The Sheerwater operates daily from late April until late September, departing Arisaig at 11.00 am. Be warned though, the island is said to have the highest rainfall in the Inner Hebrides thanks to its 2000 foot high mountains which catch all the clouds coming in from the Atlantic. Over 100,000 Manx shearwaters nest in the hills. If you do manage to get to Rum, you will be rewarded by sightings of deer, goats and eagles. But recently Rum Islanders have been given the green light to conclude takeover talks with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), owners of the Small Isle 16 miles west of Mallaig for more than half a century. Now, despite its protected status, SNH want more people to move to Rum.

Most of the 28 people who live there work for the government organisation Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), which owns it. It is one of the вЂњsmall islesвЂќ off the west coast of Scotland and, for the past 50 years, has been a nature reserve. Rum has been called the forbidden island, a diamond-shaped mixture of moorland, mountain and coastal grassland called machair. The island has a population of around 23 but SNH hopes to see this expand to about 50 over the next 10 years. The island would be virtually uninhabited but for the SNH employees and volunteer conservationists. A night in one of the bothies will cost you about 4.50 pounds. These attract a solid but modest visitor base.ДЄccommodation is limited to a hostel with restaurant and 4 bothies which sleep between 6 and 12 people each. Rum has a magnificent landscape and outstanding wildlife whilst Kinloch Castle doubles as a unique cultural asset and hostel. In terms of existing accommodation for tourists, the Island currently offers youth hostel accommodation in Kinloch Castle, bothies and the campsite, so there is the potential for a wider range of accommodation to be offered to visitors. Rum is state owned and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) describes the Island as its вЂflagship NNRвЂ™. RГ№m, by far the largest and most-visited of the Small Isles, possesses a cluster of formidable volcanic peaks, the architecturally remarkable Kinloch Castle, and some wonderful wildlife. Visitors need to apply for permission (contact the Nature Reserve Office вЂ“ telephone 01687 462 026 / fax: 01687 462 805) to camp and climb here on what has long been known as The Forbidden Isle.

1 Rum (sometimes вЂ“ wrongly вЂ“ called Rhum)Д«ought by the Nature Conservancy Council (now called Scottish Natural Heritage) in 1957, Rum is a sort of outdoor laboratory for the study of rocks, plants, birds and animals, and as such is well-protected from tourists by strict access rules.

On Wednesdays you can spend 3 and a half hours on Rum (cost: 11.70 pounds) or 1 hour on Canna (13 pounds). If you want to visit Eigg, you can have 2 hours there on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Mondays you can see Eigg, Rum and Canna on another non-landing cruise which leaves Mallaig at 10.30am and returns at 5.30pm. It takes 7 hours and you will be on the boat all the time (no time allowed onshore) so make sure itвЂ™s a nice day. On Saturdays you can see all four islands. The 1999 summer timetable (from 2 April to 16 October) allows the following cruises: If you will be travelling in a party of 12 or over, please contact CalMac in advance (Tel: 01687 462403) вЂ“ it is not a big boat you know! Cycles can be carried for a charge of 2 pounds.

Please note that no vehicles are carried on any of these boats.Д¬aledonian MacBrayne runs a ferry from Mallaig to the Small Isles six days a week. In the summer, boats from Mallaig and Arisaig go on regular day cruises to the Small Isles.

These ferries are operated by Caledonian MacBrayne вЂ“ Tel: 01475 650 100 / fax: 01475 637 607. The winter timetable may have slightly less sailings. Summer timetable: the ferry from Mallaig goes to various combinations of the 4 islands every day except Sunday between mid-April and mid-October. Privately-owned Muck is the most вЂgentleвЂ™ in terms of climate and landscape, while Canna, with its high moorland plateau and good farming soil, is a National Trust for Scotland (NTS) property. Here you will see some of the most spectacular scenery in the world вЂ“ from sandy beaches to dramatic hills вЂ“ green woodlands, heather moors, unforgettable views with magnificent sunsets over the Isles of Rum, Eigg, Muck, Canna, Skye and the remote wilderness of Knoydart.Д®igg is the most fertile of the Small Isles and is home to half the population of the Small Isles Parish. Rum is the largest and most mountainous of the group, lying approximately 25km from the mainland between the Isle of Skye and the Ardnamurchan peninsula. All four islands are very different physically and in terms of land tenure. Canna, Eigg, Muck and Rum form a group of four islands located off the west coast of Scotland known as the вЂSmall IslesвЂ™.

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