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Barra tide times

Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scotland

Times shown in UK local time, currently GMT.

Thursday 12th November, 2026

Jump to today →
Low Tide 01:21 0.84m
High Tide 07:22 3.56m
Low Tide 13:44 0.92m
High Tide 19:36 3.36m

The moon and tides at Barra

Waxing crescent

11% illuminated, waxing

The moon is a waxing crescent, 11% lit and growing. The next first quarter is in 5 days, on Tuesday 17 November.

The moon's monthly cycle drives the size of the tides here. Around the new moon and full moon, the sun and moon line up so their gravity adds together, producing the largest swing between low and high. Those are spring tides. Around the first and last quarter, the sun and moon pull at right angles and partly cancel out, producing the smallest swing. Those are neap tides.

The next spring tide peaks in 14 days, on Thursday 26 November, at 3.5 metres. The next neap tide bottoms out in 6 days, on Wednesday 18 November, at 1.3 metres.

Today at Barra sits between springs and neaps, with a range of 2.7 metres between low and high water.

Barra Tide Clock

The falling tide is currently 3.73m

High Tide Low Tide 1 2 3 4 5 5 4 3 2 1
Next high tide 06:35 3.72m
Next low tide 00:35 0.48m

The hand sweeps once around the dial each tidal cycle, about 12 hours and 25 minutes. Navy numbers mark the next high water. Orange numbers mark the next low. The tide is rising while the hand moves from low towards high, and falling on the way back.

Tides at Barra run on a twice-daily rhythm, with two highs and two lows most days. The bigger fortnightly cycle that controls how large each swing gets is covered in the spring and neap tides guide.

Barra Tide Times

Jump to today →
Thu, 12th
  • Low 01:21 (0.84m)
  • High 07:22 (3.56m)
  • Low 13:44 (0.92m)
  • High 19:36 (3.36m)
Fri, 13th
  • Low 01:54 (0.96m)
  • High 07:55 (3.43m)
  • Low 14:20 (1.08m)
  • High 20:09 (3.19m)
Sat, 14th
  • Low 02:29 (1.09m)
  • High 08:32 (3.28m)
  • Low 14:58 (1.25m)
  • High 20:45 (3.02m)
Sun, 15th
  • Low 03:07 (1.24m)
  • High 09:16 (3.11m)
  • Low 15:42 (1.43m)
  • High 21:31 (2.84m)
Mon, 16th
  • Low 03:52 (1.38m)
  • High 10:13 (2.96m)
  • Low 16:37 (1.57m)
  • High 22:35 (2.69m)
Tue, 17th
  • Low 04:49 (1.51m)
  • High 11:27 (2.86m)
  • Low 17:47 (1.63m)
Wed, 18th
  • High 00:00 (2.63m)
  • Low 06:02 (1.57m)
  • High 12:45 (2.88m)
  • Low 19:07 (1.56m)

The panel at the top of the page shows the next four turns of the tide for whichever date is selected in the calendar. Each row is one extreme: a "High" or "Low", the time it happens in local time, and the predicted height in metres above chart datum.

The 7 days tab lays the next week out as columns, one per day, with each day's tides stacked top to bottom in the order they happen. The 30 days tab switches to a calendar-row layout for planning further ahead. Both pick up from whatever date the calendar is on.

Tides at most UK ports are semidiurnal: two highs and two lows roughly twelve hours and twenty-five minutes apart. A few stations have a double high water (Poole and Southampton are the well-known ones) or a much smaller secondary peak. If a day in the table only shows three turns instead of four, it's because one of them sat just outside midnight at one end of the day.

The size of the swing between low and high changes through the month, following the spring and neap cycle. The Barra page flags spring and neap days automatically when one is selected in the calendar.

Tide Curve for Barra

Next 7 days, segmented by day

0.5m
1.4m
2.3m
3.1m
4.0m
Thu 12
Fri 13
Sat 14
Sun 15
Mon 16
Tue 17
Wed 18
Tide height in metres for Barra over the next 7 days. Hover the chart to read off a precise time and height.

The chart plots the predicted water level at Barra as a smooth curve over the next seven days. Each peak is a high water; each trough is a low water. The shaded bands separate days, and a faint "now" marker shows where the current time falls along the curve.

Hover the chart and a tracker line snaps to the nearest hour, with a tooltip giving the exact time and height. The numbers on the left axis are the height in metres above chart datum, on the same scale as the values in the tide table.

Weeks where the peaks are tall and the troughs deep are spring tides. Weeks where the curve bunches towards the middle are neaps. Predictions are computed from astronomical constituents, so the same shape carries forward as far as the data allows.

Barra Location

56.9804, -7.4573

Barra sits at 56.9804°N, 7.4573°W, on the coast of Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scotland. The marker comes from the tide station coordinates rather than the town centre, so the prediction lines up with the bit of coastline the data is for.

Nearest tide stations to Barra

For a same-day comparison, look at tide times for Castlebay, Castle Bay, or Loch Boisdale. The shape of the cycle is usually similar to Barra, but the time of high water and the tidal range can shift noticeably along even short stretches of coast.

Browse the full list at UK tide locations for another port, harbour, or beach.

About tides at Barra

Barra sits on the coast of Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scotland. Tide times here follow two highs and two lows on most days, roughly twelve hours and twenty-five minutes apart. All heights on this page are measured from chart datum, the lowest the water normally falls.

Across the year the typical day-to-day range here is around 2.6 metres between low and high water. Spring tides push the swing up to about 3.9 metres at peak. Neap tides drop it to around 0.9 metres.

Common questions about Barra tide times

When is the next high tide at Barra?
The next high tide is shown in the panel at the top of the page, with the exact time and predicted height in metres above chart datum. Today's full set of tide times is in the table below the calendar.
How big is the tidal range at Barra?
The mean range here is around 2.6 metres between consecutive low and high water. Peak spring tides push that up to roughly 3.9 metres. Neap tides bring it down by about half.
What time zone are these tide times in?
Times follow UK local time, so they are GMT in winter and BST through the summer.
Why does high tide happen at a different time each day?
Tides follow the moon, not the sun. The moon takes about 24 hours and 50 minutes to come back to the same point overhead, so each high water happens roughly 50 minutes later than the day before.
Can I use these tide times for sailing or coastal planning?
No. These are astronomical predictions for general reference and educational use only. Don't rely on this site, or any tide table, for sailing, navigation, swimming, fishing, or any decision where the water level matters for safety. Use official sources and a current marine forecast instead.