Castlebay gets its name with the directness of a child describing what it sees. Kisimul Castle, the seat of Clan MacNeil, sits on a rock out in the bay, and the Gaelic ciosamul itself means castle island. The ferry pulls in beside the seat of a clan that became famous for piracy under Queen Elizabeth I, and whose chief once talked his way out of King James VI's wrath by arguing he had only been avenging the king's mother. Today's chief, an American by birth, leased the castle to Historic Scotland for a thousand years in exchange for £1 a year and a bottle of whisky. Above the village, Our Lady, Star of the Sea, opened in 1888 for the Catholic workforce that arrived with the herring boom, still holds Mass on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

At the north end of the island lies Traigh Mhor, the Great Beach, a vast expanse of compacted shell sand that doubles as Barra Airport's runway. Three runways, actually, marked with crosses, oriented for whichever direction the Atlantic wind happens to favour that morning. A siren sounds when an aircraft is on approach and the beach clears, which is helpful information if you are a tourist walking a dog. Scheduled flights to Glasgow land between tides, on hard wet sand washed twice a day by the sea. It is the only such operation in the world, and Condé Nast Traveller called Barra a delightful little island with its own castle and beach airport, which is succinct and accurate.

Heaval rises 383 metres above Castlebay and the climb takes most people forty minutes. Two-thirds of the way up stands a marble Madonna and Child, erected during the Marian year of 1954, looking down on the ferry pier. From the summit you can sometimes see the hills of Ireland. South of Barra a chain of uninhabited islands runs to Mingulay, whose vast cliffs hold a tumult of seabirds; calm-weather boat trips sail out to it. The causeway to Vatersay, built in 1991, ends at a memorial to the Annie Jane, a ship from Liverpool taking emigrants to Quebec in 1853 and wrecked on Vatersay's beach with the loss of around 350 lives. The tombola here is the start of the Hebridean Way, which walks and pedals the whole archipelago up to Stornoway.

About 1,200 people live on Barra now; two-thirds speak Gaelic, and everyone speaks English. Tourism is the main income, with the high season running May to September, but the island also makes things. Isle of Barra Distillers in Castlebay produce gin, dark rum, and vodka, and they are building a second distillery to begin single malt whisky production. The first bottles will not appear until around 2029. The Hebridean Toffee Factory in Castlebay sells locally and ships worldwide. Barratlantic at Northbay processes king scallops, langoustines, and white fish caught around the islands. Eat at the Castlebay or Craigard hotels, book ahead, and be prepared for the wind to dictate ferry schedules in winter.