Amanda Thomson escapes to the spectacular Hebridean isles of Eigg and Uist, where seabirds soar above silver shores
DISCOVER
Standing on deck, I watch the famous sweep of land, stretching down to the sea on its north side, that tells you it’s unmistakeably Eigg. The sun bursts through the clouds, transforming the island from a uniform grey into a wash of colour, contours and shadows.
Momentarily, I forget to watch the water, but when some diving gannets catch my attention and a flock of guillemots whirrs past, I suddenly see the slow arc of a minke whale, its small dorsal fin, sickle-shaped towards the back of its back, curving round and into the water. It comes up again in another smooth roll and disappears. I know that I’ve already arrived.
For me, going to any of the Scottish islands always starts on the ferry and sometimes beforehand, in the spectacular scenery on the drive to the ferry terminal at Ullapool, Mallaig or Oban. There’s something marvellous about taking your time to get to the islands. If you’re going to Mallaig, the West Coast trainline is rightly renowned.
Once on the ferry, the mainland often recedes before any other landmass comes into view. Ferries bring the opportunity for an extended period of sea-watching and, if you persevere (often in any and all weathers), you will be rewarded. Black guillemots might bob in the bays and there may well be terns, gannets and auks, including puffins, flying past, or sitting nonchalantly in the water by the side of the boat as shearwaters skim by. There is a delight in seeing a school of porpoises, and on previous journeys I have watched storm petrels flit between the white-capped waves. These islands and the waters around them are places to savour, and each of them has unique qualities.
EIGG
Eigg is one of the Small Isles, an archipelago in the Inner Hebrides. In June 2022, it celebrated the 25th anniversary of its famous community buyout. It’s a wonderful, inspiring wee island, with a community-owned electricity company that generates the island’s supply from solar power, water and wind, a community orchard and a nursery growing native trees. Eigg sustains a thriving community of just over 100 people: crofters, farmers, crafters, musicians and many others. I am there by invitation, staying at Sweeney’s Bothy, on a residency for artists and writers (bothyproject.com)
