Callanish Stones

“The stones at Callanish (Isle of Lewis) are fascinating and — because it’s Scotland, not England — you can wild camp nearby if you want. (I might recommend going a few days before the summer solstice because of crowds, if that will detract.) I was just there for six weeks and everyone told me I was just before the machair bloomed — absolutely worthwhile, they told me. Since it’s been a cold and late start to spring there, they said it would likewise be a later bloom this year, in June. Machair is mostly concentrated on the Isles of South Uist and Harris. If you like the sound of spending some time in these spots, I might recommend actually taking the scenic Logan Air flight into Barra from either Glasgow or Edinburgh, spending 1 night there, maybe a night or two in Howmore (right along the machair), a night or two in Berneray (John’s Bunkhouse and the Gatliff Trust hostel there are both delightful), then a few nights in Harris/Lewis. Endless places for sea swimming and beach campfires along the way! You’ll be going at the perfect time for British raspberries! Any M&S or Tesco or the like should be well stocked with the largest berries of all time. They’re incredible. Other Scottish isles I would suggest considering: Staying at the Iona Community, if you’re interested in early Christian spirituality (I visited Iona for just a few hours a week ago and immediately felt the desire to go back for a longer stay — it’s quite touristy but, like most really beautiful religious sites anywhere in the world, I find that the pilgrimage atmosphere means it’s not at all ruined by the tourism). If you do this, the Isle of Mull (which you’ll pass through) is also so lovely — I’ve heard great things about Tobermory, though I didn’t have time to visit myself, and I adored the Turus Mara tour to the Isle of Lunga for puffin-watching. Taking the overnight ferries to Shetland and Orkney (easiest to combine these, since the Shetland ferry stops I think every other day in Orkney — and I’ve heard they’re both beautiful). I met some girls from Shetland in April and they told me that the overnight ferry is what all the locals use, since it’s actually affordable. If you want to splurge, you can get yourself a cabin onboard — but either way, tickets are much more reasonable than flights. Lastly, not on the Isles but your mention of giant oaks reminded me of something I read about — this yew tree may be of interest!”