Paddleboarding the Bay of Vatersay

There honestly is no other place like Scotland on a sunny day. And paddleboarding one of the stunning beach locations such as the Bay of Vatersay is the perfect way to enjoy it. We had a run of particularly great weather while we were on Barra and were lucky enough that it continued for our day trip to Vatersay. The Ilse of Vatersay is joined to Barra by a causeway making access easy. If you are travelling to Barra, a side trip to Vatersay is a must.

The Main Points

• Location – Bagh Bhatarseigh (Bay of Vatersay), Isle of Vatersay, Scotland
• Cost – Access from road and carpark
• Conditions – Salt Water Loch/Bay
• Other users – Beach goers, swimmers
• Entry Point – Sandy Beach
• Surrounding amenities/Bathrooms- Bathrooms at Vatersay Hall Cafe

Location

Weather

Water Temperature

Weather and water temperature are for the Barra Region.

Paddleboarding Bay of Vatersay

Tucked within the sand dunes there are places to park and stay overnight if you have a self contained campervan. From here a short walk through the dunes takes you onto a stunning white sandy beach. The Bay of Vatersay is a great place for swimming, paddlboarding, kayaking and chilling out on the sand. We particularly liked how big the bay was and yet how sheltered it is from that Scottish wind.

The bay itself is deeper than Scurrival Bay on Barra but it is narrower and easier to navigate.  We really enjoyed exploring the rocky shore line and watching walkers hiking out to the headland on the south side of the bay.  Vatersay had a great community feel to it which centres around the Vatersay Hall Cafe which is where you can find bathrooms for public use.

Watch our video of Paddleboarding at the Bay of Vatersay

This paddle boarding session was part of our SUP Safari Scotland where we spent 5 months travelling Scotland in our Campervan discovering all of the best places to go Stand Up Paddleboarding along the way. Barra features in the episode below.

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If you haven’t yet watched part one of our SUP Safari Scotland Travel Video Series  check it out here.