Outer Hebrides, Scotland
Welcome to North Uist
The Estate, in brief
The Estate in four numbers
1961
In the Granville family since
The 5th Earl and Countess Granville bought the estate in 1961. Their family still lives on North Uist and still has a hand in running it.
60,000
Acres under one ownership
One estate, run as a whole, in the middle of the Outer Hebrides. Few sporting estates this size have stayed in one piece.
400+
Tenant crofting families
Over four hundred crofting households, many of them Gaelic speakers, live and work on the island. They deal with the Crofting Commission directly.
SSSI
Sites across the island
Large parts of the island are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, protected for their plants, animals and sea life.
Sport on North Uist
Fish, stalk, shoot, or just watch
Salmon and sea trout in the sea pools, wild red deer on the open hill, and snipe, woodcock and geese on the moor. Or a guided day out after otters and eagles, with no rod or rifle at all.
Fishing
Salmon, sea trout and brown trout across fourteen sea pools and hill and machair lochs
Discover fishing
Stalking
Wild, genetically pure red deer, stalked on foot over open hill
Discover stalking
Wildfowling
Driven and walked-up snipe, woodcock and geese on North Uist's moor and machair
Discover wildfowling
Wildlife Tours
Guided days out for otters, eagles, corncrakes and seals across North Uist's moor, machair and shore
Discover wildlife tours
“We’re not a company that manages this ground. We’re the family that lives on it.”
North Uist Estate Office
Meet the Estate
A family still on the island they bought in 1961
North Uist has changed hands only a handful of times since the Macdonalds of Sleat first held it in 1495. In 1961, the 5th Earl and Countess Granville bought the estate, and their family, the Leveson-Gowers, has lived on North Uist and stayed closely involved in its running ever since.
Day to day, it’s run by the North Uist Estate Trust and the Estate Factor, with our guides, keepers and the Estate Office. The island is also home to 400-plus tenant crofters, who deal with their tenancies directly through the Crofting Commission (opens in a new tab).
Read the full historyHow it works
From your first message to the water and the hill
You deal with one office from start to finish, and we plan the trip around the days that suit you.
- 1
Tell us what you're after
Sport, dates and party size. Two minutes on the enquiry form, or a quick call to the Estate Office.
- 2
We check the ground
We come back within one working day with what’s free: fishing beats, stalking days or wildfowling dates. Stalking and wildfowling are confirmed with a 50% deposit and the Estate’s signed terms.
- 3
Stay close to the sport
Rooms at Lochmaddy Hotel or Langass Lodge. Residents at both get priority booking and discounted fishing.
- 4
Arrive and head out
Ferry from Skye or Harris, or fly into Benbecula. Our local guides and keepers take it from there.
- Run by the same family since 1961
- Local guides and keepers who know the ground
- A reply within one working day
Explore the ground
The island at a glance
Fishing beats, places to stay and eat, and the Neolithic sites you’ll pass on the way. Use the filters, then tap any point for the details.
© OpenStreetMap contributors · Copernicus EU-DEM
Stay & eat
Lochmaddy Hotel
Estate-owned hotel that runs the daily fishing roster. Residents get priority booking and discounted rates on Estate beats.
View accommodation
Where to stay
Two partner houses, minutes from the water
Good to know
Planning a trip: FAQs
Straight answers to what visitors ask us most. Open any question for the detail.
All questions about the EstateWhere is North Uist Estate?
North Uist Estate is a 60,000-acre sporting estate on the island of North Uist, in the middle of the Outer Hebrides off Scotland's west coast. It takes in loch, moor, hill and machair, and has been owned by the Granville family since 1961.
What sport does North Uist Estate offer?
Three sports: salmon, sea trout and brown trout fishing; guided red deer stalking; and driven and walked-up wildfowling for snipe, woodcock and geese. All three take place on the Estate's own ground. For guests who would rather watch than fish or shoot, there are guided wildlife tours too.
What is the best time of year to visit for sport?
It depends on the sport. Sea trout peak from August to October, salmon are in good numbers from July to mid-October, stags are stalked from mid-August to 20 October, snipe and wildfowling weeks run from 1 September to 15 November, and woodcock weeks and hind stalking run until 31 January.
How do I get to North Uist?
By Caledonian MacBrayne ferry from Uig on Skye to Lochmaddy, by ferry from Leverburgh on Harris to Berneray (joined to North Uist by causeway), or by Loganair flight into Benbecula. Every route, with links to book, is on our travel page.
How do I book fishing, stalking or wildfowling?
Contact the Estate Office on 01876 500329, by email, or through the enquiry form with your sport, dates and party size. We reply within one working day with what's free and help put the rest of the trip together.
Honestly, is North Uist worth the journey?
Only if you want what it has. It isn't a quick trip: most guests come by ferry from Skye or Harris, or fly into Benbecula. If you want sport an hour from home, the mainland is easier. If you want open hill, wild deer and more water than land, the journey is part of it.
Still have a question?
The Estate Office replies within one working day. Call, or email info@northuistestate.co.uk.
Ready when you are
Plan your trip to North Uist
Got your dates, or still deciding? Tell us what you'd like to do and we'll put a trip together around the fishing, stalking, wildfowling or wildlife that suits you.
- Run by the same family since 1961
- Local guides and keepers who know the ground
- A reply within one working day