natural landscape
With a land area of about eight square miles, Great Bernera is the 34th largest island in Scotland. Approximately five miles long by three miles wide, the island contains numerous freshwater lochs, as well as the inner tidal loch Tob Bhalasaigh and the larger Loch Roag which surrounds the island. The highest point is 87m above sea level.
shoreline
Most of the shoreline is rocky but there are two sandy beaches: the largest and most accessible is Bosta Beach (pronounced Borsta), to the north end of the island, but there is also a smaller beach at the west end of Tobson. There are also a number of smaller islands dotted round the coast of Bernera, giving an interesting seascape, some of which have played their part in Bernera’s history.
bosta beach
tobson beach
soils & machair
Mainly overlying the rock in inland areas is peat and generally poor soil.
However, along the coastline, machair (coastland grasslands—see photo) and improved ground from crofting practices can be found.
Lazy beds—a method by which root crops (especially potatoes) were traditionally cultivated on raised ground—are also a common feature of the Bernera landscape.
geology
The bedrock of Bernera is Lewisian Gneiss, a metamorphic rock thought to be some of the oldest on Earth at around 2.6 billion years.
The rock can be seen throughout the island, from outcrops at the surface to cliff faces on the hills and, of course, at the beaches, like these rocks at Bosta Beach.
little bernera
The ‘Great’ in Great Bernera refers to the fact that just to the north lies a smaller island known as Little Bernera.
The landscape of Little Bernera is very similar to that of its larger neighbour, except there are much larger (and more deserted) sandy beaches on its northeastern shore.
Little Bernera is only accessible by boat (or by swimming over!).
explore
By far the best way to see the various landscapes of Bernera is to follow the West Coast footpath, a circular route starting at the Community Centre in Breaclete.
This walk takes you along the coast, over hills and past lochs to Bosta Beach and the Iron Age House, returning to Breaclete via the main road.
More details about this route can be found on our Walks page.