Eight beautiful Scottish island paradises to visit for summer holiday
The Scottish mainland is certainly not short of staycation spots, whether you are after a city break or a peaceful retreat. However, for a truly unique holiday, you might consider heading to one of the country's islands.
There are hundreds of isles off Scotland's coast, each with their own story to tell. While many of them are uninhabited and difficult to reach, there are plenty that would make for a great getaway destination this summer.
The Daily Record has put together a list of eight islands in Scotland that are perfect for a holiday. Our roundup includes everything from world-famous spots like Skye to lesser-known gems.
Each of the islands included on the list has something special to offer that sets it apart from the others. However, one thing they all have in common is that they are all breathtakingly beautiful.
Read on for eight Scottish island paradises to visit this summer.
1. Skye
2. Tiree
3. Iona
4. Mull
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The Herald Scotland
41 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Onley: It's a good and a bad thing knowing just how tough the Tour is
When he lines up this weekend at the Tour de France, the Scot knows exactly what's coming. It's three weeks and 3320km of bike racing and, for good or for bad, Onley knows exactly what the race will entail, and how it will feel. And he knows it's not going to be easy. "I'm really excited to be racing the Tour again. This year, I come in with a few less unknowns and I have a better idea of what I need to do,' he says. 'During the three weeks of racing, you just have to accept that you're going to have bad days and certain stages are going to be very, very tough. 'I know quite how hard those last few days of the race are, so that maybe makes it a little bit more daunting. 'There are upsides of knowing what to expect because I can prepare myself, but there's also downsides because I'm well aware of just how tough a race the Tour is.' Over the past few years, Onley has transitioned from a young rider with plenty of potential to a World Tour team rider who is riding the biggest races in the cycling calendar. (Image: @Dario Belingheri/@Getty Images) The 22-year-old from Kelso, who rides for Team Picnic PostNL, made his Tour de France debut last summer, making history by becoming the first Scottish-developed rider since Robert Millar three decades previously to ride the world's greatest bike race. Onley applied himself admirably in his maiden Tour, ultimately finishing tenth in the youth classification and 39th in the general classification. Last year's Tour was followed by a second-place finish in the general classification at the Tour of Britain, with Onley cementing his status as a bona fide world-class road racer. 2025 has seen Onley continue to build his resumé, leading to the Scot once again be selected in Team Picnic PostNL's Tour de France squad. Onley may still be only 22 years old but a year makes quite a difference at the sharp end of elite sport and the Scot admits he feels like a considerably more experienced rider this summer compared to the rookie who made his Tour debut last year. "This year I go into the Tour having gained so much more experience, not just from last year's Tour, but from other races too. The different situations that I've been in all add up so it means that whenever I find myself in a certain position, there's more chance of me knowing how to handle it,' he says. 'And physically, I feel good. Towards the end of last season, I felt like I'd stepped-up physically - doing these hard races builds your engine and makes you more resilient each year. "This season, I feel like I've earned a little bit more respect from the other riders. 'I've been talking to some of the bigger riders and competing against them week in, week out, and you start to realise that actually you are at this level and you deserve to be here. So I definitely feel less daunted this year.' The 2025 Tour will begin in Lille and will remain within France for the entire three weeks, finishing in Paris on the 27th of July. Onley may feel physically and mentally in peak shape but given this race is one of the hardest physical tests on the planet, he's under no illusions as to how close to his limit he'll be pushed. The lessons learnt from last year's race, though, will be invaluable as he navigates the ups-and-downs that inevitably come with a race of this length. 'The biggest thing I took from last year is remembering that everyone's tired. Everyone, when they wake up each day, is hurting,' he says. 'Last year, there were times I'd wake up and be on my hands and knees just praying to get through the day. But actually, even in the last week, I was quite competitive which is a reminder that everyone's feeling so tired - you can quickly forget that and start to believe that you're the only one who's feeling bad, but that's really not the case. 'You just have to not get too worried about the harder moments and know there's better days coming.' Onley's highlight of the 2024 Tour was his fifth-place finish on Stage 17 and while observers on these shores lauded the fact that a Scottish rider was competing with the world's best for a stage win, Onley plays down the achievement and insists it merely served to increase his appetite for greater success this time around. With Robert Millar and David Millar the only Scottish riders ever to have won stages in the Tour, it would be no mean feat for Onley to add his name to this list but he goes into this year's Tour with the belief that he cannot just compete but, on his day, beat the very best on the planet. 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The National
