8 Scottish Islands You Won’t Want to Miss

The largest island in the Firth of Clyde (the mouth of the River Clyde), off the Scottish mainland’s southwest, the Isle of Arran is one of the country's most easily accessible islands. Traveling by car or train and then a ferry, it’s just 2.5 hours from central Glasgow, so you can make a visit in one day. However, it’s well worth staying longer to give yourself time to hike along trails in the hilly north, enjoy the beaches in the south, visit historic attractions such as Brodick Castle, and check out the island’s whisky distillery. Multi-day tours from Glasgow and Edinburgh often combine Arran with the highlights of the Ayrshire coast, too.

Though the name may be deceptive, the Isles of Lewis and Harris—which together form Lewis and Harris—are actually two parts of one island, the largest in Scotland. The region is synonymous with Harris Tweed, which is still hand-woven by islanders and a source of great pride. While on the island, you can visit weavers in their homes and workshops in between visiting such attractions as the Neolithic Callanish Standing Stones and white-sand beach at Luskentyre. Convenient multi-day tours of Lewis and Harris depart from Inverness and Edinburgh.

The ease of getting to the Isle of Skye, which is connected to the mainland by a bridge, makes it one of Scotland’s most visited places, so aim to go outside of the peak summer season. This dramatic island is home to some of Scotland’s most recognizable landscapes, including the jagged Cuillin mountain range, the otherworldly Quairaing landslip, and the Fairy Glen, as well as Dunvegan Castle and the Talisker whisky distillery. You can reach its main town, Portree, in around 5 hours by car or bus from Glasgow, or book a multi-day tour from Edinburgh or Inverness.

With an average of three archaeological sites per square mile, Orkney is a must-visit for history lovers. On the archipelago’s main island, known as Mainland, you can explore the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage site, which is made up of the Neolithic village of Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar stone circle, the Standing Stones of Stenness, and the Maeshowe Chambered Cairn. You can reach Orkney by a short flight from Glasgow or Edinburgh or a long ferry ride from Aberdeen, or you can combine it with a trip around the Scottish mainland’s northern coast on a multi-day tour from Edinburgh.

Like Orkney, Shetland’s main island is called Mainland. Accessed by flight or an over 12-hour ferry ride from Aberdeen, Mainland is a long, narrow island with a long, complex coastline that offers spectacular hiking, from the cliffs of Eshaness in the north to the sandy tombolo of St. Ninians in the south. Don’t miss Jarlshof, which has ruins from the Bronze, Iron, Pictish, Viking, and medieval eras, or Sumburgh Lighthouse, which is home to a large puffin colony in the summer. A walking tour of the main settlement, Lerwick, is a great introduction to the island.

Fans of smoky, peaty whisky will not want to miss Islay. If you plan to indulge in a few drams, book a guided tour and let someone else do the driving between the island's nine working whisky distilleries, which include Bunnahabhain, Lagavulin, and Laphroaig. Multi-day tours from Edinburgh can take you to several different distilleries in one convenient trip, as well as some of the highlights of the Scottish mainland’s west coast.

For close encounters with Highland wildlife, the Isle of Mull is a sure bet. The best place in the UK to see white-tailed and golden eagles, Mull also offers whale-watching adventures, as well as red deer, otters, and mountain hares. From rugged mountain peaks to the turquoise coastline, the island also contains wonderfully varied scenery in a small package. Mull is also just an easy ferry ride from Oban, or you can visit on a multi-day tour from Edinburgh and add on a visit to the neighboring island of Iona, the home of Celtic Christian spirituality.

Even Scotland’s most accessible islands require making fairly lengthy journeys. If you’re based in Edinburgh and don’t have much time to venture far, you can still tick off a Scottish island with a visit to Cramond. As a tidal island, Cramond is cut off from the mainland during high tide but when the tide is out, you can stroll across the causeway that connects it to the village of Cramond, a 30-minute bus trip from Edinburgh’s center, and get great views of the Forth. Just be sure to check the tide times before setting out.