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Car Hire Hebrides
Car Hire Hebrides
Driving Harris

Car hire on the Isle of Harris

Harris has the most demanding roads of anywhere we operate and the scenery that makes people put up with them. This page covers how to get a vehicle there, and what to think about before you do.

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A single-track road curving above a wide white shell-sand bay with bare hills on the far shore
Two ways to start

Delivered at Tarbert, or driven down from Stornoway

If you arrive on Harris by ferry, we deliver a vehicle to Tarbert ferry port for an arranged collection. There is no office or depot there, and the arrangement is confirmed with your booking.

If you are already on Lewis, or flying into Stornoway, the alternative is simply to collect there and drive south. No ferry is involved: Lewis and Harris are one landmass.

Which is better depends on where your trip starts, not on which we prefer. Both are on the booking search.

The roads

Narrow, winding, and worth it

Harris roads are largely single-track with passing places, and they climb, twist and drop in ways that make the map look optimistic. In summer they are also busy with walkers, cyclists and other people driving them for the first time.

The practical consequence is that a smaller vehicle you can place confidently is usually a better trip than a large one you are nervous in. That is worth weighing against how much you are carrying.

What you are carrying

Luggage, bikes, boards and gear

Harris is a place people bring things to: boards, bikes, walking and climbing kit, camera gear. Load space is often the constraint that actually matters, more than seat count.

Size the vehicle group to the load rather than to the number of people, and check the luggage guidance on the group before booking. Do not assume a roof rack or bike rack is available unless it is confirmed in your booking.

Moving on

Harris as one end of a one-way route

Collecting at Tarbert and returning at Stornoway (or the reverse) is one of the more useful routes we run, because it removes a long return leg from a short trip.

Harris also connects south by ferry towards the Uists and Barra, which makes it a natural staging point for a longer island route. One-way hire is subject to availability and pre-arrangement, and any charge is confirmed before booking.

Choosing a vehicle

Vehicles for Harris roads and Harris loads

Compact

Vauxhall Corsa or similar · 5 seats · Manual · 1–2 luggage

from£61.60

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Two constraints pull against each other here: narrow roads favour a smaller car, and boards, bikes and walking kit need space. Size to the load, then check the luggage guidance. Availability is decided by the booking search.

Where to go from here

Get a vehicle to Harris

Collect at Tarbert or drive down from Stornoway. Both are in the booking search.

Book now