Bucket list: Five Scottish islands you've probably not visited yet
The Shiant Islands (Image: Robin McKelvie)
Get there – Hebrides Cruises (www.hebridescruises.co.uk) are the only small ship operator running live-aboard Hebridean cruises that offer overnights in the Shiant Islands.
Foula
The Romans declared their Ultima Thule here 20 miles west of the Shetland Mainland and this magical island retains a palpable sense of the end of the world today. It's easy to see why Foula was chosen as the doppelganger for St Kilda in the 'Edge of the World' film. There is nowhere in Scotland quite like Foula though as they run to a different calendar (the Julian) than the rest of us, celebrating Christmas on January 6. The islanders are in my experience both stoic and welcoming; the kamikaze bonxies less so when you're hiking the hills without another human in sight. I saw a minke whale on our approach the first time I flew in, then a bonxie rip apart a healthy lamb right in front of its mum. Foula is that sort of wild and untamed outpost.
Foula (Image: Robin McKelvie)
Get there – You can fly on a wee plane from Tingwall (www.airtask.com/passenger-transport) or catch the ferry (www.shetland.gov.uk/ferries). It gets so rough that the ferry is often hauled out of the water to protect it.
Fair Isle
Yes we all know about the jumpers with geometric patterns supposedly inspired by waylaid Spanish Armada sailors, but where is it? Roughly halfway between Orkney and Shetland, that's where, with administrative duties taken care of by the latter. It's brilliant for birds with an RSPB reserve and the chance to get right up to puffins on the grassy cliffs. They've spent £7.4m on rebuilding the bird observatory destroyed by far in 2019. The scenery and the sea cliffs are epic too.
Fair Isle (Image: Robin McKelvie)
Get there – You can fly from Tingwall or catch a ferry (www.fairisle.org.uk/travel.html).
Papa Westray
There is far more reason to come to this northerly Orcadian wonder than taking the world's shortest fight from Westray – the journey distance is less than the length of Edinburgh Airport's runway. You'll rejoice in epic white sand beaches, a thriving community and one of the most impressive wee churches in our isles. Then there is the Knap of Howar, which makes Orkney Mainland's Neolithic wonders seem like IKEA. Northwestern Europe's oldest dwelling is a full half millennia older than Skara Brae. Savouring a dram here with our ancestors on a June Orkney night that refused to die is one of my most sublime travel memories.
Papa Westray (Image: Robin McKelvie)
Get there – NorthLink (www.northlinkferries.co.uk) ferry you to Orkney, then you can fly island hopping from Kirkwall (www.loganair.co.uk) on that route.
St Kilda
I wasn't sure when I started writing this I would include this distant archipelago, but how could I not? Set adrift in the Atlantic 40 miles west of North Uist the geology has more in common with the Faroes and Tolkien than the rest of Scotland. It was the first place in the world to be recognised on Unesco's World Heritage list twice – both for its natural and its human heritage. Since we abandoned St Kilda in 1930 the wildlife has thrived with thousands of gannets, puffins, gulls and sea eagles enjoying the run of this epic outpost. I've been five times and been lucky enough to land on all but one. I wish you all the luck in landing on the granddaddy of the Scottish islands you probably have not been to yet.
St Kilda (Image: Robin McKelvie)
Get there – A number of small ship operators brave the Atlantic rigours on live aboard adventures out here. I love the eight-passenger Splendour from Argyll Cruising (www.argyllcruising.com), who welcome guests with an intimacy and authenticity that is the antitheses of the massive cruise ships.
