Much as on a Pacific Ocean atoll, you start to notice how the combination of fudgy sand, sea mist and sun on this Outer Hebridean island is utterly hypnotic. Luskentyre Sands and those scalloped along the western coast of this so-called island (it’s attached to North Harris by a spit of land) instil a sense of life worth living away from the rest of the world and, should the weather hold, this is Scotland worth the T-shirt tan.
Beyond the machair, Harris is imbued with craftsmanship and community and that’s best discovered on a visit to a Harris Tweed weaver or wool fabric showroom in Tarbert, or indeed at the Isle of Harris Distillery, where sugar kelp and botanicals marry to create a gin that turns steel-grey water into something extraordinary. There is one road around the island and if anywhere was made for a camper van trip it’s the Outer Hebrides — continue south via the Uists through the croft-dotted landscape of naked hills and empty beaches to Barra and Vatersay. Oh, what a privilege.
Orkney
Orkney IslandsGetty Images
Orkney is a North Sea archipelago with a story that no one fully understands. It showcases a different strata of history at every turn, from the Mesolithic and Neolithic to the Pictish and Viking, and it’s hard to imagine anywhere on Earth with more archaeological treasures in such a small area — hardly a week goes by when a tomb, cairn, or artefact isn’t unearthed from its soil or along a beach. There are 70 islands in total, but for those short on time Mainland and Hoy are the main draws, with the Unesco-worthy sights of Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar and St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall the best-preserved storehouses of Orcadian history.
Islay
IslayGetty Images
Did someone mention whisky? Life might not always have been easy on this Southern Hebridean island, but islanders have certainly begun to reap the rewards. Currently, there are nine single malt distilleries on Islay (soon to be 10 with Port Ellen) and, from old-timers Lagavulin and Laphroaig in the south to jazzed-up Caol Ila and newcomer Ardnahoe overlooking island neighbour Jura, it’s unashamedly a whisky drinker’s kind of place.
But while it provides a haven for barley growers and peat smokers (tobacco is the main flavour profile of many of the Islay malts), the island is changing focus to cater for all. Many distilleries now operate family-friendly tours and cafes, the Atlantic beaches dazzle and trains of seabirds and dolphins linger around the coast. For a slice of self-contained bliss, The Machrie is marooned on The Big Strand beach and is as close as Islay gets to Hebridean seventh heaven.
