Confirmed · Outer Hebrides · Landscape
Luskentyre Beach
Where the Turners talk about the islands (2019 special) in Call the Midwife. Open to visitors; allow 1 to 2 hours.
- On screen as
- Where the Turners talk about the islands (2019 special)
- Series and episodes
- Christmas special 2019 · Christmas special 2019
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Time needed
- 1 to 2 hours
- Where
- Luskentyre, Isle of Harris
On screen
How Luskentyre Beach appears
In the 2019 Christmas special, Dr Turner and Shelagh come to the islands with the team, and on the sands at Luskentyre they sit together and talk over a possible move. Visit Outer Hebrides names the beach as the place where the scene was filmed. As with the other Hebridean locations in the special, the scenes are set on the islands and were shot there too. The pale sand and turquoise water show off the Hebrides at their most striking, a deliberate contrast with the brick and soot of Poplar.
The real place
What you can visit
Luskentyre is one of the best-known beaches in Scotland: a great sweep of white shell sand and dunes on the west coast of Harris, facing the island of Taransay across the Sound. It is free and open to all, reached by a single-track road ending at a small parking area with a burial ground nearby. There are no lifeguards and no shops at the beach. The water looks tropical but is cold, and tides and currents can be strong at the river channel, so take care. It can be windy at any time of year, and the sand is soft.
Parking at the road end is limited: use the marked spaces, never block passing places or croft gates, and take your litter home.
Visit Outer Hebrides: Call the Midwife 2019 Christmas special locations ↗Reaching the Outer Hebrides means a CalMac ferry (Ullapool to Stornoway for Lewis, Uig on Skye to Tarbert for Harris) or a flight to Stornoway, then a car for the single-track roads. Lewis and Harris are one island, but the drive from Calanais to Rodel takes well over an hour each way. Book ferries early in summer, carry food and fuel, and plan around the weather and the short winter daylight.
Common questions
Planning a responsible visit
Where do the Turners sit on the beach in the 2019 special?
At Luskentyre on the west coast of Harris, according to Visit Outer Hebrides.
Is Luskentyre safe for swimming?
There are no lifeguards, the water is cold and currents can be strong near the river channel. Paddling is popular; swim only if you are experienced and the sea is calm.
How do you get to Luskentyre?
Take the A859 from Tarbert towards Leverburgh, then the signed single-track road to Luskentyre. Park at the road end and walk down through the dunes.
Plan your visit
Build it into the day.
St Clement's Church at Rodel further down the west-coast road, or the Harris Tweed shops of Tarbert.
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Map
Days out including this place
Continue with a prepared day out
Nearby
Continue through Outer Hebrides
Calanais Standing Stones
Where Mother Mildred and Sister Monica Joan visit the stones (2019 special)
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Gearrannan Blackhouse Village
Aunt Mina and Effie's island home (2019 special)
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St Clement's Church, Rodel
St Faelan's Church (2019 special)
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Eilean Glas Lighthouse
An island lighthouse landscape (2019 special)
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