My biggest suggestion, is to book a coaching trip to the islands, as this would certainly make your holiday a lot more affordable.
These are the main suggestions that i think you should consider
1, Contact Caledonian MacBrayne, the main ferry providers to the isles, (
www.calmac.co.uk), and ask them for their Go Explore brochure.
Currently it costs £132 to take your car over from Oban to CastleBay on Barra, and as public transport is fairly scarce on the island, it would make a lot of sense to take your car.
I was surprised to discover that it was a five hour journey from Oban to Barra, and luckily the Atlantic was calm, but the views of the inner Hebrides were pretty special.
Travelling South to North also makes more sense, as the main highlights of your visit, are to be found on the Isle of Harris and Lewis.
2, If your lucky enough to own a bicycle, take it with you, as cycling around the islands is a real must.
Cyclists almost outnumbered motorists on the ferries, and as virtually all the islands are flat, its a cycling paradise.
3, As i had booked my accommodation through the coach company, i was not aware how costly it was to stay on the isle of Barra.
I stayed in the magnificent Isle of Barra beach hotel, which is only around a mile up the road from the ferry terminal in CastleBay, and its view was incredible.
The wonderfully situated hotel, is only around 80m from the shores of the Atlantic ocean, and from early November, they regularly get winds topping 120mph.
On my return, i discovered that their tariff for staying the night, was a rather expensive £165, but the food and accommodation was excellent.
When a coach company group books a hotel, i suppose the rates are so much more affordable, but as the weather in early June was excellent, i really enjoyed my stay, and in hindsight, i would certainly stay there again, and save my money to afford another visit.
Throughout my seven hour walk, following the main road encircling the island, i saw a few B&Bs, but not many, so it would not surprise me that the Barra beach hotel was one of only a handful of hotels on the island.
If you can budget for a stay at the hotel, it was certainly worth it, but this is where a coaching holiday makes financial sense.
My seven day holiday, one night in the hotel overlooking Loch Long, above Loch Lomond, two nights at the Barra beach on Barra, two nights in the large 4star hotel (forgotten its name) in Stornway, and a final night in the hotel in Aviemore, was £865.
Had i done everything under my own steam, cost of fuel from Dyffryn to Loch lomond, ferry trips, cost of taking my car, accommodation, food, services of two highly experienced guides living on the isles, and admission charges for the various attractions, it would have cost me considerably more than £865.
When on Barra, i walked around the entire island, a distance of just under fourteen miles, and heard and saw several cuckoos, otters, seals, and possibly other rare visitors.
You must see the famous airport at Barra, and planes arrive from both Inverness and Glasgow, but without your own transport you will be stuck, but you could budget to hire a car for your visit.
There is a short ferry journey of just under the hour, from Barra to South Uist, but there was not a lot to see or do on South Uist, Benbecula, and North Uist.
I cannot imagine what the winter months would be like on those parts of the Hebrides, it was incredibly flat, offering no protection from the Atlantic winds, and the houses were dotted around the landscape, and there was no nightlife to speak about.
It was very similar to the Orkney's, but a lot flatter, and fewer buildings, and not a single tree in sight, all the way to Stornway.
Barra had lots of trees, but once you were on South Uist, you had to reach Stornway before you saw another tree, even Harris was treeless.
The second ferry trip, was from North Uist to Harris, and this is where the real Hebrides starts for the tourist.
Up until reaching Harris, there was not really anything to do, other than admire the views , as long as the weather was kind.
For us walkers, Harris was mouth watering, a dream landscape, very similar to the highlands on the mainland, but more gentle, and no mountain was a challenge, but the scenery was beautiful, and all in a very compact space.
The Isle of Lewis is joined to Harris, and the cut off point is a small road bridge, so one could easily have one leg standing in Harris and the other in lewis.
The biggest area of population, Stornoway, is at the top of Lewis, and is the only area of the entire Outer Hebrides, where there are significant number of trees.
You must visit the Standing stones of Callanish, as they left a huge and lasting impression on me.
Slightly older than both the Pyramids and Stonehenge, and aligned to the phase of the moon, and has nothing to do with the rising sun at Mid summer.
From Stornway harbour, the ferry ride back to Ullapool was only two and a half hours, one of the shortest routes.
There is also a ferry from Skye to Tarbet, which is on Harris.
My biggest suggestion, is to plan your visit with a coach provider, so all your accommodation and food will have been pre booked, and all the main attractions are to be found mainly on Lewis.
If you plan to do it under your own steam, sale from Oban, and then drive up from Barra and base yourself in Stornway.
Everything is very accesable by car, but be warned, EVERYTHING CLOSES ON A SUNDAY, as the whole Hebrides still observe the sabbath, and the islanders are very religious.
About the only thing that moves or are open on Sundays, are the ferries, but even their timetables are limited on Sundays, every shop, and attraction closes, so tourists be warned.
If you have a bike, take it with you, especially on Barra and Vatersay, and if you do not plan to take your own vehicle, arrange to hire one for your entire trip, as it will make getting around so much easier, as i saw few buses on Lewis.
First thing, contact Caledonian MacBrayne, and try and visit in late May early June, before the midges arrive, and your almost guaranteed a fabulous holiday.
I hope my essay will be of great help for you, and have a great time.