85 Islands to Explore in United Kingdom

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United Kingdom

The United Kingdom consists of four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It is the sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest economy by purchasing power parity. It has a high-income economy and has a very high Human Development Index rating, ranking 14th in the world. It was the world's first industrialised country and the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

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Islands to Explore in United Kingdom

Inchcolm

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

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

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

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

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.

Inchmahome

Inchmahome, an anglicisation of Innis Mo Cholmaig, is the largest of three islands in the Lake of Menteith, in Stirlingshire. Inchmahome is best known as the location of Inchmahome Priory and for the attendant priors of Inchmahome. This little island is one of Scotland's shrines; it was here that we can think of Mary Queen of Scots living, for once, happy hour in that first garden of her simpleness.

Inchmoan

Inchoman is a beautiful island and is known for its large sandy beaches, and is low lying, and marshy. The island was once owned by the Colquhouns of Luss, and now owned by Luss Estates. A large two-storey ruin stands at the western point but no record exists of any occupants. There are shingle beaches on either side of the island, meaning that on a sunny day, at least one is sheltered.

Inchmurrin

Inchmurrin is the largest & most southerly island in Loch Lomond. At 113 ha it is also the largest inland island in the UK. It reaches a height of 89 metres towards the north and is largely wooded. There is an excellent view of the north end of the loch. The island was formerly a deer park of the Dukes of Montrose, who had a hunting lodge built in 1793 and maintained a gamekeeper and his family there.

Iona

Iona is an island just west of Mull in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there are other buildings on the island. It is today known for its relative tranquility and natural environment. IT is now a beautiful tourist attraction which has a lot of tourists every year.

Islas Hébridas Interiores

The Inner Hebrides islands are an archipelago of Scotland located southeast of the Outer Hebrides . Traditionally the Inner Hebrides are divided into two groups: those of the North and those of the South. The settlement of the Inner Hebrides began when the Scandinavian Vikings arrived there before the 9th century BC. C. The Nordic Control formally began in 1098 when Edgar of Scotland put the islands in the hands of Magnus III , King of Norway

Isle of Portland

The Isle of Portland is the Jurassic Coast’s most southerly point, and is joined to the mainland by just a thin strip at the southern end of the sweeping arc of Chesil Beach. Its isolated location and beautiful scenery make it a real explorer’s island, while the comparatively mild climate enables a wide variety of flora and fauna to thrive.

Isle of Purbeck

The Isle of Purbeck is a peninsula located in south Dorset. The area is home to some of the country’s most well-loved towns and landmarks including Swanage, Lulworth Cove, Corfe Castle, and Durdle Door. One of the unique attractions in this area and it is a nice place to Relax on the beach, explore the South West Coast Path, hunt for dinosaur fossils, or just sit back and enjoy the views of the world-famous Jurassic Coast.

Kerrera

A beautiful island in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It is home to a population of ~40, but there’s not really any village on the island. If you want to stay on the island there are some self catering cottages and a bunkhouse. The island is known for the ruined Gylen Castle, a small tower house built in 1582. Kerrera is in fact quite a large island and can be compared with Scarba, Seil and Luing, is scarcely populated and provides excellent shelter for the Oban harbour.

Lamb Holm

Lamb Holm is a small uninhabited island in Orkney, Scotland. The Italian Chapel, constructed during the Second World War, is the island's main attraction. It is classified by the National Records of Scotland as an uninhabited island that "had no usual residents at the time of either the 2001 or 2011 censuses. On the northwest of the island, on the shore of St Mary's Bay, are the remains of a prehistoric settlement which have been designated as a scheduled monument.

Linga

Linga is a very small uninhabited island in the Bluemull Sound, Shetland, Scotland. It is one of many islands in Shetland called Linga. The surface area is about 65 acres and there are two derelict cottages on Linga. The local council granted planning permission in 2011 to an oil industry engineer develop the island but by 2018 these plans had not come to fruition.

Lundy

A beautiful unspoilt island that was home to a fascinating array of wildlife amidst dramatic scenery. It is 400ft at its highest point, is the largest in the Bristol Channel and quite possibly the most unique. The Island creates a rich diversity of animal and plant life loved by walkers, climbers and wildlife enthusiasts alike. As the UK’s first Marine Conservation Zone, the waters also play host to a spectacular array of marine wildlife

Lunga

Lunga is one of the Slate Islands in the Firth of Lorn in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The surrounding seas are fished for prawns and scallops and there is a salmon farm off the south eastern shores. The Special Area of Conservation of which the island is part hosts a growing number of outdoor leisure pursuits.

Muck Island

Muck is the smallest of four main islands in the Small Isles, part of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The larger part of the island is formed from olivine-phyric basalt flows erupted during the Palaeocene.

Ness Islands

The Ness Islands are situated on the River Ness, connected by suspension briges. The islands are a walking spot for tourists and locals and are home to a number of imported species of trees.

North Ronaldsay

North Ronaldsay is the northernmost island in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland. With an area of 690 hectares, it is the fourteenth-largest. It is mentioned in the Orkneyinga saga; in modern times it is known for its historic lighthouse, migratory bird life and unusual breed of sheep. The island is famed for its rare breed of seaweed-eating sheep. These hardy and colourful characters live almost entirely on the wild shoreline, feeding on a diet of seaweed.

Map of Islands to explore in United Kingdom