The islands of Canna, Eigg, Muck and Rum lie just south of the Isle of Skye, sitting between the west coast Scottish mainland and the Western Isles. Each island has an abundance of wildlife, rich heritage and incredible landscapes but, while they are close together, each island feels very different. One thing they have in common is they each generate their own electricity from renewable sources.
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WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT THE SMALL ISLES.
Canna attracted me first and foremost because of the puffin colony on Sanday. I also loved the idea of camping, being out in nature a lot and seeing/hearing what life is like in such a small island community.
I spent 3 nights on Canna, which felt like the bare minimum. I walked up into the hills twice, over the puffins on Sanday and went for a swim on the white beach. I also walked to the black beach and joined a guided walk with the NTS ranger. I really enjoyed my time on the island and loved the range of experiences on offer, wildlife, nature walks, hill walks, lots of history, events and culinary - Canna has it all.
Nancy Jesse
I heard about the Small Isles via a short BBC documentary about Eigg and its use of renewable energy. I tried to find out more about the island and soon found this really interesting history of Eigg. That was the first time I came across the Small Isles as a concept. I’m a photography student from Berlin and in my final year. When I heard about Eigg I decided that I wanted this to be my graduation project. In July I travelled to Eigg for three weeks. While I was there I lived in a caravan at the beach with the beautiful Isle of Rum always in view. I absolutely loved my stay on Eigg. I loved the sense of community there, the feeling of security I had while being there.
Manu Rio
I remember as we were approaching the island it was very mysterious, some distant peaks kept appearing and disappearing behind the clouds…. the views from the ferry over Skye were sumptuous, the lights were
gorgeous and we were gifted the presence of a few dolphins. We had planned to climb the Rùm Cuillin Ridge. The walk was superb and the views from the top were breathtaking all round.