Uig Bay, Lewis
A vast white shell-sand bay on the west of Lewis — extraordinary, empty, and an hour from anywhere.
Loading the week's forecast…
● Spot · shaded: the wind directions that work here. It is not a riding area or a permitted kite zone. Two fingers to move the map.
Location & launch
Know before you go.
- Launch
- A vast expanse of white shell sand at Traigh Uige, exposed at low water.
- Wind
- WSW · W · WNW · NW · NNW · N winds work here.
The shaded area shows the wind directions recorded as working here. It is not a permitted kite zone or a safe launch boundary. Check local signs.
Local rules, hazards & spot guide
Need to know
The things that catch people out here.
- The bay drains a very long way at low water — the walk out can be considerable.
- Extremely remote. An hour from Stornoway, and that is where the hospital is.
- The Lewis chessmen were found in these dunes. It is a genuinely extraordinary place to ride.
- Bring everything. There are no watersports facilities on this side of the island.
Conditions
- Best
- Works
- Offshore
- Works in
- WSW, W, WNW, NW, NNW, N
- Best in
- W, WNW, NW
- Offshore (careful)
- ESE, SE, SSE, S, SSW, SW
- Wind quality
- clean
- Water
- Flat to choppy
- Depth
- standing
- Best tide
- Low to mid
- Spring range
- 4.2 m
- Beginner
- Good
- Intermediate
- Ideal
- Advanced
- Good
Hazards
Most serious first. The level is in words as well as colour.
- high
remote Extremely remote. Stornoway is an hour's drive and the nearest hospital is there.
- medium
current Streams round the headlands at the bay mouth.
- medium
cold water Atlantic temperatures peaking around 14°C.
Access & rules
- Launch
- A vast expanse of white shell sand at Traigh Uige, exposed at low water.
- Permit
- Not required
- Insurance
- Third-party liability expected
- Tuition
- Permitted
Parking
- Uig Sands roadside parking
free
Safety
Who is around if it goes wrong. None of it makes the water safe.
- Lifeguards
- None
- RNLI
- Stornoway RNLI
- Nearest A&E
- Western Isles Hospital, Stornoway (~60 min)
- Water quality
- Not a designated bathing water
Very remote with patchy phone signal. Tell someone your plans.
The spot
Traigh Uige on the west coast of Lewis is one of the most striking beaches in Europe: a huge expanse of white shell sand and turquoise water that empties almost entirely at low tide. The Lewis chessmen were found in the dunes behind it.
It is also an hour's drive from Stornoway and there are no facilities of any kind. Phone signal is patchy, the water peaks around fourteen degrees, and the nearest hospital is in Stornoway. Bring everything, including spares, and tell someone where you are going.
Nearby alternatives
Other launches around Outer Hebrides, with different conditions.
- Vatersay West Beach
The most southerly inhabited island in the Outer Hebrides, with two beaches back to back.
Sources
Where this record came from, and how confident we are in it.
- Windfinder — Isle of Lewis / Uig Bay
Checked 2026-09-07 · coordinates, wind
- Kiteforum spot guide — Uig Bay, Lewis
Checked 2026-09-23 · wind
Verify locally. Coordinates 58.1863, -7.0274. Conditions, access arrangements and beach rules change; check them on the day before you rely on anything on this page.