Western Scotland ends with this remote chain of islands, made of some of the oldest rock on Earth. Barren landscapes are divided by countless waterways, while the western, windward coasts are edged by white sandy beaches.

Hundreds of windswept and beautiful islands lie scattered off Scotland’s northwest coast. Some are tiny, rocky skerries inhabited only by seabirds, while others are home to bustling farming and fishing communities.  White sandy bays fringe these rugged coasts, bordered by sweet-smelling natural wildflower meadows known as machair that pepper the land with splashes of yellow, white, blue and pink.

In low-lying hinterlands, vast peat bogs provide many homes with fuel, and the rich tang of peat smoke is the signature scent of the isles. These are some of the longest-inhabited parts of Scotland, with ancient standing stones attesting to over 6,000 years of human settlement, though abandoned dwellings and monuments attest to the difficulties in commercializing traditional local skills. Home to Scotland’s largest Gaelic-speaking community, many islanders use the ancient Celtic tongue as their first language.