Flights to Barra (Scotland)

[Titfield]

I wish to fly on the Loganair service which lands on Barra Beach.

Given the cost of this flight (and getting to Glasgow) does anyone have any recommendations as to how I could combine it with other flights to other Islands at a sensible cost. Is there the equivalent of an island hopper (havent found one but havent looked too closely).

 

[Butts]

I wish to fly on the Loganair service which lands on Barra Beach.

Given the cost of this flight (and getting to Glasgow) does anyone have any recommendations as to how I could combine it with other flights to other Islands at a sensible cost. Is there the equivalent of an island hopper (havent found one but havent looked too closely).

I have no knowledge of an Island Hopper Ticket - this is Loganair we are talking about , not renowned for good value.

You could try a BA codeshare if you are coming from down south or a thru Loganair one depending on where you live.

I'm afraid the (relatively) cheap tickets to Barra which I was lucky enough to experience died with Flybe a couple of years ago.

If you get up there Caledonian Macbrayne do Island Hoppers on the Ferries.

 

[berneyarms]

No such "island hopper" offers unfortunately for flights; you need to book each flight on Loganair's website.

The two other airports in the Outer Hebrides have flights to/from:

Benbecula: Glasgow and Stornoway

Stornoway: Benbecula, Inverness, Glasgow and Edinburgh

Getting around, there are Calmac Ferries to/from the Scottish mainland, and two inter-island ferries between the Outer Hebrides, and there are bus services across the Outer Hebrides. Best advice I can give is to sit down with the various schedules and figure your options out.

Calmac Ferries: https://www.calmac.co.uk/

Buses on Outer Hebrides: https://cne-siar.gov.uk/roads-travel-and-parking/public-transport/bus-services/

 

[Brooke]

I echo what others have said above. Another couple of points:

Flights can be quite cheap in the winter, eg I see fares of £50 one way are available for Feb 2023 .

If you have Clan points you can use these to reduce the cost of the flight. I don’t think you can use use BA miles on a through booking though.

It is typically cheaper in summer to take the ferry and bus instead. So you can fly one way and save money by usjng Calmac + Citylink the other way. Some of the Citylink buses call at Glasgow Airport from memory.

Be careful with your planning: flights to/from Barra (and ferries) can often be weather-disrupted, even in summer. You can easily lose a day to the weather, and in winter several days.

 

[Elwyn]

Barra is a pretty little island with beautiful sandy beaches on both the west and east sides. It’s linked to Vatersay by a causeway. However neither island is large and unless you have a special interest, a day would easily be sufficient to visit both. Especially if its raining.

Last sailing from Barra north to Eriskay is at 17.30 (40 minutes. Single foot passenger fare is £3.35).

There’s a modest bus service on the island which picks up at the airport (4 times a day) and drops you off for the Eriskay ferry (Ardmhor). You can use it to go right round Barra and Vatersay, if you want.

https://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/media/16477/w32-castlebay-east-and-west-to-from-eoligarry.pdf

If staying on Eriskay, the Politician is the only pub and is quite good. Does food (book in the summer). There's a good B & B across the road from it, run by the wife of the skipper of the Eriskay - Barra ferry. Very friendly.

 

[route101]

There was a special day trip fare for a return flight to Barra but was only for over the winter months.

 

[Edgeley]

Geoff Marshall has recently posted a video, including the beach landing, about a trip to Barra/Vatersay: 'Britain's Most Westerly Bus Stop'.

 

[Butts]

There was a special day trip fare for a return flight to Barra but was only for over the winter months.

When Flybe ran it all you had to pay was taxes and a few points from their loyalty scheme.