Yell to Get-away-from-it-all

Here's a new-to-the-market property in the north-east of Yell, Shetland, with a half-acre of land, views towards Fetlar and that get-away-from-it-all feel. The renovated former croft-house has a somewhat misleading urban-sounding name, Townmills, and is situated in North Sandwick. Harper Macleod has the details and pitched the property at a price of £55k.

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200 Miles off St Kilda

The Press and Journal carries the story of a replica St Kilda mailboat being launched on Hirta, the main island in the remote group, by Alasdair MacEachen on Friday 10 August. Ten days later it was recovered from a beach at Birsay, Orkney, some 200 miles away, by Martin Gray. The connections are worth discovering.

Scottish Islands Explorer - spreads inter-island items
Digital Edition: ten, hundred, thousand miles in a second

Glenelg - First & Last

The MV Glenachulish is the last-operated turntable ferry of its sort in the world. Now it has its first female skipper, Ms Isabelle Law. Read more on the BBC website about the Glenelg - Kylerhea service that plies to and from Skye.

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Tropical on Sheland

This photograph by Zoe Henry shows an interesting aspect of the appropriately-named Meal Sand Beach, Burra. Here, and at Watsness, Walls, were places for tropical fruit, washed across part of the Atlantic when a ship, sailing from the Panama Canal to Dover, lost two 40' containers in a storm. Some contents, from the Del Monte consignment of pineapples and bananas, reached Shetland destinations. The Press and Journal has the story.

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Danna

Some say 'tidal island' and others 'tip of a peninsula' - when referring to Danna, separating Loch Sween from the Sound of Jura in Argyll & Bute. It's a one-and-a-quarter square-mile islet, rising to 141', which has seen a plunging population of five in 2001 to one in 2011. The causeway is above; an unoccupied house below.

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Oldany Island

Maurice O'Connell was kayaking in the Assynt area of Sutherland and his visit to the tidal island of Oldany led to the photograph above appearing in the current BBC Your Pictures of Scotland. The blogger of one strand in Mountain and Sea Scotland took some fine photographs, but was unable to land on the 500 acre and 341' high uninhabited islet. The image below is from someone able to land, camp and explore there.

Scottish Islands Explorer - some make it by kayak
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Eigg - Welcome Research

There have been times when 'welcome' was not a word associated with visitors to Eigg. The 16th Century Massacre on the island is described on the BBC website as is a sequel to it - the acquiring by Sir Walter Scott (1771 - 1832) of a skull that he took from the scene of the event to his home in Abbotsford, Melrose. Research on the bones could lead to some relevant information about the atrocity of some 600 years ago.

Scottish Islands Explorer -  aware of past violence in scenic locations
Digital Edition: delays that took centuries now shortened to seconds

A Faray Retreat?

Retreat to the blog item of one week ago and see what's on offer by way of island purchasing. Now consider the suggestion of Lows - Orkney's one stop property shop - for the three islands in the Faray group to be purchased for purposes of a retreat. It's featured on the BBC website. There are, indeed, people around who do not retreat from a challenge.

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Digital Edition: a mast may be needed on Faray

High on Foula

Foula is surrounded by sea and dominated by summits. Take a look at the hilltops of the Shetland isle - not always easy to approach because of the territorial instincts of the Arctic skuas. High on Foula is a YouTube presentation lasting under three minutes.

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The Scaliscro Estate

The Scaliscro Estate - with three miles of coast and 10,000 acres - is in the Uig area of the Isle of Lewis. It has a new owner who will, undoubtedly, be enjoying these vistas and facilities.

Hebrides News has some details of the sale, but Galbraith, the property consultant, has a fine presentation of the estate. If you have three minutes to spare, take the video overview and make it full screen.

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