Island Hopping


The Inner Hebrides Skye


The Cuillins of Skye


Coll and Tiree: Coll and Tiree embody many of the qualities for which the windswept Scottish islands are best loved: clean, sandy beaches, diverse and thriving wildlife, and a lively, welcoming culture that ensures visitors quickly feel at home. Tiree is the gentler big sister, with its largely fl at, fertile landscape and currant bun-like cottages. The island is one of the world’s top windsurfi ng spots, hosting some remarkable feats of aquatic athleticism at the Tiree Wave Classic (an international competition held each Autumn) but it is also a good place for beginners to try the sport. The An Iodhlann museum introduces visi- tors to Tiree’s visible past, but its most ar- resting historic attraction is the 19th century Skerryvore lighthouse, located on treacher- ous rocks about ten miles south-west of the island. It is one of the Stevenson dynasty’s proudest accomplishments, and the inspira- tion for the name of popular Tiree-born band Skerryvore. Coll is rockier and more rugged than its neigh- bour, with far fewer residents and amenities. Its beaches are mostly accessible only on foot, which makes for a wonderful sense of isolation once you reach them. From otters and basking sharks, to wild fl ow- ers, both islands are havens for wildlife, and


have become particularly known for their corncrakes, an endangered species that fl ourishes thanks to ‘corncrake corridors’ created through co-operation between farm- ers and conservationists. These birds are notoriously shy, so you will be lucky to see one, but from late spring to summer their distinctive ‘crek crek’ call is loud enough to keep you awake at night – a special sound, if not quite the peace and qui- et that some head to these islands in search of. Eigg, Muck, Rum and Canna: Known as the Small Isles, this quartet lies off the main tourist route in the Sound of Arisaig, and can be reached by ferry from Mallaig. Rum, the biggest and best known, is home to the ornate red sandstone Kinloch castle, and is run as a Scottish National Heritage Nature Reserve – it is well known to wildlife lovers through the BBC programme Autum- nwatch, which regularly visits to record the progress of the island’s deer. Nearby Eigg (with its dramatic mountain silhouette, the Sgurr of Eigg) is more popu- lous, while Muck is known for its grey seal population. Canna is just fi ve miles long, and was left to the National Trust for Scotland by its previous owner, the Gaelic scholar John Lorne Campbell, whose important archives are kept there in his former home.


Skye: Skye may be the most aptly titled of Scot- land’s islands, taking its name from the old Norse Sky-a, which means ‘cloud island’ and evokes its jagged Cuillin ridge, rising from the land shrouded in mist. Though it has been a popular destination for visitors for centuries, the opening of the Skye Bridge in 1995, and the end of the tolls a decade later had a profound effect on the is- land, boosting trade and tourism and helping entrench the importance of Uig, the island’s northern port, as a key point of access to the Outer Hebrides. As well as busy towns like Portree and Broad- ford, the island boasts museums and visitor attractions, alongside historic village inns, charming sea view bed and breakfasts, and world class restaurants specialising in game and local seafood. Though there is plenty to do in the inhabited parts, the most profound rewards come from close encounters with the seascapes and landscapes, from little Talisker Bay – which shares its name with the island-produced Talisker whisky - to the Trotternish Ridge, guarded by the imposing rock tower of the Old Man of Stoor. Why not escape to the re- mote and magical Loch Coruisk, or look up to the mountaineer’s playground of the Cuil- lins (red and black) themselves.


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