Finding tranquillity in forgotten places

A recent Historic Environment Scotland (HES) survey found 60% of people reported improved wellbeing because of visiting a HES site. Because of this, they have launched Historic Places, Breathing Spaces - a new campaign to help boost wellbeing through connection to heritage.   

At Keep Scotland Beautiful, we seek to support communities to explore and celebrate the heritage of the places they value through our programme  Our Heritage, Our Future. In this blog Kirsty Bond, our Project Support Officer, shares her passion for uncovering the history of abandoned places.

I love old buildings. From ruins to restorations, I wonder: if these walls could talk, what would they say? 

Scotland has been occupied by humans for thousands of years, since the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the ice age. In that time, we’ve built homes ranging from unassuming blackhouses to opulent castles. Many of these old buildings have been reclaimed by the landscape or repurposed into other buildings. Those that survive today stand defiant against the ravages of time.

In 1990, the Scottish Civic Trust began a register of historically listed buildings at risk of being lost . The addition of new listings has currently been suspended, with the total as of 2024 standing at over 2,000 buildings on the register. Alongside this, local authorities maintain records of disused or abandoned properties within their boundaries. These buildings face mounting risks with the effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels and extreme weather.

One such place is a small island called Vallay (Gaelic: Bhàlaigh), located off the coast of North Uist across the pearlescent white sands and turquoise seas. A tidal island, it can be reached on foot at low tide. It’s possible to drive across the sands to it, but visitors unfamiliar with the area should make the crossing by foot. I made the trip, propelled by biting winds, in August 2024.

Once home to a population of up to 60 people, Vallay now sits uninhabited except for a few curious highland cows. The abandoned buildings on the island, including the imposing Taigh Mor, create a striking profile against the unbroken expanse of the Atlantic Ocean beyond. The C-listed house was built by famous inhabitant Erskine Beveridge, a textile manufacturer and historian from Dunfermline. His archaeological excavations of the area surrounding Vallay revealed sites dating from 1000 BCE through to 1000 CE.

Today, Taigh Mor is becoming an archaeological ruin much like those Beveridge dedicated his life to uncovering. The once-grand mansion has been abandoned since 1945, when then-owner George Beveridge (Erskine’s son) tragically drowned during a crossing to the mainland. Despite 80 years of sitting empty and exposed to the harsh Atlantic weather, the house retains most of its exterior walls and even some of its interior features, such as the green tiles around the fireplace, visible through the empty window frames.

Though uninhabited, the island is still in active use. It is both a popular walking and wildlife-watching destination for tourists and is owned and crofted by local Angus MacDonald. If visiting the island, take care around the unstable ruins and do not venture inside the property. Keep dogs on short leads and away from livestock. Most importantly, make sure to check the tide times in advance.

While the built heritage of Vallay has fallen to ruin, the landscape is still very much a place of living heritage. It is well worth the scenic hike across the sands to explore. There is a tranquillity to these remote places that is hard to find these days in our modern, fast-paced world. I could understand, looking up at these ruins, why Beveridge would choose such a place to make a home. I felt privileged to experience it for myself and to carry on the story of Vallay through my own excursion.

Today, the Western Isles has the highest percentage of abandoned homes of any local authority region in the UK, and the low-lying west coast of the Uists is highly at risk from rising sea levels. Taigh Mor is just one casualty in a battle against island depopulation that has gone on since the Clearances in the 18^th century. From ancient, chambered cairns to dilapidated croft houses, the Uists have a breadth of incredible built heritage waiting to be explored.

If you’re looking for a peaceful trip away with beautiful sandy beaches, incredible wildlife, delicious food, and ancient archaeology – I promise it’s worth the long ferry crossing.