Gallan Head

Outer Hebrides


Gallan Head, 3 miles north of Uig, was once an RAF radar station and surveillance post until it was abandoned in the 1960s. The old military camp, ringed by spectacular sea cliffs, has undergone several incarnations as a hotel and restaurant, but was finally taken over in 2016 by a local community trust that plans to clean up the site and create a visitor centre, cafe, wildlife-watching viewpoint and all-abilities hiking trail.

Meanwhile, the headland remains a strange hybrid of alternative community and ugly dereliction. You can drive through the gate beyond the settlement to reach the former radar base; there are views west to the Flannan Isles in clear weather.