Handa island Scotland Inner Hebrides
United Kingdom
Frequently Asked Questions
Expedition ships anchor in the sound separating the island from Sutherland, and inflatable boats land passengers on a pale sandy beach. A few volunteers from the Scottish Wildlife Trust, which manages the reserve, wait near the information hut to introduce the island and the path.
None. No road, no shop, no permanent inhabitant: only a boardwalk path crossing moorland and peat bog. Bring water and something to eat from the ship, along with a waterproof layer.
The full loop is about six kilometres, at an easy pace of two to three hours. That fits an expedition call well, and the boardwalk makes the walking straightforward despite the peat.
Close to 100,000 seabirds gather to nest each summer. You hear the island before you see it: a continuous roar rises from the cliffs, made of tens of thousands of mingled calls from guillemots, razorbills and kittiwakes.
A 115-metre sandstone tower detached from the cliff, standing on three legs above the Atlantic on the north side of the island. Its ledges hold one of the largest guillemot colonies in Britain. Around it, the walls drop more than a hundred metres into the sea.
Yes. These birds, which Scots call bonxies, nest on the ground and will buzz the heads of walkers who stray too close to their chicks. Staying on the boardwalk keeps the relationship cordial.
Yes, they burrow at the top of the Great Stack. Watch the date, though: they head back out to sea from mid-July, which makes a late-summer call disappointing for anyone coming mainly for them. Fulmars and razorbills stay longer.
For families whose children will happily walk six kilometres, yes. The boardwalk makes progress easy, but there are no toilets, no shelter and no way to shorten the loop. Landing is by inflatable boat, subject to sea conditions.
The quartzite peaks of Sutherland — Ben Stack, Arkle, Foinaven — form the backdrop on a clear day, and the light changes minute by minute. Along the way meadow pipits scatter ahead of walkers, and it is not unusual to surprise a red-throated diver on a peat lochan.
Late May to mid-July, when the colonies are full and the puffins still nesting. After that, some of the birds have already returned to sea. Landing depends on conditions in the sound and is never guaranteed.
