Bunabhainneadar Tennis Court

July 8, 2022

Bunabhainneadar (Boona-ven-adder) Tennis Court can be found just off of a single-tracked road that lies on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean northwest of Tarbert on the Isle of Harris, Scotland.

It's hard to find the right words to describe the location. The surrounding areas of boulder-strewn hillside feel desolate with just sheep and cows for company, but yet there's this gleaming all-weather tennis court in amongst it all. A truly remarkable sight.

It took us a 3.5 hour drive from Aberdeen to Ullapool where we caught the ferry to Stornoway. After a calm 2.5 hour journey across The Minch, a 1 hour winding drive followed as we headed south, climbing steeply as we transitioned from Lewis to Harris, before descending as we drew nearer to Tarbert. A left turn took us onto a single-tracked road where we passed some houses, stopped many times to let sheep cross the road, went over numerous cattle grids, and were soon greeted by the idyllic looking tennis court on our left, nestled into the coastline. There was a true feeling of remoteness here.

As if the scene wasn't perfect enough, we were greeted by Mike and Peggy Briggs hitting the ball back and forth over the net, with the only other sounds being the wind blowing and the sheep 'baaing'.

So how does a tennis court this remote actually come about? Well, the court is owned by a charity which was set up to provide recreational facilities for the people of the island, with husband and wife duo Mike and Peggy Briggs behind it all. The Briggs' spent their summers in Harris at a rental cottage, but in the early 90s when they called to book, the owners told them that they'd better hurry up as it was about to go on the market. It was then that they made the bold decision to buy it and relocate permanently to the island from the south of England.

The Briggs' were very much into tennis with Mike having coached in England, and playing tennis was something that they missed, so they decided to build a court, not just for them, but for the local community. After lots of consultations, years of hard work sourcing the funds, and with donations coming in from far and wide, they had enough to construct the court.

The court has an artificial surface, available all year round, and can be booked by the public, so if you're ever in the area, or you're a tennis aficionado, then be sure to put this on your list of things to do.