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Visiting somewhere different: Canna

July 7, 2023 by katie 2 Comments

Every now and again I’m going to offer a suggestion as to somewhere else you can add onto your Highland adventure. There’s loads of places in Skye that aren’t on the usual lists and tick itineraries (you won’t find me posting them on here, but you might get the low down at breakfast if you’re staying with us!) – but here and there I’ll write about places you can go to next, or first.

I’ve wanted to go to Canna forever and it was an absolutely wonderful trip.

 

How we got there (and how we should have done.)

Book your ferry from Mallaig to Canna. You can’t take your car (unless you need it for business on the island – and there aren’t any roads to speak of anyway). We stayed in Fort William overnight. I’m not a huge fan tbh and we didn’t find anywhere nice to eat. We should have booked our accommodation earlier in order to get somewhere affordable in Mallaig. Anyway, that was us. We left the car in one of the free parking areas – amazing.

The ferry across stops at Eigg and Rum. We had the dog with us and there’s a great dog area inside as well as the deck. It took about 3 hours and the boy slept most of the way, except when we had a great Calmac breakfast.

 

Where we stayed.

There is a small B&B on the island but we opted for one of two static caravans operated by Isebail. It’s a proper home from home, super comfortable with brilliant views. She also runs the bunkhouse, bothy and campsite as well as crofting. I thought she was fabulous.

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What we ate.

We ordered the breakfast basket from Isebail, eggs, homemade bread and some gorgeous marmalade. We stocked up with that and some garlic salt from the honesty box before we left. Both nights we booked into Canna Café, which was one of the main reasons we’d chosen Canna for our first mini break of the summer. It’s really small, with lovely views from the outside seating (where we sat and had an Isle of Eigg beer before dinner.)1

The food is spectacular, quite the best seafood platter I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a few.

You’ll need to order that, and some of the other shellfish the day before because they collect it off the boat just before service. I had the same pudding both nights which is unheard of, but totally understandable.

We plan to go back as soon as we can, just for the prawn toasts. You absolutely need to book (and the cafe is not open every day, so check that too). We also grabbed a packing up for the ferry on the way back.

There is also a fantastic honesty shop with a great selection of food and souvenirs. Its also the place for wifi on the island.

 

What we did. 

We only had one full day in Canna and we spent that walking to see the puffins on the stacks. It’s not like some of the other islands where they are on your feet, the stacks are far away. But we saw loads with binoculars and some naked eye puffins too. The walk was beautiful although maybe a little too much for the dog – you need a basic level of fitness which the 12 year old chonker might be lacking.

There are coves to swim in, ancient sites to see, bays for a picnic and, when it’s open again, Canna House, which looks extraordinary – it belongs to the Scottish National Trust so grab your membership today!

Summary

We had the absolute best time in Canna. If you fancy something less touristy stop moaning about the crowds at the Fairy Pools and get yourself booked on the ferry. Why not combine it with a stop off in Rum to see the birds or Eigg (described by one ferry master as the party island). Before or after your Skye trip this will be an amazing adventure.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: canna, CannaCafe, CannaCampsite, communityshop, ferryride, positivementalhealth, puffins, remote, remote location, Sanday, Scotland. Highlands, scottishtravel, smallisles, visitscotland

In which I think about CNN/Skye is full and all that malarkey…

January 29, 2018 by katie Leave a Comment

I am annoyed. You can tell I’m annoyed because my lips have gone all pursey, I’m eating chocolate buttons and I keep telling people how annoyed I am.

It all began last year when the Daily Mail and the BBC got their knickers in a twist. *Skye is full, FULL I TELL YOU. Evacuate! Evacuate!*  Pictures of a sign saying a campsite was completely full suddenly transformed into headlines representing the whole island. I was tagged by alarmed friends in the news story more times than the gin/psychopath surveys and Fair Trade sausage dog jumpers on sale.

Then CNN decided to list us on its *places to avoid* list for 2018. How dare they? HOW ACTUALLY DARE THEY?? Another symptom of my annoyance is over-capitalisation by the way. Let’s pick apart their evidence (which tbf demonstrated less research than an average Year 9’s RE homework).

There are about 10,000 people who live on the island. Most of those aren’t accommodation providers. Most of those who are have Bed and Breakfast accommodation with 3 or less rooms. So if you want to visit it’s simply common sense to arrange where you’re going to stay in advance. Huuuuuuge props to our Danish guests who have just booked for September 2019 this week.

Now, you come to Skye. What to see? If you Google *Top 5 places to see on Skye*, when you turn up it’s highly likely to be full of people who’ve also done the same search. Why not ask your friendly hotel bar-matron for advice? Be ready to be adventurous, amazed and possibly a bit muddy. Our beautiful island is a place to be, a place to experience, not a place to *do* or tick off. It’s why we don’t accept one night bookings. If you’re planning to drive the whole island in a day and be in Pitlochry before dark you’d probably be best staying on the mainland and chilling your beans a bit. If you take a selfie from your car while driving past the distillery then, yes indeed, you have technically *done Talisker* but you won’t know the joy of the 18 year malt old whirling like peaty nectar on your tongue. If you buy your souvenirs from the first shop you see your friends will indeed have a little something from Skye that will probably end up in a drawer. But you won’t have popped into Sally’s tiny shop in Fernilea to see her exquisite creations knitted with wool from sheep she has grown her actual self. You won’t have visited the *Made in Minginish* craft event and sampled Jenny’s Danish pastries. (If I’m there you won’t have a chance, if we’re honest. I will have eaten them all). You won’t have made it to ór in Portree, or crossed the water to Raasay and visited Fiona at the Silver Grasshopper. Or eaten amazing chocolate with Pam and Angus. Or….. or…..or…..  In short, you’ll have missed out on some of the nicest people you could ever wish to meet. We have the most lovely guests, Klaus and Jessica, who come every year, for two weeks. They still haven’t seen everything.

Yes indeed there have been locals who have expressed the view that enough is enough as CNN said. But they don’t represent the majority of us who wish to share where we live with people who appreciate it. In the same way as I expect (if you’ve read this far) tourists who pee in people’s gardens and complain because there is no wifi signal at the Fairy Pools don’t represent you.

So, come and stay. With us, if you fancy something a bit different. Treat our island with the respect that somewhere so astonishing deserves. You won’t be disappointed. Trust me, I know my stuff…. now pass the chocolate buttons….

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Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: beauty, cnn, cullin, experience, remote, Skye, Talisker, tourists

Welcome

Wouldn’t it be lovely to get away from it all to a Hebridean island where you can relax and unwind,  explore and learn or challenge yourself physically, whatever suits your holiday needs. An island where history and the 21st century combine to give you the best possible experience. The Taigh Ailean team would really like to help you get the most of your time on Skye. From insider tips about the quieter spots to helping you book a swanky lunch to celebrate life, we’re so happy to help.
You’ll find amazing breakfasts, cosy rooms and a warm welcome at the Taigh Ailean Hotel.

Please note, Munros Bar is not open this year, but we do provide recommendations for places to eat (including dog and child friendly) and offer help with reservations.

 

Explore Locally

  • Talisker Distillery
  • The Fairy Pools
  • The Cuillin
  • Glen Eynort
  • Crafts and Coffee

Taigh Ailean Hotel
Portnalong
Isle of Skye
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