Holiday rentals and lettings in Stornoway

Table of Contents

• At a glance: What should you know about renting a holiday letting in Stornoway?
• Holiday lettings in Stornoway: find your perfect retreat
• Exploring Stornoway: our top recommendations
• Activities: What are the top things to do and see in Stornoway?

• Self-catering cottages and flats: Most lettings in Stornoway are two to six-person cottages and town-centre flats, with kitchens, washing machines and Wi-Fi as standard, and some with sea views.
• Stay near the harbour: Cromwell Street and Bayhead put you minutes from ferries, shops and cafés, while Sandwick and the Point road suit those wanting quiet and coastline.
• Guests rate the welcome: Reviews on our top-rated lettings praise spotless interiors, generous hosts and easy walking access to Lews Castle grounds.
• Come between May and September: Late spring and summer bring the longest daylight and the Hebridean Celtic Festival; autumn is quieter, wilder and cheaper.
• Stones, brochs and beaches: Days out run from Calanais and Dun Carloway to Gearrannan blackhouse village and the white sands of Luskentyre on Harris.

Stornoway (Steòrnabhagh) leans towards self-catering: small stone cottages, converted crofthouses and modern flats above the harbour, most sleeping two to six. Traditional exteriors hide well-equipped modern interiors, and many sit within walking distance of the town centre. Options widen across the Outer Hebrides, from cottages across the Outer Hebrides to holiday homes in Scotland further afield. Whichever you choose, expect the amenities below.

• Free Wi-Fi in almost every letting, useful on an island with patchy mobile signal
• Full kitchens with oven, fridge, kettle and coffee maker for self-catering nights
• Washing machines and drying space, welcome after a wet walk on the moor
• Enclosed gardens and pet-friendly rules, as with dog-friendly cottages in Scotland
• Sea views, hot tubs and terraces, or glamping in the Outer Hebrides for something wilder

Book early for July and August, when island supply is genuinely limited.

What are the best areas to stay in Stornoway?

For a first visit, stay around Cromwell Street Quay, steps from the ferry, the shops and the best of the seafood. The table below details regions for specific interests:

What do our guests say?

Guests staying in Stornoway consistently rate their lettings above 9.5+, and the comments follow a pattern: warm, practical hosts, immaculate kitchens and bathrooms, and locations that let you leave the car behind for a day. Several mention how quickly the harbour, Lews Castle grounds and the Woodlands Centre paths can be reached on foot, and how comfortable a well-heated island cottage feels when the weather turns.

Here are our top-rated holiday lettings from the past year:

1. Shore Lodge - 10.0: A compact cottage for two with Wi-Fi and a full kitchen, a short walk from Stornoway harbour and its cafés.
2. Uist - Uk34049 - 9.9+: A two-person cottage in Stornoway with its own yard and washing machine, praised for comfort after long island drives.
3. Bayhead Flat 14C- at the heart of Stornoway - 9.8+: A five-person flat in Bayhead with Wi-Fi and a proper kitchen, minutes from the shops and Lews Castle grounds.

Stornoway is the main town of the Isle of Lewis (Leòdhas) in the Outer Hebrides, a harbour town of roughly 6,000 people on Scotland's north-west edge.

✈️What is the best way to get to Stornoway?

There is no single best route: the ferry is cheaper and carries your car, the plane saves most of a day. Here are the most common ways to get to the island:

• Ferry: CalMac sails from Ullapool on the Scottish mainland to Stornoway in about two hours thirty minutes, usually two or three times a day. Book vehicle space well ahead in summer, as sailings sell out. Ullapool is roughly an hour north of Inverness on the A835. A second route links Uig on Skye with Tarbert on Harris (Na Hearadh), an hour south of Stornoway by road.
• Plane: Stornoway Airport (SYY) sits three kilometres east of the town centre and takes daily flights from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness, most under an hour. Loganair operates the routes, and the hop from Inverness is a short, convenient flight. Taxis and a local bus link the terminal to the harbour in ten minutes.
• Car: Once here, a car is close to essential. The A859 runs south from Stornoway across the moor to Tarbert, Luskentyre and the Harris beaches, while the A858 loops west past Calanais, Dun Carloway and Gearrannan. Expect single-track sections with passing places, sheep on the tarmac and few petrol stations, so fill up in town.