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North Wales Live
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- North Wales Live
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Daily Mirror
a day ago
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Beautiful UK staycation 'dupe' boasts stunning beach 'just like the Caribbean'
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The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
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'There are so many layers to this deeply historic Ayrshire town'
Next time you descend on the train to Ayrshire's most northerly town you don't have to dash straight to the waterfront. Instead look out for the wee sign that directs you to the free volunteer-run [[Largs]] Museum. This wonderful wee Tardis weaves together the myriad strains of [[Largs]], with stories that its welcoming volunteers really help you to take a deep dive into. (Image: Robin McKelvie) If you ask nicely the museum volunteers will guide you out the back to the Skelmorlie Aisle, which lies in the graveyard just behind Largs Museum. It's all that remains of the old church and it's a remarkable remnant, one of the finest mausoleums in Scotland. Dating back to 1636, Sir Robert Montgomerie of Skelmorlie built it to house himself and his beloved wife, whom he mourned here for many years through an unusual window into her lead coffin. The ornate stonework is unusual too, local sandstone rather than marble, quite brilliantly worked in all its gothic and renaissance glory. 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It was designed as an ahead of its time community hub to benefit all, with public bathing facilities, a library, billiard room and a meeting space. (Image: Robin McKelvie) The famous Green Shutters Tearoom is closed at the moment, but watch this space as I heard locally the team behind Nardini's are looking at re-opening it. William Thomson, the 1st Baron Kelvin, may have been born in Belfast, but his heart belonged to Largs and his mind was inspired here during a half century love affair with the resort town. He discovered Largs on holiday with his first wife Margaret Crum in 1852 and repeated holiday visits became a permanent residency that led to him building the Netherhall House mansion in 1874 at time when many monied individuals were erecting grand stone mansions on the Firth of Clyde coast. During his 53 year stint at Glasgow University Kelvin brought the world his eponymous international system for measuring absolute temperature. Largs is a time machine that constantly catapults you back and forth. One minute you are hiking up Castle Hill in search of the Haylie Chambered Tomb, which dates back over five millennia; the next learning about how Normandy was chosen as the site of the landings in 1944, with Churchill and Eisenhower both in attendance at a Largs meeting that literally decided the future of the Europe we live in today. How many resort towns boast this depth of history? And we've not even mentioned Jose Mourinho. Nor the other famous managers who once flocked here for SFA coaching courses at the National Sports Training Centre Inverclyde, or just came here to refine their skills. The list of luminaries verges on the ridiculous, from Alex Ferguson, Alec McLeish and Brendan Rodgers, through to global icons like Fabio Capello, Giovanni Trapattoni, Marcelo Lippi and Carlos Queiroz. Largs has never been content to dance around the fringes of history. Take 1263. The future of Scotland itself was in the balance in Largs as the country finally rid itself of the Norse dominance of our isles in the pivotal Battle of Largs. The Vikingar! museum tells the tale with recreation of Viking living and a film on the battle. You can even dress up as a Viking here – look out for the 'Berserker' helmet used in a 'murder' in Taggart. After the exhausting three day battle Norway had lost a king and Scotland sent the Norsemen hame to think again, their longships never again to have Scotland's coastal communities living in terror. (Image: Robin McKelvie) The Battle of Largs is widely celebrated today in Largs with the grand 'Pencil' monument and the opinion-dividing 16ft-high Magnus the Viking steel figure on the promenade. If you want to really immerse yourself in those days come for the Viking Festival, which has bathed Largs in all things Norse since 1980. Largs loves a festival. Look out too for the [[Largs]] Live music extravaganza, the delicious [[Largs]] Food and Drink Festival and a massive sailing event, the [[Largs]] Regatta Festival. There is regular theatre, comedy and music too at the historic Barrfields Theatre, which first opened its doors in 1930. And local talk of building a replica Viking longship. There is always a joyous festival vibe at Nardini's. Dating back to 1935, this art deco wonder of an ice cream parlour and café evokes the doon the watter heyday when fish suppers cost sixpence. The stoic Nardini family survived World War Two as when Italy entered the war all able-bodied Italians living in Scotland were sent into interment on the Isle of Wight, with the matriarch of the family left to run Nardini's. Live music still fills this most atmospheric of venues as the decades peel back on a wave of diner-led nostalgia. Indulging in fish 'n' chips and ice cream at Nardini's, of course, is the quintessential Largs nostalgia experience. But there are so many layers to this deeply historic Ayrshire town, so next time you take the train down make sure when you arrive to continue your journey, a journey through the ages. Foodie Largs Room Bright, welcoming restaurant on the waterfront. Watch the Waverley thrash by as you tuck into spicy Mexican dishes with a Scottish twist, like haddock tacos. Save room for the epic three scoops of tablet ice cream, accompanied by two shortbread biscuits, smothered in tablet sauce. Enough to make a sweet-toothed horse grimace. Delicious. (Image: Robin McKelvie) Fishworks They do classic fish suppers at this smart waterfront chippie and can even name the trawler your haddock came from. But they also offer more unusual takeaways, like battered langoustine pieces and whole langoustines too. Whatever you catch it's best enjoyed on the waterfront just outside watching the ferries come and go. Nardini's The famous ice cream parlour and café still exudes a grand air of art deco drama. They mix things up with cod, lemon sole and even sea bass alongside haddock 'n' chips. The shared platter is the way to go for a bit of everything. Then it's the proper ice cream, made with full fat milk and double cream. Bed down in Largs Brisbane House Hotel Make sure to book a room with a Firth of Clyde view at this swish waterfront retreat. Its smooth modern vibe attracts weddings, but there are also traditional touches like Tunnocks (tea cakes and caramel wafers) to go with your tea tray. Best enjoyed in a chair by the window peering out over Cumbrae and Bute looking out for seabirds and passing cetaceans. The Willowbank There are few airs and graces about this hotel a wee stroll along the waterfront from the main Largs action. Think homely and old world three star hotel, rather than stylish boutique. The promenade lies just a few minutes away from this 30-bedroom hotel. Peacock Guest House This welcoming wee guest house only has a quartet of rooms and feels very cosy. Just a short walk from the train station, the bedrooms come with orthopaedic beds and free wifi. Kick off the following day with a hearty breakfast served in their dining room.
