Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Finding a home in the Hebrides: The artist who came on holiday and never left

A woman poses proudly with her art..
Emilie Chartier has found new inspiration -- and a new home -- in the Outer Hebrides. Photo: Emilie Chartier

A chance trip to Uist ended up changing Emilie Chartier’s life. But finding a place to live in the Western Isles is an art in itself.

There’s no doubt that depopulation is one of the biggest challenges the Western Isles are facing today. But people leaving isn’t the whole story – and some versions can make the islands sound like a ghost town rather than the vibrant community it is. In this article, and others, we shine a light on some of the many different people who are choosing to build a life in the Outer Hebrides.

Emilie Chartier never intended to move to the Hebrides.

When the 31-year-old artist came to North Uist for the first time in January, it was only meant to be for a short holiday.

“It wasn’t a mistake, but it wasn’t planned,” she says. “I had never heard of Uist before.”

She stayed with a friend for a week – but then, rather than going home, asked them to drop her at John’s Bunkhouse on Berneray.

“And that’s where it all started,” she says. “I just couldn’t leave.”

 A round, abstract painting of a seascape.
North Uist is “a place where I feel I have more freedom to express myself,” says Emilie Chartier. Image: Emilie Chartier

“It was just supposed to be for a couple of days, and I ended up staying for nearly a month.”

For her, it was an entirely new world. Originally from France, she had already built a life in the bustling city of Newcastle.

Leaving that life was “stressful”, she says.

“I have my community over there, my best friends, so it was hard to leave.”

“But when I got to Berneray,” she says, she felt “something I can’t explain.”

‘I couldn’t stay away’

After visiting Uist for the first time, she went back to the mainland just to get ready to leave for good.

“It took a few months to get everything sorted,” she recalls – but even that felt like too long.

“In the meantime, I came back for two weeks in June. I couldn’t stay away.”

Two months ago, she packed her belongings into a newly-bought second-hand motorhome and came to make a new start.

‘It’s nearly impossible to find a place’

For Emilie, like many of the young people looking to make a home in the Hebrides, the biggest hurdle is housing.

“It’s nearly impossible to find a place at the moment,” she says.

For now, all she can do is stay in temporary accommodation as she waits to hear from the Hebridean Housing Partnership.

She’s on the list for a house – but the housing crisis, which is especially bad in the Western Isles, means she could be waiting a long time.

It’s “not ideal, but it’s better than nothing,” she says.

Meanwhile, though, she’s celebrating a big victory: getting her own studio to work from in Lochmaddy.

A woman lifts a canvas, standing in front of a finished painting.
With a new studio in Lochmaddy, Emilie Chartier is joining a vibrant community of artists on the Islands. Photo: Emilie Chartier

Looking at her work, it might not be so surprising that she felt drawn to the Hebrides.

A keen wild swimmer, she says that her abstract seascapes, full of texture and darkness, are “inspired by the constant change in the movement of the water around us”.

Her art is very personal, but what she loves about working with abstract forms is that “anyone can see anything in them”.

‘It’s very inspiring’

In North Uist, the people she’s met have become as important to her art as her new seaviews.

“There’s a huge community of artists, and it’s very inspiring,” she says. “And for me, it’s definitely a place where I feel I have more freedom to express myself.”

It’s not just other artists that have welcomed her into the community.

Various art of seascapes on display.
Emilie Chartier says texture and a feeling of change are central to her work. Image: Emilie Chartier

She has become particularly close with the owners of John’s Bunkhouse in Berneray, which offers her a more permanent home in the winter months, while she searches for a house.

Their support has been ‘incredible’, she says.

‘The only certainty is that I want to be here’

She’s determined to not just live in the Hebrides, but to be a part of it.

Supporting local businesses and contributing the islands economy is what she sees as her responsibility as an incomer.

“I’d like to see what I can bring to the community,” she says. “What skills, knowledge, whatever I have that I can use to help.”

No doubt there will be more challenges to come. But, for her, “the only certainty is that I want to be here.”

“I’m not going to let anything stop me.”

More local reporting from the Western Isles:

Conversation