From Skye to Seil, Jura to Gigha, the islands off the west coast of Scotland offer some of the most stunning scenery in Europe. Many have been drawn to live on these islands since Scotland was first populated and many more come to visit these remarkable places. The islands boast a huge diversity of landscapes, from the Firth of Clyde and its two largest islands, Arran and Bute, both geologically divided by the Highland Boundary Fault, as well as numerous smaller islands including Holy Isle, to the Hebrides further north and west. The Hebridean archipelago stretches from the Inner Hebrides, which contain over seventy inhabited and uninhabited islands, the largest of which are Islay, Jura, Rum, Mull and Skye, to the more distant Outer Hebrides or Western Isles, chiefly Lewis and Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and Barra. |