66 Islands to Explore in Scotland

Foula is one of the most picturesque islands in Shetland, with the second highest sea cliff in Britain, and home to an array of seabirds, which attract visitors from around the world. It has a population of 38 people, living in Hametun and Ham. Islanders previously made a living from fishing – first for whitefish, then lobster. Today, most islanders are crofters with income from sheep farming and birdwatching tourism.

Gairsay is a very attractive small island with a sheltered anchorage in Millburn Bay, and it is not surprising that it was part of a prestigious Norse family estate in the 12th century, conveniently situated as it is astride one of the approaches to the bays of Firth and Kirkwall. It is about 2 miles long and 1 mile wide and includes one conical hill and a small harbour called Millburn Bay, which is sheltered by the peninsula known as the Hen of Gairsay.

Gometra is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, lying west of Mull. The island has been owned since 1992 by Roc Sandford, a wealthy environmental campaigner who lives mostly in London and part of the year on Gometra. The island is agricultural, formerly growing grain for the Iona Abbey. It has no ferry. One of the few services it does have is a weekly postal service.

Graemsay is on of the smaller of the Orkney Islands, which was located between the Orkney mainland and Hoy and features plenty of nature and wildlife attractions. The island is 409 ha in area and is mainly crofted. The island's geology is Old Red Sandstone of the Devonian period, with two volcanic faults. On the north coast there is granite-schist, a great rarity in Orkney.

Great Cumbrae is a tiny island which is enormously memorable! Merely four miles in length and two miles wide, the island is reached by ferry crossing from Largs, with Great Cumbrae as a whole often conflated with Millport, its only town. Cumbrae is famously popular for cyclists of all ages thanks to a safe 10 mile, mostly flat, circular loop around the island.

Grunay is an uninhabited island in the Out Skerries group, the most easterly part of Shetland, Scotland. The island is the site of the lighthouse keeper's house for the lighthouse on the nearby Bound Skerry. This house was abandoned following the automation of the light in 1972.

Handa Island is an island off the west coast of Sutherland, Scotland. It is 309 hectares (760 acres) and 123 metres (404 ft) at its highest point. The island is of national importance for its birdlife and maritime vegetation. Handa is composed of Torridonian red sandstone and surrounded by cliffs covered with birds, which includes puffins, razorbills and guillemots.

Hestan Island is a small coastal island at the southern foot of the River Urr estuary in the Solway Firth, in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. This small island measures approximately 460 by 270 metres and at its highest elevation sits at just over 50 metres above sea level. Hestan Island is one of 43 tidal islands that can be walked to from the mainland of Great Britain and one of 17 that can be walked to from the Scottish mainland.

A beautiful uninhabited island off the west coast of the Shetland Mainland. Hildasay is north of Hoe Skerry. It has an area of 108 hectares, and is 32 metres in elevation at its highest point. It consists of red-green granite that was quarried for many years. The island's former industries included curing herring and quarrying granite. The remains of a railway line leading from the quarry to the harbour can still be seen

The Holm of Huip is a small island in the Orkney Islands, in Spurness Sound to the north west of Stronsay. This charming Island stretches over a surface area of approximately 250,000 square meters. Whilst most of its beaches are made up of slate and stone, a long, sandy beach can also be found towards the south of the island, close to the ruins of an old, stone house.

Holm of Papa Westray is a small, uninhabited island just east of Papa Westray island, one of the most northerly islands in the Orkney group. It is around 21 hectares in size. It can be visited from its neighbouring island Papa Westray, or Papay, an island less than a hundred metres west of the Holm. Visitors can arrange privately for small boat access through the Co-op shop on Papa Westray. The cairn is readily visible from the larger island.

Holy Isle is an island in Lamlash Bay, just off the Isle of Arran. It was a sacred site dedicated to peace and well being, there is a Centre for World Peace and Health at the north of the island where an ongoing course and retreat programme takes place. Overnight guests are welcome to stay at the centre, which has guest house facilities. There is a closed Buddhist retreat at the south of the island.

Horse Isle is an uninhabited island located in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland near the seaside town of Ardrossan. It is a nature reserve, run by the RSPB. Two smaller islands, North Islet and East Islet, skirt the east coast of Horse Isle and a number of other rocks litter the sound between the island and the mainland. The 1788 survey of the Montgomery or Eglinton Estates by John Ainslie was completed in 1791 and records the name 'Robinson's Rock' off the East Islet and "Witherow's Rock" off the W

A beautiful uninhabited island in the Orkney archipelago in Scotland. It is 100 hectares in extent and rises to 42 metres above sea level. It is situated in the Scapa Flow and connected to the nearby island of Burray by a causeway built in 1941 to stop passage of small surface craft as part of the boom defences, and thence to the Orkney Mainland via the Churchill Barriers.

Inchcailloch is an islet on Loch Lomond in Scotland. It is 85 metres at its highest point. It is also known to some as Inchebroida. A popular spot within Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, the island is only a short hop from the mainland but can feel like you’re a million miles away. With fairly easy paths and both natural and historic spots to explore, the island is certainly worth some consideration if you’re looking for places to explore in the area.

Inchcolm is an island in the Firth of Forth in Scotland. It was repeatedly attacked by English raiders during the Wars of Scottish Independence, and was fortified during both World Wars to defend nearby Edinburgh. Inchcolm now attracts visitors to its former Augustine Abbey.

Inchcolm Abbey is a medieval abbey located on the island of Inchcolm in the Firth of Forth in Scotland. The Abbey, which is located at the centre of the island, was founded in the 12th century during the episcopate of Gregoir, Bishop of Dunkeld. Later tradition placed it even earlier, in the reign of King Alexander I of Scotland , who probably had some involvement in the island; he was apparently washed ashore there after a shipwreck in 1123, and took shelter in a hermit's hovel.

Inchconnachan is an island in Loch Lomond in Scotland, in the Trossachs National Park. It is accessible by boat from the village of Luss on the south side of the Loch. The island has a shoreline extending to 3,854 metres and rises up to 50 metres at its highest point. Inchconnachan is made up of a number of secluded bays and has a narrow strait between itself and neighbouring Inchtavannach Island, which is regarded as one of the most beautiful spots on the Loch.

Inchfad is an island in the south east of Loch Lomond in Scotland. It is 1.35 km long and forty hectares in area. Its highest point is 25 metres. The island forms part of the parish of Buchanan in west central Scotland, formerly part of Stirlingshire and now under Stirling Council. There are two houses on Inchfad, a modernized bungalow which served as the original farmhouse and a wooden house used as a holiday home.

Inchkeith is an island in the Firth of Forth, Scotland, administratively part of the Fife council area. Inchkeith has had a colourful history as a result of its proximity to Edinburgh and strategic location for use as home for Inchkeith Lighthouse and for military purposes defending the Firth of Forth from attack from shipping, and more recently protecting the upstream Forth Bridge and Rosyth Dockyard. Inchkeith has, by some accounts, been inhabited for almost 1,800 years.