I knew very little about the Small Isles before moving up to the Scottish Highlands a few years ago. But in my attempt to visit 30 Scottish Islands before I turn 30, I really wanted to explore these little islands that, as the crow flies, aren't actually that far from home.
I am so thankful that we now have some wonderful friends that live in the beautiful Ardnamurchan peninsula who were very willing to have us over to stay in their house and take us out on their RIB boats. As a girl who grew up on boats on the West Coast, I had the most wonderful time going from the mainland to the incredible Small Isles.
Our adventure began on the Isle of Muck, the smallest of the Small Isles. Being only about a 1 mile long, Muck is very walkable and we had a lovely time heading from one end of the island to the other. It was so unbelievably quiet on this wee island, and I loved that we felt like some of the only people on the island the day we visited. Unfortunately the coffee shop on Muck was shut on the day we visited, but I am so thankful that we got the chance to explore this wee spot in the Small Isles.
Since we didn't manage to get our coffee on the Isle of Muck, we decided to hop back on the RIB boats and head to our next island, the Isle of Eigg. By the time we arrived at Galmisdale Tearoom, I was pretty hungry, so we ended up each getting our own food as well as chips to share. Enjoying some delcious food outside by the sea in Scotland was such a treat.
One of the things I most loved about the Isle of Eigg was the sense of community about this place. The Isle of Eigg was bought out by their community in 1997 after many years of having absentee landlords, which I think added to the sense of community on this island. Galmisdale Bay Tearoom, where we had lunch and a coffee, was full of people enjoying some delicious food and a wee bit of Scottish sunshine.
After lunch, we didn't have much time left but I loved having a wee nosy around the Isle of Eigg Shop. I even managed to get a postcard from the Isle of Eigg to add to two postcards from the Isle of Muck to add to my growing postcard collection.
Although I was so glad to tick Scottish Islands' 11 and 12 off my 30 before 30 list, I can honestly say I had such a wonderful and unexpected time in the Small Isles. These little places might feel small, but they were truly beautiful and unique to the other Scottish islands I have visited before. I was also so struck by how different Muck and Eigg were from one another, with Muck feeling like a pristine and serene farm island and Eigg feeling like a close community of people trying to create a beautiful place to live. I can't wait to hopefully return to the Small Isles again in the future, and to, one day, add the other Small Isles of Rum and Canna to my list of Scottish islands I've visited.
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