Coll

Friday, midday

Check into the Coll Hotel (doubles from £90, www.collhotel.com), the only hotel on the island, a lovely wee family run escape in Arinagour with great views of myriad other isles.

1pm

The Island Café (tel: 01879 230262) offers light meals and burgers topped with cheese from an island farm – Coll cheese was once more widely available.

2pm

Remarkably Coll boasts more than 20 sandy beaches – you will have most to yourself. Park by the graveyard at Torastan and epic sands await.

4pm

Head for the sprawling 1,074 acre RSPB Nature Reserve, which wraps its tentacles across moorland and machair. Birds of prey appeal, but the main prize is a sighting of the elusive corncrake.

7pm

The Coll Hotel offers superb local produce with a rich bounty of Coll seafood in a starring role. Nab the shellfish platter if it’s on or the delicious Coll lobster served with homemade spaghetti.

Saturday, 9am

Hire a kayak from Coll Active (tel: 01879 230436) and look out for otters and herons on the rugged coast around Arinagour.

Midday

Pop into Tesco to put together a picnic. If you want to stay local Isle of Mull Cheddar fits the bill.

1:30pm

Enjoy your picnic at Breacachadh Beach, where you can feast your eyes on not one, but two castles.

6pm

Enjoy a sundowner at the Coll Hotel’s beer garden with views out across the bay and towards the Treshnish Isles and Mull.

8pm

Switch seafood for Coll lamb. If you’re lucky they will be cooking it with harissa spices at the Coll Hotel. If you’re worried about missing out on seafood, a pint of Coll langoustines to start will tide you over.

Sunday, 9am

Head to Sorisdale and conjure up the ghosts of Vikings as you gaze at the posts they used to tie their longships to. Keep your eyes peeled further out towards the Cairns of Coll, one of the UK’S top spots for viewing whales and basking sharks. ■

Robin Mckelvie