Nearest Landscape & Nature Inner Hebrides
Our Landscape and Nature category brings all Coast Radar’s Inner Hebrides listings related to looking for something to do or a place to visit together where they offer some form of the countryside or coast path based activity.
Finding the best things to see and do on a Inner Hebrides day out with your family or friends is easy – simply explore the countryside or coast path activity links below, hit the jump to my location button or use the search bar to plan your next Inner Hebrides activity.
- Caisteal Maol or Castle Moal is a ruined castle situated on a headland above the village of Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye. From here you can look out across the strait to the Kyle of Lochalsh. The castle is a three-storey construction and visitors can stroll through most parts of the building. The basement, believed to have been the kitchen, is full of rubble. It’s understood Castle Moal was built in the late 15th century and is the ancient seat of the Mackinnon clan. Last occupied in 1600, the castle gradually fell into ruin over the years, and storm damage in 1949 and 1989 further caused the castle to crumble. It is now safe to walk through the remaining parts of the castle as the ruins have been secured. Reach Caisteal Moal by parking in the village of Kyleakin’s main car park and taking the short gravel path up the hill. Enjoy the spectacular views from the top!
- Carsaig Arches are natural arch cliff formations the result of the erosion of oolitic rock beds on the Ross of Mull in the south of the island of Mull. Whilst you are walking look out for goats, eagles and, in spring, nesting kittiwakes and fulmars. This is a good but hard walk from Carsaig Bay and involves about 6 km (each way) of walking. Most of the way you will follow a nice path below the cliffs that then takes you over some steep and rocky slopes. The route from the first arch to the second arch is along a goat track with vertical drops and so most people just settle with the first.
- An Sgùrr is the highest hill on the island of Eigg in the Inner Hebrides. It was formed as a result of one of the last eruptions of a volcano, the core of which now forms the Isle of Rùm. The lava cooled and formed column-like structures. The peak is most frequently climbed from the ferry terminal at Galmisdale on the southeast corner of Eigg and a return trip takes at least 4 hours.
- Fingal’s Cave is a sea cave on the uninhabited island of Staffa, in the Inner Hebrides. Fingal’s Cave is formed entirely from hexagonally jointed basalt columns within a Paleocene lava flow, similar in structure to the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland and those of nearby Ulva. Sightseeing cruises are organised from April to September and in calm conditions, some trips land at the island’s landing place and you can walk the short distance to the cave, where a row of fractured columns forms a walkway just above high-water level. The cave is known for its natural acoustics and the composer Felix Mendelssohn visited in 1829 and wrote an overture, The Hebrides, Op. 26, (also known as Fingal’s Cave overture) The overture was inspired by the unusual echoes in the cave and this work popularized the cave as a tourist destination.
- Ben More is the highest mountain and only Munro on the Isle of Mull, situated in the south of the island, above the shores of Loch na Keal. It is the highest peak in the Inner Hebrides apart from those on the Isle of Skye.
- Am Basteir is a mountain in the northern Cuillin range on the Isle of Skye, at 934 metres high it is classed as a Munro.
- Dùn I is Iona’s highest point at a height of 101 metres (333 ft) above sea level. This is an uneven trail to the top but the views are worth the effort, on a clear day not only can you see the whole island but you can make out many of the other Inner Hebrides islands.
- Bac Mòr is a Scottish island, one of the Treshnish Isles that is sometimes referred to as The Dutchman’s Cap due to its shape. The Treshnish Isles are uninhabited and are owned by The Hebridean Trust charity. They are designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Protection Area due to their importance for breeding seabirds. There are also a number of wildflowers there.
- Cairn na Burgh Mòr is the larger of the two “Carnburgs” at the northeastern end of the Treshnish Isles, with the other being Cairn na Burgh Beag. Cairnburgh Castle, which guards the entrance to Loch Tuath on the west coast of Mull is primarily located on this island. However, an unusual feature of the castle its that its defences straddle both islands, Cairn na Burgh Beag having a small guard-house and a well. These grassy islands are both remnants of ancient lava flows and have a distinctive profile: flat-topped and trimmed with cliffs.
- Canna is the westernmost of the Small Isles archipelago, in the Inner Hebrides. It is linked to the neighbouring island of Sanday by a road and sandbanks at low tide. The island is 6.9 km (4.3 miles) long and 1.6 km (1 mile) wide. The island is managed by the National Trust for Scotland.
- Gylen Castle is a ruined castle, or tower house, on a rocky ridge at the south end of the island of Kerrera. The castle was built in 1582 by the Clan MacDougall. The castle was only occupied for a relatively short time as it was besieged then burned by the Covenanters under General Leslie in 1647 during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
- Cairn na Burgh Beag is the smaller of the two “Carnburgs” at the northeastern end of the Treshnish Isles, with the other beingCairn na Burgh Mòr. Cairnburgh Castle, which guards the entrance to Loch Tuath on the west coast of Mull is primarily located on the larger of the pair. However, an unusual feature of the castle its that its defences straddle both islands, Cairn na Burgh Beag having a small guard-house and a well. These grassy islands are both remnants of ancient lava flows and have a distinctive profile: flat-topped and trimmed with cliffs.
