Islander

There are now multiple ways of reading and skimming newsprint and magazines without having to enter a shop or purchase the product. Take the Islander - taking you out and about Orkney. It's just a click away, without a coin required.

Scottish Islands Explorer - needs your subscriptions to survive

Digital Edition: one of the multiple ways of accessing 

Still Selling

Number Three Kingsburgh, Skye, has been on the market for some time. Its asking price of £535k seems reasonable and the images are certainly attractive. Worth looking at or looking into?

Scottish Islands Explorer - also worth considering
Digital Edition: is Kingsburgh wifi friendly?

From Space to Space?

The BBC website carries news of a possible development on a spacious area of crofting land at Melness on the north coast of Sutherland. It involves the commercial operation of launching satellites into space - from the top of the British mainland to circuiting of the globe. Here's a rival to the launch pad proposed on Unst, Shetland, and featured on the blog here.

Scottish Islands Explorer - delivered by air-mail to overseas readers
Digital Edition: accessed via satellites by many subscribers

Caution - Land on Sand

This blog started almost seven years ago with an image of an aircraft on the beach at Barra. The image here comes from Rae Phillips and appears in the BBC's current Your Pictures of Scotland. It and others in the gallery both stimulate and remind.

Scottish Islands Explorer - its gallery of photos are often acclaimed
Digital Edition: accustomed to landing with a welcome, not a caution

Jura Drawn

Barnhill, Jura, is the subject of  an article in the current issue of The Oldie. It refers, among other topics, to the 70th anniversary of George Orwell renting the house, writing 1984 and having various escapades in an isolated enclave in the north of the island.

Scottish Islands Explorer - sometimes has articles on authors
Digital Edition: uses technology that Orwell failed to forecast

Scotland's Small Towns

Lists are always being compiled. Go to Ten of the Best Small Towns in Scotland and discover that four of them are on islands.

Scottish Islands Explorer - attractions are everywhere

Digital Edition: enables discovery to be almost instantaneous

Orkney Hydrogen

The Financial Times requested its readers to submit ideas about transforming the world. One of the 50 selected involved the Orkney Hydrogen Project. It's worth taking a look, for it focuses on our future.

Scottish Islands Explorer - its future is paramount

Digital Edition: here's future technology in practice

Rabbits, Not Strangers

Same islands, different light. These are the Rabbit Islands, in Tongue Bay, Sutherland. The three were originally named Eilean nan Gall after the strangers who landed there. These were the Danes, back in the first millennium. They did not stay and a population has never been evident, apart from the prolific numbers of rabbits. However, the summer sees marine sports enthusiasts in action.

Scottish Islands Explorer - endeavours to see islands in different lights
Digital Edition: arrives as fast as light

Harbour to Hub

There was a time when capital investment flowed into the installations at Stornoway Harbour. Now much money is directed 'into the clouds' and specialist, communication facilities are receiving the funds. Some 25 years ago the first of a cluster of buildings on the Seaforth Road became the start what is now termed a 'media village'. A former Harris Tweed mill was converted and the hub grew. A further £500k has been granted, with the story given in the Stornoway Gazette.

Scottish Islands Explorer - a small part of the communications revolution ...
Digital Edition: ... using vital technologies

Kylerhea Narrows

When the rudder broke on the 1200 tonne MV CEG Universe, a cargo ship carrying road salt, found itself in the Kylerhea Narrows between Skye and Glenelg. Rescue was needed. Read about it on the BBC website.

Scottish Islands Explorer - individual copies sometimes require saving
Digital Edition: safety in the clouds