CRUISING DESTINATIONS FOR ISLANDS
To visit an island in your own boat is an enchanting experience, and the epitome of independent travel. Although many sail or charter in bluewater archipelagos like the Caribbean and the Pacific in search of that perfect desert island or cruise Scandinavia’s rocky islands with their bleak beauty, our homewaters offer plenty of chances to escape from the mainland.
There are more than 6,000 islands in the United Kingdom and Ireland, more than enough for a lifetime of cruising. Our experts have chosen 10 of their favourites – some are small, wild and isolated, like Holy Island off Northumberland or Inishbofin on Ireland’s west coast. Others are well populated with vibrant communities, such as the self-governing Isle of Man or the sub-tropical Isles of Scilly. All of them offer memory-making unique cruises.
NEXT MONTH: CRUISES FOR PUBS, BREWERIES AND DISTILLERIES
1 The Western Isles
RECOMMENDED BY Ken Endean In this long island chain, most of the settlements developed on the fertile, sandy soils of the western flank but it’s exposed to the Atlantic, with very few good havens. Through the period of the Highland Clearances, some (not all) of the old landlords had good intentions, which helped to maintain a substantial and industrious population – think Harris Tweed – with a well-established system of crofting.
The more protected eastern side, by contrast, is deeply incised by sea lochs, with anchorages in sheltered inlets that wind between rock outcrops and scrub-covered hills, and have not South Uist changed much since the Vikings arrived. The wild, raw hinterland makes this feel like a very primitive cruising ground. The islands’ main town is Stornoway, which has most facilities, including car hire if you wish to explore inland, and the preserved ‘black
