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Enjoy the calm of Luskentyre's beaches

© Creative Commons / gianni

Luskentyre beaches

Scotland has an almost unseemly richness of scenery. Its coast is awash with colour - dark grey-green hills, pale custard sands, shimmering sea that turns from cornflower to turquoise to gun-metal silver with the changes of the wide open sky. Here is the UK's wildest and most otherworldly coast: timeless places, where humans seem quite irrelevant. And to get away from it all, you can't beat the Outer Hebrides, with the island of Harris offering several of Scotland's most incredible beaches.

Beach

Sands are tropical white and the sea a translucent merging of different shades of blue. There are several beaches around the bay: Traigh Rosamol is a few miles north of Luskentyre and is a silver-and-gold expanse of sand washed by icy sea. At low tide, the whole bay emerges to reveal the stunning beach, washed by channels of shimmering sea water. To the southwest of the bay is Traigh Sheilboist, the third in the Luskentyre triptych, and beyond this are another 9km (6 miles) of sandy beaches.

Beyond the beach

Over on the adjoining island of Lewis, 19km (12 miles) west of Stornaway, are the mysterious Callanish Standing Stones, set on a remote and secluded promontory. It's thought that the stones were erected around 3,800 to 5,000 years ago by prehistoric tribesmen.

Exploring further

Take a tour of the Harris coastline with Scenic Cruises (www.scenic-cruises.co.uk) and catch a glimpse of the plethora of wildlife around the island. Trips are tailored to each group to take in points of interest. Evening cruises are also available and is a magnificent way to experience the sun setting over the Hebrides.

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