drive from theone point to the other - most viewersof the series would never know,as the camera shots are verywell edited. 17

Katie MoragRiof beach and machair - This is the location for the StruayGames seen in the series.

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Katie MoragDalmor - east of CarlowayLarge beach (popular for surfing)features in the series and BBCpublicity.

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Katie MoragDalbeg - east of CarlowayFeatured in the programme checkout the great view from the ruin onthe hill above Dalbeg beach. Watchyour footing.

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NessStop forrefreshments in'The Buttery' atthe Decca(almost oppositethe nature reserve hide), where Peteor Louise will point you in thedirection of more locations usedfor Katie Morag, Peter May'snovels, and BBC series. 22

PeterMayOuter HebridesTourism has producedan excellent guide tolocations in Peter May’s‘Blackhouse’ trilogy. Askus for a copy if it’s notalready enclosed withthis leaflet.

Castaway 2000A living pod was dismantled on theneighbouring island of Taransay,andhas been reconstructed herealongside the road to Luskentyre.

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A Space OdysseyLoch Airigh - Location for the filmingof Jupiter in Stanley Kubrick's film.The path is opposite the point wherethe loch almost touches the road.Turn towards Rodel at the quarry.

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Rocket Post Taransay was the actual island usedto represent the island of Scarp.Occasional summer boat trips runfrom Horgabost beach.

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Rocket Post Amhuinnsuidhe Castle - Rocketscientist, Gerhard Zucker was seentrialling his rockets during the film,one of which was launched from thegardens in front of the castle.

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Monty HallsGreat Hebridean EscapeHeather at Bonnieview,Carinish (features in theHebridean Hopscotchprogramme) providedhome-bred pigs forMonty Halls smallholding. To prevent the spread of diseases by shoes and boots entry to the fields is not permitted.

Whisky GalorePolitician Inn,EriskayNamed, of course,after the ill fatedship, the inn isright on themachair, a stone's throw from thebeach. There are bottles from thePolitician, other memoribilia and maybe a yarn or two.

Photo attribution: wikipedia

Photo attribution: Peter Barr

Katie Morag'Struay Post Office' - Tolsta ChaolaisKatie's home - be aware that thesigns have been removed.

Inspirational islands in view

The Outer Hebrides has a hugevariety of unspoiled landscapes, plusa wealth of historical locations andancient culture. So it’s hardlysurprising that the islands haveformed the backdrop for films, booksand TV programmes.

This little guide and the foldout mapare designed to help you find andenjoy some of the highlights.

We don’t claim to have listed all thepublications or places that havefeatured our area, but you should findthat there’s plenty here to add interestto your holiday in the Outer Hebrides.

The hosts at your chosenaccommodation are sure to knowabout places of interest local to themand it’s well worth talking with themto check directions and currentaccessibility to the locations listed.

Please take extra care if leavingestablished roads and footpaths - andremember to close gates so thatlivestock will not stray.

Whisky GaloreAn hilarious Ealing comedy film from 1949, basedon the novel by Compton MacKenzie, who livedon Barra. The film was inspired by the the real-life grounding of the S.S. Politician off Eriskay.Local residents took advantage of the shipwreckand removed much of its cargo of whisky. Theplot follows the the attempts of islanders toenjoy their windfall, while the authorities seek toregain the whisky.

The Rocket PostDespite a star cast and winning the FestivalGrand Prize at Stony Brook Film Festival, it seemsthat events and financial difficulty conspired toprevent this delightful film from becoming a boxoffice success.

The plot, based on a real life story, follows theattempts of German scientist, Gerhard Zucker, toestablish a rocket propelled postal systembetween the island of Scarp and the Harrismainland.

It presents a picture of small island life in the1930s, where communication was a realdifficulty. The loss of life that may be attributedto such isolation in the first half of the 1900s wasa real contributor to the abandonment of islandssuch as Scarp and St. Kilda.

If you wish to view the film (we loved it!) you canfind it on DVD at Amazon.

Peter May’s ‘Lewis Trilogy’Despite being initially turned down by majorBritish publishers and after being hailed amasterpiece in France, The Blackhouse becamea best seller and was followed by The Lewis Manand The Chessmen.

The suspense thrillers paint a detailed picture ofthe entire Outer Hebrides in the not so distantpast and the influence of people and places thatPeter May has encountered here is clear to see,

Outer Hebrides Tourism has published anexcellent map and guide, called The Peter MayTrail, so we have not duplicated the informationin the guide, which we make available on requestto guests booking holidays with us.

An Island ParishProduced by Tiger Aspect for the BBC, two seriesof the generally light-hearted programmefollowed followed Fr John Paul in his first year asthe Roman Catholic priest at Castlebay on theIsle of Barra in 2010 and 2011, also neighbouringpriests, Fr Calum from Eriskay and Fr Roddy fromSouth Uist.

The prime-time episodes included many localpeople and gave a glimpse into the lives theylead - often revealing the special sense ofhumour that’s part of island life.

Monty HallsAn ex-Royal Marines officer, Monty Halls becameinvolved in expeditions and natural history,before three ‘Great Escape’ series for the BBC.

After a mainland escape, Monty arrived in theOuter Hebrides to live and work as a naturewarden on North Uist for six months in 2009.

He settled into a cottage at Griminis and theprogrammes showed much of the area and thelives of his neighbours (including some of ourHebridean Hopscotch Holidays hosts).

Monty left a lasting legacy when he departedfrom the islands - a walks book and waymarkedtrails. The book may be purchased at theCladdach Kirkibost community centre cafe.

Monty Halls Great Hebridean Escape DVD maybe purchased online at Amazon.

Photo courtesy of James MacLetchie (seen on left) Monty Halls’ localguide and mentor during the series.

Considering CBeebies’ success with Balamory, it seems thatchildren enjoy stories of island life.

So we suppose that the BBC would have been delighted to havethe opportunity to introduce Katie Morage to junior audiences.

Created by Mairi Hedderwick, an author and illustrator whomoved to the Isle of Coll at the age of seventeen, Katie Moraglives on the fictional Isle of Struay (actually represented by severalsmall villges and locations on the Isle of Lewis).

Katie Morag lives close to the jetty above the island's only shop, where her mother is the postmistress andher father runs the general store.

If visiting Katie Morag locations here, you will need to exercise a little imagination, as the props departmenthas been quite creative!

Your guide to film, tv and book locations in the Outer Hebrides

This guide was produced by Hebridean Hopscotch Holidays. All logos and public domain creative commons images acknowedegedand are the copyright of their respective owners

Katie Morag