Wherever you are in the Inner Hebrides, you get the feeling of an ancient place with human roots going back millennia. The huge skies, the seas that change from blue and friendly to brown and choppy in no time, the pretty white houses dotted high on windswept moors and the colourful seaside terraces lining the beaches, they speak to a landscape that might look reasonably civilised on the surface but is often brutal. It’s wild here. You’ll adore it. So grab a ticket on a ferry and see where the sea breezes take you.
A quick tour of the Inner Hebrides
The Inner Hebrides consists of thirty five inhabited islands plus forty four empty ones of a decent size. The three biggest are Skye, Mull, and Islay. Islay is tiny, which just goes to show how small the rest are!
Some of the islands, including Skye and Mull, are rocky, steep and mountainous, others are flat like Tiree. The highest mountains are the Cuillins of Skye, threatening and dramatic-looking, otherwise there’s lots of flat and fertile land to wander on.
Weather-wise it’s windy, wet and mild here, with a lot less risk of ice or snow than the mainland. The waters are chilly and very clean, and it’s sensible to take safety seriously because of the strong tides here. If you see a mussel shell on the beach, pick it up – it might well contain tiny seed pearls. You won’t want to fall foul of the powerful Corryvreckan tide race between the islands of Scarba and Jura, one of the biggest whirlpools on earth, but you can visit it by boat to sense the grandeur and power of the deadly whirling waters.
The Ancient Romans and Ancient Greeks wrote about the Inner Hebrides, and were clearly familiar with them. There are some fantastic prehistoric structures dotted around, a lot older than anything Greek or Roman. There’s evidence of early Pictish settlers to the north, giving way to Gaels in the southern kingdom of Dál Riada, way before the islands were grabbed by the Norsemen whose rule lasted 400 years. Only in the year 1266 was their ownership transferred to Scotland by Treaty.
You might find something totally fabulous. Keep your eyes down for signs that the Hebrides were settled in Mesolithic times. Someone found a flint arrowhead in a field on Islay dating back to 10,800 BCE. The settlement hinted at near Kinloch on the island of Rùm might be the oldest evidence of occupation in Scotland. They’ve found signs of industrial-scale nut processing here, dating to around 7000 BCE, suggesting a communal effort at laying aside food for winter. Perhaps the residents were mostly vegetarian, since the islands have never exactly teemed with wildlife.
Scottish clans ruled the islands for a long time until the shameful 1800s Highland Clearances devastated the islands. These days more people are moving to the Hebrides and the population is increasing for the first time since the English stole the land from its rightful owners in the nineteenth century. Now the total population of the archipelago is just under 20,000 and rising.
As you can imagine boats are the best way to travel here, via several ferry companies. In summer the services are reliable but when the weather changes in autumn, crossings can be delayed and cancelled.
Lively Mull
The most accessible island is Mull, just a short ferry voyage from Oban. The island’s capital, Tobermory, is a little jewel of a port, very pretty. Just off the coast lies Iona, an important religious site with gorgeous beaches. Iona is small enough to walk around, an unforgettable experience.
On Mull there’s Torosay Castle, open to visitors indoors and out with lovely gardens to explore. Then there’s Wings Over Mull, where wonderful birds of prey are looked after and you can try your hand at indoor hawk-handling. Duart Castle offers more history and the bar at the Craignure Inn is a great place to chill out and dream about the landscapes you’ve been immersed in. A thrill for keen walkers, Mull is rich in everything from gentle forest trails to wild coastal walks that are definitely not for the faint hearted.
Take a boat trip from Mull or Iona to Staffa, a dramatic sight looming out of the water, or land at windswept Coll or Tiree for more fantastic beaches, some offering exceptional wind surfing. Birdwatchers adore it here, too.
Scenic Islay
Islay is all about the single malt whisky, with numerous world-class distilleries to visit and sample. Home to just 3000 humans, most people here live in the small towns of Bowmore, Port Ellen, Port Askaig, and Port Charlotte. Every little town is different, each with its own character, typified by the white painted stone houses that are so common in the islands and across Scotland. Walks, beaches to relax on, birds to watch, pubs to chill out in and great seafood are yours to enjoy.
The American Monument commemorates the lives lost in two terrible tragedies off the coast of Islay, both in 1918. In one case the Tuscania, carrying 2000 American troops, was sunk and in the other a collision during a storm between the HMS Otranto and HMS Kashmir led to 600 more Americans drowned. Look directly out to sea from the monument, in the shape of a lighthouse, to see the exact place the Tuscania sunk. Then go visit ruined Finlaggan Castle, a romantic location for Insta snaps and the place the MacDonalds, Lords of the Isles, were once inaugurated.
Wild, windy Jura
Jura is properly wild and woolly with its stunning conical peaks and excellent hiking trails. We’ve already mentioned the terrifying whirlpool at Corryvrechan, visit-able by boat if you dare. The Jura car ferry itself is a bit of an adventure, especially when the sea is ‘lively’. The two peaks of Jura’s paps are dizzyingly high, not recommended unless you’re an experienced hiker with the correct gear since you can easily die up there when the weather changes, as it often does, within minutes.
The remaining Inner Hebrides
The farthest north islands in the group are scenic Eigg, Rum, Muck and Canna, all accessed via Mallaig or Arisaig and located off the west coast where the Sounds of Arisaig and Sleat meet. Rum is the biggest of these northern islands, home to dramatic craggy volcanic peaks, gorgeous Kinloch Castle, and magical wildlife at Scottish Natural Heritage’s National Nature Reserve where you might spot the mighty sea eagles reintroduced in the 1980s.
Eigg has the most people living on it, offering splendid views of Muck and Rum from the 1300 foot peak of An Sgurr. Muck is tiny, flat and treeless with extremely fertile earth, lovely golden sand beaches, loads of exciting rockpools and rock formations, and the 452 foot high Beinn Airein to climb, the perfect size for adventure without climbing something as high and dangerous as an actual mountain!
Last of all there’s wee Canna with its soaring black high basalt cliffs, owned by the National Trust for Scotland and home to the wind, the skies, the birds and not a lot else. Here’s where you empty your mind and let the cold, clear, clean northern air flow into the spaces. No work worries, no personal rubbish, just peace, silence and solitude… after which you’ll probably fancy another remarkably fine whisky!
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