How to find the perfect Scottish island for your holiday
Our expert has spent 20 years scouring the Scottish isles for the best food, whisky, beaches and wildlife
The Isle of Skye, best for foodies
Credit: Getty
The Scottish Government have just surprised everyone – not least those who had already cancelled their upcoming island breaks – by announcing the isles will re-open to tourism alongside the mainland after all on April 26. Cross border travel too will re-open. It seems the desperation to get tourism going again has trumped Covid-concerns, as case numbers drop sharply and vaccination levels soar.
Scotland’s treasure trove of over 800 islands – just under 100 inhabited – beckons, but where to start? I’ve spent the last 20 years as a travel writer scouring the isles and I’m often asked which is “best”. I answer that it’s more a question of which is best for you. Are you a foodie, an ornithologist or do you just crave a deserted beach? Handily the Hebrides also share remarkable walking, scenery and eye-popping sunsets, plus a genuinely friendly island welcome.