Island retreats
Reif für die Insel? Hier stellen wir Ihnen fünf der schönsten vor. Schottlands rauer Charme auf Lewis und Harris oder lieber Green Island am australischen Great Barrier Reef? Sie haben die Qual der Wahl!
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ide open skies, the sound of waves washing across sand and rocks, a salty breeze: the various islands we invite you to join us on are dotted around the globe, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, yet they all have these elements in common. On the next few pages, five Spotlight authors describe what makes them different and individual.
1. A Hebridean adventure on Lewis and Harris
I fell in love with Harris — the southern part of the island Lewis and Harris — when I saw a photo of the beach at Luskentyre (in Gaelic: Losgaintir), on the west coast. I couldn’t believe it was in Scotland! I remember staring at the white sand and the turquoise ocean, wishing I was there, far from the pressures of modern life.
Six months later — it’s the middle of May — and I’m on the ferry from Uig on the Isle of Skye, travelling to the Isle of Harris. Lewis and Harris make up the largest island of the Outer Hebrides archipelago at the very edge of Europe. If you head west from here, there’s nothing but the Atlantic Ocean until the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada. It’s no surprise, then, that it’s quite a challenge to reach this Hebridean isle.
I leave Edinburgh early in the morning and drive to Skye in about seven hours. I want to get there in good time for the ferry crossing at 6.30 p.m., which will take an hour and 50 minutes. There aren’t many people on the ferry. Given the unpredictable weather and the well-known complaints by holidaymakers of being eaten alive by midges, tourists aren’t exactly rushing to Harris. And I’m glad.
I’ve booked a room with a view at the No. 5 Hostel in Drinishader for a few nights. I plan to get up early, walk in the hills in the mornings and relax on deserted beaches in the afternoons. Well, that’s the plan, so long as the weather holds.
As the coast of Skye disappears into the distance, I settle down on a bench on the deck. Warm in my jacket and woolly hat, I enjoy feeling the sunshine and sea breeze on my face.
As the ferry finally arrives at the little harbour in Tarbert, I look around at the landscape. It’s wild and desolate: grey rock everywhere, with patches of brown moss and dry grass. I’m looking forward to my first walk tomorrow. The 11kilometre circular route I’ve chosen will take me up Beinn Dhubh. From the summit of the hill, I’ll be able to enjoy views of the sparkling Luskentyre sands and watch the colours of the sea and sky change as the sun plays hide-and-seek among the soft, white clouds.
2. A whale of a time on Nantucket
The most expensive vacation-home county in the United States — according to a 2019 report by the country’s National Association of Realtors — is the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts, out-pricing the Hamptons and resorts in Florida, and more expensive than sister island Martha’s Vineyard.
You need only revisit Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby-dick to find the reasons for this. Not that Nantucket still has the whaling industry that, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, made this small, 790-square-kilometre island one of America’s wealthiest communities. It’s the island’s lonely location that brings in visitors today. As Melville wrote in 1851: “Look at it — a mere hillock, and elbow of sand; all beach, without a background.”
In the language of the island’s Native American Wampanoag tribe, Nantucket means “faraway land”. Even today, it takes me more than two hours to get there by ferry from Hyannis, in Massachusetts, which is why day visitors tend to choose other destinations. The island’s rich summer residents, including former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Bill Gates, arrive in private planes at Nantucket’s small airport. Martha’s Vineyard attracts actors and artists, but it’s Nantucket that Wall Street and business people come to. The island’s off-season population of 10,000 increases to about 50,000 in the summer months.
The first English settlers began arriving in Nantucket in 1659, and the island grew into a Quaker stronghold. The whaling business, though, needed the harpooning skills of the Wampanoag. One other unusual feature: the high mortality rate among its male whalers transformed Nantucket into an early feminist bastion. Lucretia Coffin Mott, who was born on the island in 1793 and educated on the egalitarian principles of Quakerism, wrote about the men who did return from whaling trips and followed their wives to social events.
Today, I’m charmed by the simple, mainly two-storey clapboard houses along the island’s dusty lanes; by its long, sandy beaches tethered to the land by banks of wild roses; by its small-town sleepiness and modest dedication to its history. The Whaling Museum on Broad Street tells you everything you need to know about the industry that put Nantucket on the map. Alternatively, you could use the summer to (re)read Melville’s Moby-dick!
3. Making tracks on Tinian
Just a three-hour flight south of Tokyo is a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean that’s part of the Northern Mariana Islands. The islands are a United States Commonwealth, but they’re about as far away from America as you can possibly get.
Of the 14 islands, Tinian is one of the smallest. It’s home to fewer than 4,000 people, has only two main roads, a handful of restaurants and several casinos.
Getting to Tinian isn’t easy. I fly from Tokyo — Guam is also an option — first to Saipan and then take one of the tiny planes for the 15-minute flight to Tinian International Airport. Yes, it’s a bit of an expedition, but the island is well worth
the effort. It has some of the most important archaeological sites in the entire Pacific region. From the island’s main village, San Jose, it takes me about 30 minutes to drive to North Field, which played a key role during the Second World War.
