ROCK THE HOUSE

A RUINED BOTHY ON THE SHORES OF ERISKAY IS NOW A SNUG ECO-FRIENDLY HIDEAWAY WITH SUBLIME ATLANTIC VIEWS

- Gillian Welsh

DETAILS

What Taigh Bainne (‘the dairy’), a reconstructed, redesigned bothy

Where Isle of Eriskay, Outer Hebrides

Architect Ruairidh Moir, BARD Ailteir

Size 30m 2

Structural engineer Maciver Consultancy Services

Main contractor Paul MacInnes, Coastal Homes

At the age of 14, Ruairidh Moir set off on a 56-mile journey south from his home on the isle of Lewis to the tiny island of Eriskay, between South Uist and Barra. Armed with his father’s prized 35mm SLR camera, he gazed out from a viewing point above a promontory and photographed all he could see, including an ancient bothy on the shores of the neighbouring croft.

He could never have known it then, but many years later those ruins would become an award-winning project for him and his team at BARD. “The place was striking,” says Moir today.

He might be based in Glasgow, but his Hebridean connections remain strong, and he stays on his family croft whenever he’s home in Lewis. “We undertake a significant part of our work in the islands, so I go back frequently, which is really wonderful. There are distinct cultural nuances between the Uists and Lewis and Harris and I love working across both.”