The Tràigh Mhòr, in English 'Big Beach', is a large expanse of sand forming a magnificent white beach at the northern end of the island of

Barra Barra (; gd, Barraigh or ; sco, Barra) is an island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, and the second southernmost inhabited island there, after the adjacent island of Vatersay to which it is connected by a short causeway. The island is na ...

in the

Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, in the village of Ardmhor extending to the village of Eoligarry. The beach is made up of hard compacted sand. The tidal islet of

Orosay Orosay ( gd, Orasaigh) is a small uninhabited tidal island in the Sound of Barra lying at the north end of Traigh Mhòr, the "big beach" on the north east coast of Barra. It is one of ten islands in the Sound of Barra, a Site of Community Import ...

lies at the north end of the beach.

Airport

Twin Otter G-HIAL leaving Barra for Glasgow

In 1933 when a site was sought for Barra Airport, John MacPherson, the local postmaster (otherwise known as 'The Coddy') suggested that the beach, with its hard compact sand, be used for the

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...

s. It is still in use, and is the only runway in the world washed twice a day by the tide. There are three runways, to allow for different wind directions. Three large visible markers mark the runways. When the

windsock A windsock (also called a wind cone) is a conical textile tube that resembles a giant sock. It can be used as a basic indicator of wind speed and direction, or as decoration. They are typically used at airports to show the direction and strength ...

flies to show that a plane arrival is imminent, the area is out of bounds to people on the beach.

Cockling

The Tràigh Mhòr is also popular with cockle pickers - the source of its other well known name: 'The Cockle Strand'. Other shellfish such as

razorfish Razorfish may refer to: Species Fish A common name used for three unrelated groups of fishes: * The genera ''Aeoliscus'', and ''Centriscus'', also known as shrimpfishes, in the family Centriscidae * The genus ''Xyrichtys'' of the family Labridae * ...

and winkles are also collected. Cockle pickers use rakes to rake the sand in search of the cockles. Many of the islanders collect cockles and sell them to a local company, 'Barratlantic', which has a

fish factory A fish factory, also called a fish plant, fish processing facility, is a facility where fish processing is performed. Fish factories range in the size and range of species of fish they process. Some species of fish, such as mackerel and herring, a ...

on Barra at 'Aird Mhithinis', or in English orthography 'Ardveenish'. Shellfish from the beach and from around the waters of Barra are mostly exported to Europe. {{DEFAULTSORT:Traigh Mhor Beaches of Scotland Landforms of the Outer Hebrides Barra