Isle of Colonsay

Situated between Mull and Islay, the Isle of Colonsay - 8 miles long by 3 miles at its widest is the ideal destination for anyone seeking a get-away-from-it-all break.

Not as exposed to the elements as say, Coll or Tiree, Colonsay's craggy, heather-backed hills support a bewildering array of plant and birdlife, wild goats and rabbits, and one of the finest quasi-tropical gardens in Scotland.

The CalMac ferry terminal is at Scalasaig and right by the pier, the old waiting room now serves as the island's heritage centre and is usually open when the ferry docks. Two miles north of Scalasaig, inland at Kiloran, is the 18th-century Colonsay House, famous for the outstanding collection of floral species and hybrid rhododendrons and for unusual trees and shrubs sourced from all over the world

To the north of Colonsay House, where the road ends, lies the island's finest sandy beach, the breathtaking Kiloran Bay, where the breakers roll in from the Atlantic. There's another unspoilt sandy beach backed by dunes at Balnahard, two miles northeast along a rough track; en route, you might spot wild goats, choughs, and even a golden eagle.

The island's west coast forms a sharp escarpment, quite at odds with the gentle undulating landscape that characterizes the rest of the island. Due west of Colonsay House around Beinn Bhreac (456ft), the cliffs are at their most spectacular and in their lower reaches provide a home to hundreds of seabirds, among them kittiwakes, cormorants and guillemots in spring and early summer.