The beauty and stillness of lesser-known Scottish Isles are calling.
It takes one transatlantic flight, one UK domestic flight, one very long train trip, and an often-fickle ferry ride to get to Scotland’s Hebrides Isles. But it’s a trek completely worth it.
The general traveling public usually has a familiarity with the usual Scottish suspects of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and even smaller cities like Dundee and Inverness, but even amongst Brits, the Hebrides might be met with a shrug or some quintessential English dispassion (apologies to my English friends in advance.) Case in point: upon digging into our itinerary for our Scottish adventure, my British traveling companions swiftly remarked, “Well, no one really goes here.”.
Scotland is seeing an uptick in interest and tourism in general, but mostly to aforementioned major cities due in part to the Harry Potter effect (thanks, J.K.–jk!) and the fabled Highlands region, made ever-so-popular by Peacock reality juggernaut The Traitors. Many a guide also told us about ancestral tourism being a reason for the sudden interest in Scotland. According to Scotland’s Office of National Statistics, Scotland is up 19% in visitors from 2019’s summer months high season. Most travelers choose the popular Isles of Man, Mull, or Skye for their coastal romps.
And while there is plenty of beauty and historic discoveries to find, do you really want to spend the entirety of your Scottish vacation hopping on and off a behemoth of a tour bus that’s parked next to seven identical tour buses? (You don’t.)
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Maybe that search is what led you to this article. So, might I suggest an alternative Scottish getaway? One still containing all the wondrous magic, sweeping landscapes, and stunning terrain, one still populated with delightful accents and wry, cheeky characters, and one brimming with local gastronomy, only-in-Scotland wares, and a just-your-average wild discotheque in the middle of a remote isle with under 250 residents. Are you ready? Tiugainn! (Let’s go!)
See Quintessential Scotland on the Isle of Lismore
As a woman of suburban distinction, I was raised with the modern conveniences of Wawa and the Garden State Parkway. No such conveniences exist on the teeny but stunning Isle of Lismore. A Kelly green, picturesque isle with rolling, rugged hills, it can be reached only by ferry via Oban, a mainland port town.
Upon reaching its shores, you’ll be hit with a wave of calm and sweet-salty sea air. It’s whisper quiet, albeit the lapping of waves. In Scottish Gaelic, its name translates to “Great Garden,” and thanks to the rainy yet temperate climate, it’s gorgeously vibrant and green nearly year-round.
Lismore also has a tight-knit community. Most residents are relatives. When a wedding, funeral, or celebration of any kind happens, the entire town is invited. A grand total of two children attend its single school, one of which is Lismore locals Robert and Iris Smith’s daughter. Together, the couple runs Explore Lismore and are a proverbial welcome wagon to remote island life. The Smiths scoop you up in their very sweet vintage Land Rovers, where you’ll tour the sights of their tiny but beautiful home.
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You’ll have to pull over frequently to avoid colliding with fellow residents, neighbors, and in-laws. You’ll be tasked with opening up ancient metal gates pre-dating your birth to allow the flow of traffic. You’ll wave to Robert’s mum from her window as you pass by her house. Every resident has multiple jobs and roles (Iris is an artist and baker, and Robert handles everything from the island’s Internet service to plumbing). Tours are small and intentional and feel informal and unstuffy. It all feels like wandering around your best mate’s hometown in the best way.
Worth it alone is Iris’ incredible baking. Mid-tour, you’ll get a taste of her homemade sweets (if you’re lucky, it’ll be her insane apple cake.) Opt for one of their signature shepherding tours, where local shepherd Arthur and his wily trio of collies, Misty, Fly, and Tam, herd sheep amongst sprawling, lush pastures.
Quite literally a breath of fresh air, Lismore is an island untamed by man, populated by kind, heart-wide-open people. Locals heard there were tourists on the island and popped by during our tour to gift us homemade soap. The isle’s grannies were quick to give us a tour of the local heritage center that holds records of the island’s populace and obtains ancestral data. And towards the end of the adventure, a giant, vivid rainbow appeared over the grassy hills, bidding us good fortune on the rest of our journey.
The sights, smells, and tastes of Lismore reflect the beauty, kindness, and unfussiness of real Scottish island life. Unblemished by rapid growth or overzealous, loud tourists, it’s an experience that no tour bus can rival.
INSIDER TIPInterested in ancestral tourism and need more info? Explore Lismore can connect you with genealogy services via the island’s Heritage Center.
