South West

Explore More with 4 travelogues

Active & sustainable travel, Baleshare, Canna, Eigg, Food & Drink, History & Heritage, Island enthusiast, Muck, North Uist, Rum, Seil, South Uist, Stronsay

By Robin McKelvie It’s an exciting time at Scottish Islands Passport and for anyone who loves Scotland’s glorious islands. The third and fourth books of…


Accessible islands with Wheely Braw

Accessible travel, Barra, Island enthusiast, Islay, Tiree

I embarked on my first Hebridean adventure back in 2022 and, as an ambulatory wheelchair user (someone who both walks and wheels), I’d be lying…


14 ways to get active on the isles in 2024

Active & sustainable travel, Arran, Barra, Bressay, Bute, Eigg, Gigha, Harris, Island enthusiast, Jura, Lewis, Mainland Orkney, Outdoor Activities, Rum, Skye, Tiree

By Robin McKelvie Looking for somewhere you can throw yourself into active sports and activities? Look no further than Scotland’s islands, a world-class playground for…


Sustainable island travel

Active & sustainable travel, Arran, Barra, Eigg, Island enthusiast, Outdoor Activities, Skye

By Robin McKelvie e-bikes at Eigg Adventures Leave your car on the drive. Take the train to Mallaig. Jump on the CalMac ferry and arrive…


Isle of Jura

Island enthusiast, Jura, South West

By Robin McKelvie There is clearly something about Jura. George Orwell may have hailed Scotland’s eighth largest island “extremely ungetatable”, but he chose Jura to…


Shaping Our Islands

Coll, History & Heritage, Island enthusiast, Lewis, Papa Westray, Unst

Shaping Our Islands travelogue By Robin McKelvie In the world of glossy TV documentaries the soaring mountains and tumbling glens of Scotland are left, front…


Bute: community, farmers and Stuarts

Bute, Food & Drink, History & Heritage, Island enthusiast, South West

By Robin McKelvie I cannot think of many islands in the world where one family dynasty has as tightly controlled a whole island for so…


Gigha, a community buy out success

Food & Drink, Gigha, History & Heritage, Island enthusiast, Nature, Outdoor Activities

Gigha ferry By Robin McKelvie Sometimes I approach Scottish islands with a degree of trepidation, concerned that the hurdles facing the local community may have…


Meet the Makers

Arran, Canna, Eigg, Harris, Island enthusiast, Islay, Mainland Shetland, Rum, Skye

By Robin McKelvie Much of our world today is dominated by retail hegemony and the mass-produced. We tend to slog through most of our shopping…


Getting away from empty beaches: A passport to real community

Arts & Music, History & Heritage, Lismore, Mainland Shetland, Press, South Ronaldsay

By Annie Delin. Published in Scottish Islands Explorer. February / March 2023. Everyone knows that Scotland’s islands are wild, deserted, spectacularly…