Howmore ( gd, Togh Mòr / Tobha Mor) lies on the island of

South Uist South Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Deas, ; sco, Sooth Uist) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. At the 2011 census, it had a usually resident population of 1,754: a decrease of 64 since 2001. The island, in common with the ...

to the southwest of Loch Druidibeg. The mountain of Haarsal rises to to the east and immediately south is the smaller settlement of Howbeg. Howmore is also within the parish of South Uist.

Geography

The area is largely flat but dominated by the mountain Beinn Mhòr. A rewarding day's hillwalking can be had on Beinn Mhor and Hecla [] - South Uist's highest hills. Loch Druidibeg Nature Reserve, to the north, is an important site for breeding greylag goose, greylag geese and a sanctuary for the corncrake, now, within Britain, almost unique to the Western Isles. Howmore is situated alongside the A865. The ruins of Flora MacDonald's birthplace can be found near Milton, south of Howmore, marked with a commemorative cairn. On the southern slopes of Beinn Mhor is the wooded area of Allt Volagir, one of the few areas of natural woodland left in the Hebrides.

History

The village is perhaps best known for its remarkable collection of ruined churches and chapels. The most striking remains are of the Teampull Mor, the "Large Church" or St Mary's, of which only part of the east gable remains. This church probably dates back to the 13th century and it was used as the parish church. The islands were all wooded once until the arrival of the

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

s who are traditionally blamed for clearing the trees (though this fact is disputed).

Community

Church

At the time of the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, Howmore turned to

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

, though 95% of the population of South Uist remained

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

. Howmore Church, built in 1858, is therefore rather unusual; doubly so as it is one of the few churches in Scotland with a central Communion table. The church is white-harled and used as a landmark by fishermen off the west coast.

Leisure

Howmore is home to one of Scotland's largest collections of thatched buildings. The youth hostel is operated by Gatliff Hebridean Hostels Trust. It is located in a white-painted thatched building which has views to the east across ruined churches towards the peak of Hecla.

Images

File:2014 Scotland Inselhopping QP 079.jpg, Howmore - Landscape File:2014 Scotland Inselhopping QP 083.jpg, Howmore - Beach 1 File:2014 Scotland Inselhopping QP 080.jpg, Howmore - Beach 2

References

External links

Canmore - South Uist, Howmore, Old Churches and Chapels site recordCanmore - South Uist, Howmore site record
{{Authority control Villages on South Uist