Hostel, Berneray

Berneray Youth Hostel complex is made up of two single-storey, roughly rectangular-plan, rubble-built Hebridean-type cottages with thatched roofs, positioned at right-angles to each other. These buildings date from the early to mid-19th century and have been renovated in the late 20th century. The cottages stand at the eastern side of Berneray at the northeastern edge of Bays Loch. They are built on a sand and shingle bank that extends southeast from Port Ludaig.

The battered rubble walls have squared corners and are limewashed. The windows are deeply recessed. Both buildings have painted timber ledge and braced doors. Each building has a piended roof that appears to be thatched using a mixture of straw and marram grass. The thatch is netted and held in place by weighting stones which sit low on the wallhead, with part of the wallhead exposed. The ridge is scobed with double horizontal hazel spars.

The front (southeast) elevation of the main hostel building is four bays wide. The rear (northwest) elevation has two window openings with six-pane painted timber casements frames. It has a square chimneystack on each end wall.

The front elevation of the annexe faces southwest and is three bays wide. The northwest end has been built into the landscape. The front elevation has two painted timber ledge and braced front doors with one window. The rear elevation has two windows.

The hostel and annexe interiors were seen in 2017. The internal fabric, layout and fixtures and fittings are all late 20th and early 21st century, following refurbishment in 1989. The interior walls are whitewashed.