Small Isles (Eigg, Rhum, Muck, Canna)

The Small Isles - Rum, Eigg, Muck and Canna - are part of the Inner Hebrides, lying to the south of Skye and accessible by ferry from Arisaig and Mallaig on the mainland.

Rùm, by far the largest and most-visited of the Small Isles, possesses a cluster of formidable volcanic peaks, the architecturally remarkable Kinloch Castle, and some wonderful wildlife.

Scottish Natural Heritage runs the island as a National Nature Reserve. The island's most famous residents are not Its 30-odd inhabitants but its sea eagles, re-introduced in the 1980s, although these massive birds have mostly abandoned Rùm in favour of neighbouring islands.

Walking amongst the startling scenery, dominated by the 2663ft-high peak of Askival, is the most obvious activity on Rùm, while Kinloch Castle Is its one formal attraction. It is a red sandstone edifice fronted by colonnades and topped by crenellations and turrets, that dominates the village of Kinloch. Completed at enormous expense in 1900 - the red sandstone was shipped in from Arran and the soil for the gardens from Ayrshire - its interior is a perfectly preserved example of Edwardian decadence. But it was used for just a few weeks a year - for the hunting season. It was known as the 'Forbidden Isle' because of its exclusive use as a sporting estate for the rich i nowadays, visitors are made very welcome.

Eigg, which measures just five miles by three, is mostly made up of a basalt plateau 1000ft above sea level, and a great stump of columnar pitchstone lava, known as An Sgurr, rising out of the plateau another 290ft. It's also by far the most vibrant, populous and welcoming of the Small Isles, with a real strong sense of community. This has been given an enormous boost by the 1997 buyout by the 70-odd islanders, which ended Eigg's unhappy history of private ownership. most notoriously with the Olympic bobsleigher and gelatine heir Keith Schellenberg. The anniversary of the buy out is celebrated every year with an all-night ceilidh on the weekend nearest June 12.
There are wonderful views of Muck and Rum from An Sgurr (1292ft), The 'Singing Sands' is comprised of quartz, which squeaks underfoot when dry.

Smallest and most southerly of the Small Isles, Muck is low-lying, mostly treeless and extremely fertile, and as such shares more characteristics with the likes of Coll and Tiree than its nearest neighbours. There are sandy beaches, rocky shores and the 452ft Beinn Airein, with Its panoramic view of the surrounding islands. The island currently runs on wind power, which means electricity can be scarce in the middle of the day if there isn't enough wind.

Canna, in many ways the prettiest of the isles with its high basalt cliffs, has been in the hands of the National Trust of Scotland since 1981. It measures just five miles by one, with a population of just 20. There 's little to do but walk, watch birds and take in the scenery. Compass Hill is so called because its high metal content distorts compasses.