The Western Isles, including the Uists, off the west cost of Scotland, are best visited on board a Tourismo coach provided by DA Travel. Mercedes-Benz Omnibus Magazine went along for the ride.
Omnibus Magazine
Secluded beaches, mountains and legends.
Travelling by Mercedes-Benz Tourismo to the prettiest locations in the Outer Hebrides.
Secluded beaches, mountains and legends.
Travelling by Mercedes-Benz Tourismo to the prettiest locations in the Outer Hebrides.
Rugged landscapes, crystal-clear water and historic sites – the 60-kilometre road running along the western coast of the Uists in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides is a real insider travel tip. For cruise passengers and other visitors, the wild, romantic beauty of these islands is best discovered on board one of the comfortable Mercedes-Benz Tourismo coaches provided by local company DA Travel.
Not as warm as the Caribbean, but just as stunning.
At the heart of the Outer Hebrides, the island chain lying off the west coast of Scotland, are the Uists, a group of five islands linked together by a series of causeways and ferries. It is here, on South Uist, that DA Travel is headquartered, a bus company founded by Duncan Aitken and his brother John Ewen Aitken in 2004. Bus operator Duncan Aitken has spent his whole life on the islands and is proud of his heritage: “not to exaggerate – but the clear blue water and golden sand here are up there with the Caribbean on a good day. It’s perhaps not quite as warm, but certainly as beautiful.”
A much-loved destination for cruise passengers.
The cruise sector has also discovered the Western Isles as a worthwhile destination. Now, after a two-year break caused by the pandemic, cruise ships are once again docking with regularity at Lochboisdale Harbour in South Uist. Anyone wanting to get ashore to explore the islands can jump aboard one of DA Travel’s four new Mercedes-Benz Tourismo coaches here. “Already when the passengers see that Mercedes star on the bus, they know they are in good hands,” says Duncan Aitken.
“When the passengers see that Mercedes star on the bus, they know they are in good hands.”
The tours for cruise passengers usually start with a run southwards to the island of Eriskay, reached by way of one of the longer causeways. The crystal-clear ocean and roar of the surf get visitors in the right mood for their journey. Allan Macdonald and Ewen Campbell, nicknamed Shuggy, regularly pilot one of these relaxing tours through this outstanding landscape. Both agree on one thing: the comfortably equipped Mercedes-Benz Tourismo is perfect for the task. “If we are bringing people to places as breathtaking as these, they need to be able to see something,” says Shuggy. “The Tourismo, with its tall windows and low sills, offers passengers the best possible views.”
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A sunken wreck and fantastic views.
On the way over the causeway to Eriskay you can see to the left the place where, in 1941, the cargo ship SS Politician ran aground in a storm on the way from Liverpool to New Orleans, and sank. When locals arrived to rescue the crew, they found out, to their surprise, that the cargo consisted of 260,000 bottles of whisky. The islanders got everyone off as fast as they could – and also, as legend has it, rescued the whisky. Knowing that tourists are very interested in these kinds of stories, driver Allan Macdonald tells the tale with great pleasure and an abundance of colour – though clearly without letting the guests know every single detail. Because the answer about what happened to all that whisky is provided in Gaelic, and only very vaguely.
Back on South Uist, the passengers visit the Polochar Stone, going on to enjoy a morning tea and freshly baked scones in the next-door Polochar Inn. Here, visitors can enjoy outstanding views and take beautiful photographs of the neighbouring island of Barra. As appealing as the remoteness and charm of such places might be for visitors, it can be a challenge for a tour operator, as Duncan Aitken explains: “remoteness requires reliability. We don’t have the luxury of having the replacement parts van come by every day. But the Mercedes-Benz Tourismo, along with our preventive maintenance programme, give us the reliability we need.”
A paradise for birds and golfers from across the world.
The tour now heads northwards along the low-lying western coast of the islands. The shell-sand beaches here are a paradise for birds: sandpipers, lapwings and dunlins return every year to breed. After visiting the historic ruins of Ormacleit Castle from the early 18th century, and enjoying a well-earned lunch in the modern Kildonan Museum, the guests continue northwards to the statue of “Our Lady of the Isles”, where the panoramic views of the surrounding islands are fantastic.
“Many guests are absolutely set on coming back.”
About DA Travel.
DA Travel, headquartered in Cille Pheadair (Kilpheder), South Uist, has been operational since 2004. The fleet at the company run by Duncan Aitken and John Ewen Aitken includes seventeen coaches and minibuses. In 2018, its Tourismo journey began with the purchase of four pre-owned vehicles, joined by four new ones in 2022 – so impressed were the entrepreneurs by the coaches. Alongside tours with cruise passengers and foreign groups, DA Travel also runs school buses and provides transport services to local clients. The greatest challenge of working on an island, Duncan Aitken says, is carefully planning maintenance works and being well prepared for any breakdowns. But one of the advantages is the low mileage: as a rule, the vehicles only cover 30,000 kilometres a year and thus still have good resale value after three to four years. Duncan Aitken explains his success in this way: “we concentrate on the simple things and do them right, use quality products, value our employees and never take our customers for granted.”
A must on the return to the ferry terminal – and this is something all the DA Travel drivers agree on – is to visit Askernish Golf Course, established in 1891. The course has an eventful history behind it and even served as an airstrip for many years. In 2008 it was reopened with the aid of local volunteers and now attracts golfers from across the world – a welcome source of extra tourist revenue for the island, and for DA Travel. Visiting Askernish often inspires visitors to come back for another visit. “On our way back to the ship, guests often bombard us with questions about accommodation and flight connections,” Allan Macdonald says.
You can tell just by looking at the guests that they enjoyed their tour of the islands. “They have glowing eyes, look windswept but totally relaxed and tell us they will definitely be coming again,” Shuggy says, pleased. There can perhaps be no better compliment for the outstanding service provided by DA Travel.