Isle of Coll
While Lismore is perfect for a day trip (there’s no accommodations on the island) the also sparsely populated Isle of Coll is the perfect option to extend your Hebride-ian vacation.
A further ways out from Oban, Coll is a ‘hear-a-pin-drop’ peaceful isle dotted with beaches, meadows, and castle ruins overgrown with beach weeds. Wild animals, unafraid of their human co-habitants, wander their pastures freely (you’ll meet cows, horses, and many, many sheep). The whole thing looks like you were dropped on an abandoned Winterfell set from Game of Thrones.
What Coll lacks in populace, it more than makes up for in local charm and laid-back island life. To harken back to my aforementioned Jersey Shore roots, I felt right at home. The shore’s high season invites a peaceful nothingness and the bliss of having nothing to do and nowhere to be; just permission to wander the beach, or wander over to the bakery for fresh coffee cake, or wander over to the pizza place. The same goes for Coll, just with way more sheep.
Here, you’ll check in to the cheerful and modern Coll Hotel, which does double duty as the island’s only accommodation and pub (it’s a very good one). The hotel also has a delicious restaurant program that boasts hyper-local fish and meats and surprisingly fab homemade desserts.
You can stroll just about everywhere, like the island’s adorable rec center that hosts the weekly farmers market, which is more like a local homemade market. Sadly, I was out of cash and had to pass up on a heavenly-looking lemon cake and knit catnip toy. If you fancy a souvenir, I highly recommend a mug from the town gift shop or a bottle of the island’s finest, the award-winning Island of Coll gin.
During the spring and summer months, Coll becomes a bit more bustling with vacationers. There are families that have returned to the island for decades, seeking a bit of respite from the hustle and bustle of Glasgow and Edinburgh. They come for the beaches, the bird watching, and to delight in again, doing nothing. But this past fall, the island had an early influx of old friends, new tourists, and visitors from all over the world thanks to Detour Discotheque.
The annual event is a pop-up disco started in 2022 by Jonny Ensall, a London-based DJ and journalist. Its unique calling card is showing up in hyper-remote, wild, and unexpected outdoor spaces, hence Coll. Two years ago, the Icelandic fishing village of Thingyeri hosted the inaugural event. The juxtaposition of bringing a disco and all its trimmings–the equipment, the staffing, the decor–sounds like a logistical nightmare. And it kinda is. But the joy and weirdness of twirling under technicolor disco lights while bopping along to Donna Summer. Detour Disco begs the question, “Why party in a nightclub when you can party under the stars in the middle of nowhere?”
A Giant Party And the Whole Island Is Invited
This year’s iteration packed all 250 residents and a few hundred eager tourists into the island rec room, where just that morning I had gazed longingly at those farmer’s market lemon cakes. The vibes were high as Coll retirees and London club kids grooved under neon lights next to each other, and everyone was excited and happy because this was not the norm. By popping up in a remote Dark Sky isle and getting the entire community involved instead of excluding them in favor of young tourists, Detour Discotheque managed to pull off an event that felt like the old-school ramshackle ethos of Burning Man. Locals drove shuttles to people’s campsites, set up telescopes to see the stars, and kept the Coll Hotel bar open into the wee hours. It all felt like real community, like the prom scene in an ’80s movie. Colorful, comforting, and deeply nostalgic.
Want your chance to rave under the stars in the middle of nowhere? This year, Detour Discotheque is bringing the party to Switzerland, and featuring heralded British DJ acts like DJ Paulette, Erol Alkan, and Everybody Loves to Boogie. The three-day festivities kick off Friday, May 10 and tickets are still available.
Okay, So What Should My Itinerary Be?
The aforementioned city of Oban will be your gateway to these scenic Scottish isles. A quaint delight in its own right, Oban is known for its wealth of fresh seafood–particularly succulent langoustines, which you can find gloriously buttered up and grilled in shacks on Oban’s docks. Oban is extremely well connected to the rest of Scotland via train, so you could start your trip in Edinburgh and make your way south, stopping in Glasgow and then heading down to Oban.
From there, take the furthest ferry out and spend a night or two on Coll, and then make a daytime pilgrimage to Lismore. Another Hebredies gem often overlooked is the Isle of Tire–its nickname is the “Hawaii of the North” for its white sandy beaches and warm, climate. Will it fulfill all your Honolulu fantasies? Probably not, but it’s a guarantee you’ll be welcomed by sweet sea breezes and signature Scottish charm.
Wondering when exactly to visit? Scottish isle high season is literally heating up, with peak times in the summer months, but all of these isles will be tolerable weather-wise (and beautiful) into October.