Now a tourist attraction, this former airbase was the launching point for the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 by American B-29 Superfortress bombers. The two bomb-loading pits are now a glasscovered memorial site open to visitors. It’s both eerie and sad to see them close up. Those hectic wartime days at North Field are only a distant memory — the abandoned airfield is now mostly overgrown, with large lizards moving around lazily on the former runways.
I drive south for 20 minutes to a local attraction: the House of Taga. According to legend, a mythical chief called Taga built a house here on top of enormous limestone pillars called latte stones. Sadly, a family feud ended with the murder of Taga by his youngest daughter. Of the 12 latte stones that originally supported the house, only one is still standing. And, so the story goes, that stone is home to the spirit of the avenging daughter.
A visit to beautiful Taga Beach for a swim in the warm, crystal-clear waves — and a dish of spicy pickled green mangoes (a local delicacy) — is the perfect end to a relaxing Tinian day.
4. The other Channel Islands
The eight-island archipelago that forms California’s Channel Islands is located off the coast of southern California, along the Santa Barbara Channel in the Pacific Ocean. Five of the northern islands have been turned into a national park, and I can get to the islands by ferry from Ventura, north-west of Los Angeles.
Most tours go to Santa Cruz Island. I’ve booked a tour in advance as the number of visitors is limited to protect the islands’ diverse ecosystem and endemic species, such as the Channel Islands spotted skunk and Santa Cruz sheep.
The ferry operators know the best places to see whales and dolphins in the wild. And when you land, you’re met by knowledgeable park rangers who give visitors a short, introductory tour of the
island. From there, day trippers can continue exploring on a self-guided tour and enjoy the tranquil scenery while picnicking on food brought from the mainland. The more adventurous visitor can explore the many sea caves by kayak and spend the night camping on the island.
If the simple life isn’t your thing, the Channel Islands still have something for you. To the south, around Avalon Bay on Santa Catalina Island, lies the resort community of Avalon. If you have the cash, you can fly in by helicopter and stay in this port city in luxury accommodation.
One of the many rich visitors to Avalon was the chewing-gum tycoon William Wrigley Jr (1861–1932). He invested millions of dollars in the community and oversaw the building of the Catalina Casino in 1929 (the word “casino” is used here in the Italian sense of “gathering place” or “place of entertainment”, not a place where people gamble). The casino houses a movie theatre and an enormous circular ballroom. Back then, the Chicago Cubs baseball team, which Wrigley also owned, used to come to the island for spring training — an added attraction for visitors in those days.
Today, you can tour the beautiful art deco Catalina Casino to view the cinema and ballroom. Further inland is the 38acre Wrigley Memorial & Botanical Garden, with plants endemic to the islands along California’s coast. It’s a 20-minute walk from Avalon. I prefer to travel like a local, though, and drive to the garden by “autoette” — a glorified golf cart.
5. Tickled pink to be on Green Island
Soon after stepping on to dry land from an easy, 45-minute boat ride from Cairns, Australia, it’s clear that my last-minute decision to come here was the right choice. I discover that the activities offered on Green Island — which is surrounded by a reef teeming with extraordinarily diverse marine and bird life — include diving, snorkelling, kayaking and even helicopter rides. Despite the many tourists on the island, the atmosphere is peaceful, especially during the highlight of the day: an underwater sea tour in a glass submarine. It’s a chance to see many brilliantly coloured reef fish, turtles, dugong and even an occasional reef shark. Located 27 kilometres east of the town of Cairns and just over a half a kilometre long, this cosy island is made up of golden sandy beaches, azure waters and a rainforest. It’s one of 300 coral cays on the Great Barrier Reef, but the only one with a rainforest. The island is a national park, and as I walk along the bush tracks, I realize how wonderful it is to be away from the urban noise pollution of everyday life.
I do, however, take a look at the Green Island Resort, with its swimming pool and outdoor restaurant. Perhaps I’ll stay there on my next visit. The reef has an annual water temperature of between 24 and 29 degrees Celsius. On my travels around the world, I’ve gone snorkelling in the clear, cold South Australian waters and around the warm reefs of Bali, so I’ve been looking forward to adding a coral reef in faraway North Queensland to my list. On this hot summer’s day in January, I’m thrilled to see such a wide range of flora and fauna on the reef. It was certainly well worth hiring the equipment.
Next time, I may just try the latest trend, the “sea walk”, which will allow me to explore the beauty of the bottom of the sea in an outfit that looks like a space suit — without even getting my hair wet!
As I step on to the return boat in the afternoon, I look back over my shoulder and say a sad goodbye to the island. Sitting on the sunny back deck of the fast boat with a cold drink in hand, I know I’ll return to this little pearl of an island in the Pacific Ocean — maybe for a warm winter escape.