Isle of Carna, Acharacle, Ardnamurchan

Reviewed by The Bootlands from Roslin In a world of constant and almost irresistible technological over-stimulation there are many of us who crave an enforced digital detox. If you could have just that, along with a stay on a private island in Loch Sunart, would you do it? We did, and our family are all the better for it.

From the moment we boarded the boat to take us to the Isle of Carna there were excited smiles all round. We docked at the pontoon just by Carna cottage, which was to be our home for the next two nights. The cottage has a conservatory that’s the perfect place to look out over the loch, and the kitchen has windows on three sides, so you’ll never miss a glimpse of an otter crunching crabs on the pontoon. The kitchen has a gas cooker and fridge and a generator which provides electricity for periods in the morning and evening. At other times, candles, a wood-burning stove, board games and whisky are the order of the day in the cottage.

But that’s the beauty of Carna – there’s no need to be inside. Climb the hill and discover views out towards Mull, watch eagles soar overhead, play on a rope swing or rusty old farm vehicles, jump aboard your boat and look for seals, cook on the dry stone BBQ with the best view in Scotland, comb the pebble beach for crabs, sea urchins and starfish, or sit quietly and watch otters and herons fish.

By the time darkness fell and hunger forced us back to the cottage the children were so exhausted that they fell into bed and into the kind of deep sleep that only an overdose of fresh air can induce, no doubt to dream of this glorious place and Scotland’s incredible wildlife. It’s a place I return to often in my head, a place that will live on in my imagination for many years to come.

Prices from £1,150 per week