Blog
Shaping Our Islands
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
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
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…
Rum
By Robin McKelvie Rum information I’m writing this on the Lucy Mary, a small ship dragging me away across the surf from Rum. This remarkable…
Shetland, never ‘The Shetlands’
Viking heritage By Robin McKelvie The Shetlands are perhaps the most misunderstood island in Scotland. See what I’ve done there? They are never ‘The Shetlands’;…
Eigg
By Robin McKelvie Arriving on Eigg is always an utter joy. And today is the first time I’ve arrived to find the Scottish Islands Passport…
Papa Westray – the ‘remote’ isle that does not feel remote
Robin flying to Papay Westray By Robin McKelvie Within my first half hour on the island I’ve already had real conversations with more people than…
Meet the Makers
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
By Annie Delin. Published in Scottish Islands Explorer. February / March 2023. Everyone knows that Scotland’s islands are wild, deserted, spectacularly…
Arran, the not so remote isle
By Robin McKelvie Off to Arran! Seeking a ‘remote’ or ‘untouched’ Scottish isle, the type so beloved of gushing TV presenters? Well, sorry, but you…