![Barra is the most southerly of the inhabited islands in the Outer Hebrides](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/travel/2024/05/08/TELEMMGLPICT000376710554_17151631212230_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqD3d2dmOlWYuQkR76XZjLQKOylOV7i1cNNz18XOj47vE.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Scotland’s 10 greatest islands
Our expert has spent 20 years scouring the Scottish isles for the best food, whisky and wildlife. Here’s how to find the perfect one for you
![Barra is the most southerly of the inhabited islands in the Outer Hebrides](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/travel/2024/05/08/TELEMMGLPICT000376710554_17151631212230_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqD3d2dmOlWYuQkR76XZjLQKOylOV7i1cNNz18XOj47vE.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Scotland’s treasure trove of more than 800 islands – just under 100 inhabited – make up over 10 per cent of Europe’s coastline. There are hundreds of isles in the Hebrides – both Inner and Outer – as well as the Firth of Clyde and that is not even mentioning the 100 or so Shetland Islands, nor the 70 or so Orkney Islands.
I’ve spent the last 20 years as a travel writer scouring the isles and I’m often asked which is best. I answer that it’s more a question of which is best for you? Are you a foodie, an ornithologist or just crave a deserted beach? Handily Scotland’s isles also share remarkable walking, scenery and eye-popping sunsets, plus that genuinely friendly welcome you feared only existed on television.
Make this the summer you hop aboard a ferry (or a flight landing on a beach) to the perfect isle to suit you.