Globetrotters June Challenge
O’er The Sea to … An Idyllic Isle in Outlander Country
Maybe some of the locals will look like Jamie
The only tune I can play on the recorder (apart from Hot Cross Buns) is the Skye Boat Song. You might know it better as the theme music for the incredibly popular show Outlander. But Skye is not the only isle in Scotland you can visit by boat, and as the popularity of locations like Skye has skyrocketed in recent years (due to the Outlander effect) maybe it’s time to explore some somewhere a bit less weel-kent.
Surrounded by water, at the very mouth of Loch Linnhe, the Isle of Lismore is one of my favourite places to go to recharge and really get away from it all. If you’re looking for a writing retreat, this is the place for you. Tiny but relaxing.
From the mainland, you can either take the car ferry from Oban or, depending on where you are staying, you can choose to take the foot ferry from Port Appin. Bikes can be rented on the island and left for you at the jetty.
My favourite place to stay is Point Cottage. There are a couple of other AirBnBs quite nearby it too. It’s right on the shore and if you’re a biology geek like me, or just a beachcomber, it’s so fantastic to just roll out of bed, grab a coffee, stroll down to the stony beach and poke about in the rock pools.
Point Cottage is just about 1km from the jetty where the foot ferry docks and one of the great benefits of this is that you can be tucked away on your little rural idyll, but pop over to the Pierhouse Hotel on the foot ferry for some of the freshest seafood, you’ll ever eat.
The lobsters are kept in creels at the end of the pier until chef needs them. It has a cozy bar, a patio and an elegant dining room with a big window overlooking the water - the views are extraordinary.
Back on the Isle of Lismore, there are some nice things to do. Still full from lunch or do you have room for a cake? Check out the cake box. Yes, it’s a real British red telephone box transformed into an honesty-box cake shop!
You could check out the ruins of an Iron-Age Broch, visit the ruins of Viking Castle Coeffin, and walk to the stunning big white lighthouse looking south to Mull. There are lots of lovely walks on the island, almost all of them with a sea view.
One of my favourites is down to the old lime kilns, previously a major industry of the island, where an old croft makes an ideal site for a picnic or barbeque.
Check out the visitor centre with its reconstruction of traditional Scottish blackhouses. Many artists live on Lismore, and the visitor centre shop has a great variety of locally crafted goods and art for sale. Very high quality too. It also has a museum of the history of Lismore and a lovely tea room. More cake?
Tired out from walking, you might choose to spend your evening at a local Ceilidh (Watch out, the locals can hold their whisky — and that language the songs are in? It’s Gaelic). Hang around for the dancing!
Or you can do what I do, light a campfire on the beach, break out the marshmallows, open some wine and watch the seals on the rocks. Maybe a minke whale too!
A beautiful place to spend time on the water.
For more great travel stories, check out writers like Randy Runtsch and Sandy Maximus on Globetrotters
Do you like nature, food, travel and music? Follow my account to read more. To access millions of other great articles by talented and famous writers, you can sign up to become a Medium Member!
You can also sign up for my newsletter here, so you get my stories straight into your inbox before everyone else!
