Island Adventures On The West Coast

August has seen me back on the road almost constantly, leading small tours around Scotland. I take people all over the country, but there are some places that are often high on visitor’s agenda. More than anything, I get asked about the west coast islands.

It’s not surprising really, there’s jaw-dropping natural beauty to be found there along with incredible tales of history and folklore. On top of all that, the narrow, winding roads aren’t suited to inexperienced drivers!

Last year, I seemed to be constantly on the Isle of Skye, but this month saw only my second trip there in 2025. The popular spots are as busy as ever, but it’s not impossible to avoid the crowds if you know what you’re doing. We made sure to head to the Fairy Pools first thing, arriving at 9am and returning just as the car park was beginning to fill up.

There are plenty of quieter, unappreciated sites around Skye as well, like Trumpan Church. The views from this ruin are amazing and its history typically tragic. In revenge for a massacre on the Isle of Eigg, the MacDonalds burned Trumpan Church down, with the MacLeods then defeating them in the Battle of the Spoiling Dyke on the beach below!

Not every quiet spot on the island is associated with death and destruction though. To get some peace from the busy streets of Portree, we walked the Scorrybreac route to the McNicol memorial. There’s a waterfall, spectacular views and a reminder of one of Skye’s often forgotten clans.

That wasn’t the only island I explored this month, I had back to back trips to Mull planned. While not quite as big as Skye, it’s every bit as beautiful and much quieter. It also offers a chance to visit several other islands and I racked up 3 of them in just a couple of days!

First off, I spent an afternoon on Ulva which was my first return trip for a couple of years. Calling the ferry involves sliding a wooden panel to red so the ferrymaster knows he has some customers waiting for collection. There aren’t a lot of “attractions”, but it’s a great place to wander, eat delicious seafood and any money spent supports an amazing community project.

The next island ticked off was one I’ve failed to reach three times before – Staffa. Famous for its hexagonal basalt columns and the enormous Fingal’s Cave, the weather had been too poor to land on previous trips, but I finally set foot on this natural wonder!

An hour just isn’t enough time, but I managed to explore the cave said to have been home to the Scottish giant Benandonner. He built a causeway to Ireland to fight the Gaelic hero Fingal but retreated after being tricked into thinking his opponent was far larger than he really was!

After a little bit of time wandering the grassy top of this wee lump, it’s amazing to think that families once lived and farmed here. There wasn’t a lot of arable space and it must have been a tough life, especially when the storms came. The boat trip dropped us off on Iona on the way back, ticking off our third island.

This sacred isle is somewhere I’m very familiar with, once home to St Columba’s monastery and the resting place of kings and clan chiefs. It’s somewhere that I’ll never get tired of visiting and I know that I’ll definitely be back there a few more times this year.

Cover Photograph by Simon Hird.