2 hours ago
- The National
The incredible castle which once housed Scotland's crown jewels
One truly exceptional example is Dunnottar Castle, a historic ruin that has been invaded by the Vikings, attacked by William Wallace and even safeguarded the Honours of Scotland during the War of the Three Kingdoms. Once home to a chapel established by St Ninian, the "haunting" site where the once "impregnable" fortress of the Earls Marischal lies was once home to the "oldest" Pictish fort ever discovered by archaeologists. This early history is evident through the castle's name, which derives from the Pictish word "dun", meaning "fort," according to the Dunnottar Castle website. The site where Dunnottar Castle is located was once home to a Pictish fort (Image: Tripadvisor) See the 'incredibly beautiful' yet 'haunting' Dunnottar Castle in Scotland, which once housed Scotland's crown jewels The castle has long been commended as a wonderful place to visit, with it recently featuring in a Telegraph list of the best keeps to see in the UK. Discussing the incredible attraction in Scotland, the newspaper said: "Dunnottar crouches on a promontory between two bays, glaring at the North Sea. "St Ninian built a chapel here in 400, the Vikings invaded in 900, William Wallace attacked 400 years later, and the Honours of Scotland were kept safe here. "Later, stripped bare, it was rescued by the Cowdrays, who still own it." Dunnottar Castle was recently named one of the best forts to visit in the UK to visit (Image: Tripadvisor) The Scottish location has also received praise from visitors, with users on Tripadvisor giving it a 4.8/5 out of 3406 reviews. One person said: "Even though mostly ruins, this Castle is incredibly beautiful and impressive. "The location, scale and the feat of architectural engineering are only slightly eclipsed by the part that the Castle and people around it played in Scotland's history. "If in the area and able to survive a decent walk up and down the cliff, I'd recommend you take the time to visit." The Scottish spot has also been praised by visitors online (Image: Tripadvisor) Another said: "The castle is beautiful with a stunning view from the cliff and beach. "Loved it and the experience! It is a good weekend trip with your loved ones or solo!" A third person penned: "After seeing a photo of this castle, I changed our trip and route to include it. I don't regret that decision. "The castle is in ruins, but it's cool to explore. Its location is amazing!" Recommended Reading: Scottish ice cream parlour known for its 'Italian craftsmanship' among UK's best This ancient site in Scotland dating back 5000 years is 'older' than Stonehenge Why this 'eclectic' and 'charming' seaside town is the best in Scotland Another wrote: "This is the sort of castle I was really looking forward to visiting. "Perched on an outcropping of rock, it left me amazed at the dedication, effort and ingenuity that must have gone into gathering supplies and building it. "Spectacular views and a great architectural sampling of earlier ages made this a satisfying visit!"
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Edinburgh Airport chief on flights and big Glasgow question
As part of The Herald's major Edinburgh series, I travelled through again to speak to Mr Dewar. The front-page splash I wrote focused on Mr Dewar's assessment of the growing and very large economic contribution of the airport, and covered many other things. Mr Dewar estimated Edinburgh Airport's annual contribution to the economy will have risen to at least £1.6 billion, as he anticipated further growth at the airport and another record year for passenger numbers. He also highlighted the importance of the jobs provided by the airport and other employers on the 'campus', in the exclusive interview. Mr Dewar observed this employment totals nearly 8,000. This includes around 1,000 people employed directly by the airport. He declared: 'It is obvious that airports are profoundly important for local economies, particularly island economies such as ours. I am a geographer by background. I am a transport operator my whole career.' Mr Dewar also underlined the attractiveness of Edinburgh as a destination for overseas visitors. And he flagged the lift which Edinburgh Airport provided to the tourism sector, and vice-versa. He said of Edinburgh: 'It is an iconic destination, in its own right: the castle, whether you are into Harry Potter, whether you have Scottish connections or not, it is one of those iconic cities, the Festival. 