Stuart Fisher - Coastal Scotland: Celebrating the History, Heritage and Wildlife of Scottish Shores

Broadford Bay with Scalpay and Longay in the distance.

Introduction

An essential part of the west coast are the islands. What is an island? Obviously, any piece of land surrounded by water although that answer seems less clear the more you look at it. Sometimes it depends on the state of the tide.

Any piece of rock which pokes its head above the waves is an island and there are an infinite number of them around our coast. Thus, I have selected only the largest.

Islands seem to hold a particular attraction for us, perhaps because they usually have finite boundaries, the pace of life seems slower, people appear to be more honest and the problems of the world seem further away. On the other hand, there are fewer conveniences and life can be harder and more basic. At Kyle of Lochalsh, before the bridge was completed, I watched the Skye ferry cross. The ramp came down, a blue light went on and an ambulance drove off at speed. It may have already driven for an hour or two since collecting the patient, with a couple more to go to reach its destination.

In this book I have included islands which are close to the coast and which can be circumnavigated on saltwater. I concentrate specifically on their coastlines, both on and offshore.

Some people would discount anything with a dry land connection, including bridges, although this would eliminate more than half the islands in this book, including the largest, Skye.

Of those not accessible by bridge or causeway, some can be reached by public ferry. The rest need to be approached by boat, sometimes only after close study of the tides. I have been round them all by sea kayak although many are also approachable by larger craft and offer superb sailing or anchoring conditions. We have a fascinating variety of marine conditions around our coast. Enjoy visiting them or even looking at them from the mainland.

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Id checked the BBCs website weather forecast for over two months. At last their fruit machine displayed five successive daily fine weather icons, incorrectly as it turned out.