to receive FREE search credits to trace your ancestry on Scotlandspeople.gov.uk, and our quarterly enewsletter with exclusive travel deals, exciting events and travel tips.
I'd like to register now >
These islands, lying off to the west of the Scottish mainland, are the heartland of the Gaelic people. In many places, it is Gaelic that is still spoken first, a language that is as rhythmic and beautiful as the islands themselves. For this is a part of Scotland where nature is at her most alluring; stunning, windswept beaches, rugged mountains and endless horizons lending the Western Isles an almost magical appearance.
The Western Isles have a long legacy of forced and voluntary emigration. One of Scotland's best known genealogists, Bill Lawson, lives in the Western Isles. Bill and his wife Chris have a deep and intimate knowledge of the island's genealogies and run a unique genealogy service and visitor centre, Co Leis Thu?, in Harris.
