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Interesting news · Tuesday 17 February
Isle of Skye’s Birch Named Among World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops
Isle of Skye · from birch.coffee
Photograph · birch.coffee
Speciality coffee roastery Birch, based on the Isle of Skye, has been ranked 50th in the World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops 2026, making it one of only two UK cafés to feature on the prestigious global list.
The rankings were unveiled at CoffeeFest in Madrid following nominations from 15,000 coffee shops worldwide and combined public and expert judging.
Founded in 2020 by Skye local Niall Munro, Birch draws inspiration from Melbourne’s café culture while championing Highland produce and island-roasted speciality coffee. With cafés in Portree and Inverness, Birch is known for its pour-overs, house-made viennoiserie and locally sourced brunch dishes.
The restaurant at Colbost, on the shore of Loch Dunvegan, that put the far north-west of Skye on the food map, with six rooms next door at the House Over-By.
An original 1830s crofter’s cottage, completely renovated as a Highland retreat for two. Situated beside Camustianavaig Bay on the Isle of Skye, the house enjoys a rural location, yet is only five miles from Portree.
Coruisk House is a small whitewashed hotel in the fishing village of Elgol. One room has a Victorian half-tester bed, another a cream iron bed, and the lower steading suite has a slipper bath. Next door to the hotel they also have a self-catering thatched cottage.
Out now
Hidden Scotland, in print
Isle of Skye, at length.
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Isle of Raasay Distillery on the Isle of Raasay has been named the World’s Best Scotch Whisky at the 2025 Global Spirits Awards, with its Cask Strength single malt receiving an extraordinary 99 out of 100.
Archaeologists from the University of Glasgow have uncovered stone tools on the Isle of Skye that date back more than 11,000 years, making it the most northerly Late Upper Palaeolithic site discovered in Britain.
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