Baleshare Causeway Webcam – Watch the Tide in North Uist

The Baleshare Causeway Webcam watches the single-track road that links the small island of Baleshare to North Uist in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the Western Isles council, streams two cameras side by side. The close camera looks down on the carriageway between its banks of rock armour. The wide camera follows the causeway west, past a line of telegraph poles, to the low ground and white houses of Baleshare on the far side. At low tide the stone banks sit above wet sand and green weed flats, while a big spring tide can bring the sea right up to the road, or over it. One look at the picture shows which of the two is happening before anyone sets off.

About Baleshare Causeway

The causeway is 350 meters (1,150 feet) long and was built in 1962 by the contractor William Tawse Ltd. It gave Baleshare a fixed road link to North Uist, and with it a lift to the island’s economy and community. Baleshare is extremely flat even by Hebridean standards. Its highest point is just 12 meters (39 feet) above sea level and it covers about 910 hectares (3.5 square miles), so there is no high ground anywhere near the road. The Gaelic name, Am Baile Sear, means the east town or east farm. Two townships share the island, Samhla in the east and Teananachar in the west, and a 2025 Scottish Government figure puts the population at 53.

The road is now more than 60 years old. A report to the council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in June 2024 describes it as single track with two passing places, and notes that under particularly high spring tides the road can be submerged with very little help from the weather. The same report rated the structure as stable but put a replacement causeway at an estimated 5 to 9 million pounds, more than the council’s entire annual capital allocation of 5 to 6 million pounds. Local MSP Alasdair Allan had asked the council to put a camera on site so the danger in bad weather could be seen.

The sea has been reshaping this coast for centuries. Local tradition holds that land to the west of Baleshare, washed away in the sixteenth century, once allowed people to cross to the Monach Islands. Two prehistoric settlements on Baleshare have produced a circular stone house along with pottery, bone and metal. A Shorewatch survey in 2005 recorded up to 4 meters (13 feet) of archaeological deposits lost to erosion between August and December of that year alone.

Weather and Climate in Baleshare

The nearest long-term weather station is on Benbecula, just across the water to the south, and gives the best guide to conditions here. Winters are mild for a place this far north. January averages a high of 7.7 C (46 F) and a low of 3.1 C (38 F), and April is only a little warmer at 10.2 C (50 F) by day. July brings highs of 16.1 C (61 F) and lows of 11.4 C (53 F). October stays mild at 12.2 C (54 F) in the daytime and 7.8 C (46 F) at night. Rain is the constant: about 1,194 millimeters (47 inches) falls in a year, with 1 millimeter or more on roughly 203 days.

The tide changes the picture more than the season does. On a falling tide the south side of the causeway drains to pale sand and green weed, and on a rising one water closes in on both banks until the rocks are the only dry ground left. According to the council, it is a high tide combined with a strong wind and a surge that overtops causeways, so the picture is most dramatic in a gale, when waves can wash over the rock armour onto the tarmac. Spring tides run highest around the equinoxes, in March and September. Midsummer light lasts late into the evening, while December leaves the picture dark by late afternoon.

Things to Do Near Baleshare

Crossing the causeway leads to Baleshare’s long sandy beach, the feature the island is best known for. Back on North Uist, the township of Carinish holds Teampull na Trionaid, the ruins of an Augustinian nunnery and college of learning said to have been founded by Bethoc. The ground around it was the scene of the Battle of Carinish, a clan fight between the MacLeods and the MacDonalds. Inland, Barpa Langass is a large burial cairn in almost pristine condition, and North Uist also has the Pobull Fhinn stone circle among its many Neolithic standing stones.

For birdwatchers, the RSPB reserve at Balranald on North Uist is known for corncrakes, Arctic terns and corn buntings. Lochmaddy, the ferry village on the east coast, has Taigh Chearsabhagh, a museum and arts centre with a cafe and small shop. Caledonian MacBrayne ferries sail from Lochmaddy to Uig on Skye, and from the island of Berneray to Leverburgh on Harris. To the south, road causeways carry on to Benbecula and South Uist.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

These cameras keep you in the Outer Hebrides, from the tidal sands of North Uist to the harbour at Stornoway.

• North Uist Webcam
• Berneray Webcam
• Stornoway Harbour Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Baleshare Causeway located?

The causeway is in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, linking the island of Baleshare to the south-west of North Uist near Clachan. Lochmaddy, the ferry port for North Uist, is about 13 kilometers (8 miles) to the north-east in a straight line.

What can you see on the Baleshare Causeway Webcam?

The stream shows two views at once. On the left, a close camera looks down on the single-track road and its rock armour. On the right, a wide camera follows the causeway west, past the telegraph poles, to the houses of Baleshare, with tidal water or sand flats on both sides depending on the tide.

Does the Baleshare causeway flood at high tide?

It can. The council’s own report says the road can be submerged under particularly high spring tides even with little wind, and a strong wind and surge make overtopping more likely. Checking the camera and the tide times before crossing is sensible.

How long is the Baleshare causeway?

The causeway is 350 meters (1,150 feet) long. It was built in 1962 by William Tawse Ltd and is single track with two passing places.

What is the weather like in Baleshare?

Mild, wet and often windy. Average highs run from 7.7 C (46 F) in January to 16.1 C (61 F) in July, and about 1,194 millimeters (47 inches) of rain falls each year, measured at nearby Benbecula.

How many people live on Baleshare?

The island had 53 residents in the 2025 figure, spread between the townships of Samhla and Teananachar.

Why is the Baleshare Causeway Webcam showing water over the road?

A high spring tide, especially with an onshore wind, can cover the low-lying road for a while. The water drains away as the tide falls, and SEPA’s coastal flood warning service, open to anyone, gives notice of the worst tides.

Source: Comhairle nan Eilean Siar