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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
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
Barra
Barra (; or ; ) 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 the Vatersay Causeway.
In 2011, the population was 1,174. ...
in the Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides ( ) or Western Isles ( , or ), sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (), is an Archipelago, island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland.
It is the longest archipelago in the British Isles. The islan ...
of Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, 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 () 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 Importance for c ...
lies at the north end of the beach.
Airport
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
In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...
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 known as wind cone or wind sleeve) 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. Windsocks are typically used at airports to show the d ...
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 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 afish factory
A fish factory, also known as a fish plant or fish processing facility, is a facility in which fish processing is performed. They are commonly located near bodies of water but can be located inland and on fishing vessels. The availability and var ...
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.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Traigh Mhor Beaches of Scotland Landforms of the Outer Hebrides Barra