🥗Where to eat in Stornoway?

According to Google Maps data and reviews, Feast from the East is the best rated restaurant in Stornoway. Below is a table showing the top 5 highly-rated restaurants hand-picked by our travel experts.

⭐Our guests' recommendation: Our guest traveller Emma recommends the Boatshed Restaurant in Stornoway: it sits right on Cromwell Street by the water, the local shellfish and Stornoway black pudding are the things to order, and it is worth booking a table in advance.

☀️When is the best time to visit?

Come between late May and early September for the longest days, the calmest crossings and the island's festivals. One planning note: Sunday observance is still widely kept on Lewis, so many shops, some cafés and most local buses do not operate, though ferries, flights and a number of restaurants now do.

Spring (April to June)

• Best for: Walkers, birdwatchers and anyone wanting the archaeological sites to themselves.
• Weather: Cool and changeable, roughly 8-14°C, with long light evenings by June.
• Atmosphere: Quiet and unhurried, with machair flowers appearing along the west coast.

Summer (July and August)

• Best for: Families, beach days on Harris and the Hebridean Celtic Festival in Stornoway.
• Weather: Mild rather than hot, around 12-17°C, breezy, with midges inland on still days.
• Atmosphere: The busiest and most sociable weeks, so book lettings and ferries early.

Autumn and winter (September to March)

• Best for: Storm watching, Harris Tweed shopping and lower prices on lettings.
• Weather: Wet and windy, about 3-12°C, with very short December daylight.
• Atmosphere: Peaceful and local, with a real chance of the northern lights on clear nights.

⭐Our Hosts' recommendation: Our Stornoway local expert, the host team at Willow Cottage, recommends coming to visit the Lews Castle grounds first, then walking the woodland paths down to the harbour. Their guests are also pointed towards the official Outer Hebrides tourism site for ferry timetables and Sunday opening hours before setting off across the island. You can read more about local tips on the host team's page.

1. Stand among the Calanais stones
2. Explore Lews Castle and its museum
3. Walk the Stornoway harbour front
4. Step inside Gearrannan blackhouse village
5. Drive south to the Harris beaches

1. Stand among the Calanais stones

   Half an hour west of town, the Calanais Standing Stones rise straight out of the peat above Loch Roag. The central circle and its avenues have stood for around 5,000 years, and because there are no barriers you can walk right between them. The visitor centre explains the astronomy and the peat that once buried them. Nearby, Dun Carloway broch survives to almost double height, one of the best-preserved Iron Age towers in Scotland. Go at dusk for the light.

2. Explore Lews Castle and its museum

   The Victorian Lews Castle, built for Sir James Matheson in the 1840s, looks across the harbour from wooded grounds that are themselves a rarity on a treeless island. Inside is Museum nan Eilean, where six of the medieval Lewis chessmen are displayed on long-term loan from the British Museum. The free galleries cover crofting, Gaelic language and island life, and the café and grounds make an easy half day in any weather.

3. Walk the Stornoway harbour front

   Start on Cromwell Street Quay, where fishing boats, yachts and the Ullapool ferry share the water. Follow the North Beach and South Beach quays past the shellfish sheds, then turn up into the town for Harris Tweed shops and An Lanntair, the arts centre with its gallery, cinema and restaurant. It is a working port rather than a polished promenade, which is exactly the appeal, and the whole loop takes under an hour.

4. Step inside Gearrannan blackhouse village

   On the west coast near Carloway, Gearrannan is a restored cluster of thatched, drystone blackhouses set above a rocky bay. Families lived in them until 1974, and the museum house recreates that interior with a peat fire burning in the middle of the floor. Weaving demonstrations show Harris Tweed being made on a Hattersley loom. Several of the cottages are now self-catering, and the coastal path north towards Dalmore is superb.

5. Drive south to the Harris beaches

   The A859 climbs across the moor into Harris in about an hour, and the reward is Luskentyre: a mile of white shell sand and turquoise water backed by dunes, with the hills of Taransay opposite. Seilebost and Scarista nearby are just as empty. Continue to Tarbert for the Harris Distillery, or take the Golden Road along the rocky east coast. It is a comfortable day trip, or pair it with the Isle of Skye on the way home.