'Landing in Scotland and seeing the rest of the country is seen as very accessible.' Mr Dewar highlighted his confidence that Edinburgh Airport would handle more than 16 million passengers this year, setting another all-time high to exceed the record of 15.78 million it achieved in 2024. In 2012, the year in which he returned to the airport to take up his current role, the passenger total was 9.19 million. Read more Mr Dewar highlighted the strong growth enjoyed by Edinburgh Airport. He said: 'We were already one of the fastest-growing airports in Europe pre-Covid. We were then one of the fastest-recovering airports in Europe post-Covid. There are many airports haven't got back to 2019 levels yet. We are way ahead of that.' In terms of growth among European airports, Mr Dewar added: 'We might not always be best all the time but we are going to be in the upper quartile for the foreseeable future…within Europe.' Edinburgh Airport was estimated in a 2020 report by Biggar Economics to have contributed £1.4bn to the economy on the gross value added (GVA) measure in 2019 – a year in which it exceeded 14 million passengers. Noting the economic contribution amounted to around £100 per passenger, Mr Dewar said of the current position: 'We should be up to £1.6bn of GVA or a bit higher, if my rule of thumb works.' He said: 'You can sort of do the maths. That ratio won't have changed much. The reason I say that with much confidence [is] the only thing that would change that would be if there was a substantial mix change.' Highlighting improvements in the mix of passenger traffic from an economic contribution perspective, Mr Dewar added: 'The ratio of international [traffic] we have is higher. All the growth is international. We have increased our proportion of inbound. The American routes – they tend to be stronger inbound demand than other…routes.' He flagged the various components of the economic contribution of Edinburgh Airport – which has been majority-owned by Paris-based VINCI Airports since last year – as well as the fact that the benefits flow well beyond the city. Mr Dewar said: 'Obviously, there is a direct spend [with] tourism, a direct economic contribution, essentially an export market.' He also highlighted people using the airport to travel to universities and the importance of connectivity for 'people doing business and selling goods or selling services'. Read more While observing the economic contribution was 'focused in the central belt and around Edinburgh', he highlighted the fact that the benefits of tourism through the airport were felt 'on Skye, in the Outer Hebrides, in the Borders and so on'. Flagging the airport's provision of some services not available elsewhere, he said: 'We are called Edinburgh Airport but we are Scotland's airport.' In a column for The Herald on June 13, I reflected on what Mr Dewar had said during the interview about Glasgow Airport and its investment and expansion plans. AviAlliance, the wholly owned airports platform of one of Canada's largest pension investors and the new owner of Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton airports owner AGS Airports, earlier this year brought in Kam Jandu as AGS chief executive. Mr Jandu in late April unveiled plans for major investment at Glasgow Airport, including a 'comprehensive transformation' of the main terminal building. He described the prospects of winning direct flights to North America as 'good' and highlighted talks with US airlines. And Mr Jandu, who noted when I spoke to him in late April that he knew Mr Dewar, underlined his plans to build passenger numbers at Glasgow Airport. These include attracting people living within this airport's natural catchment area to fly from Glasgow rather than Edinburgh. My column observed that Mr Dewar, when I asked him if he had any view on Glasgow Airport's major investment and its talk about regaining traffic from its natural catchment area, seemed a little less combative in tone about the degree of competition with his rival than when I spoke with him in February. He said in the most recent interview: 'I guess they are articulating their objectives and what they would like to do, and good luck with it. 'I am not overly perturbed by their announcement. I can understand why they have these aspirations.' That said, he did add: 'At the end of the day, we don't talk about these things. We just do them.' Mr Dewar, when I spoke with him, highlighted China and India, and other Asian markets, as key targets for new routes. Asked about new routes, taking into account how demand from travellers was developing, Mr Dewar said: 'We think the Chinese and the Indian markets and other Asian markets are clearly things we should be working on, and we are.' While he said he was 'not going to speculate' on what would happen on this front, Mr Dewar added: 'The growth there demonstrates the opportunity. 'We just work quietly and we celebrate them [new routes] when they arrive.' He highlighted a major uplift in travel to destinations to which new, direct long-haul routes were launched. Mr Dewar said 'longer-haul new destinations add 30% to 50% to travel', noting direct routes meant journeys were 'less time-consuming". Edinburgh Airport has also enjoyed significant success in recent times in winning and building direct flights to North America, serving various key destinations in the US and Canada. It was announced in the spring that United Airlines is extending its service between Edinburgh and Washington DC to what the airport characterised as 'almost year-round'. In March, it was confirmed that Air Canada would launch a new direct route between Edinburgh and Montreal this summer. As I observed – in the column in which I reflected on Mr Dewar's views on Glasgow Airport – 'the momentum of Edinburgh Airport seems difficult to overstate'. This article was first published in The Herald's Business HQ Monthly supplement
