Mingulay, Pabbay & Berneray

Mingulay, Pabbay and Berneray are the three uninhabited islands at the southern tip of the Outer Hebrides, south of Barra, cared for by the National Trust for Scotland since 2000. The west coasts are sheer cliffs, caves and stacks holding huge colonies of razorbills, guillemots and puffins; the east sides are green slopes, a white sandy bay on Mingulay and turquoise water, with the roofless houses of the village abandoned in 1912 above the beach, a carved Pictish stone on Pabbay and, on Berneray, Barra Head lighthouse, the highest in Britain, on a 190-metre cliff. Reviewers call it St Kilda in miniature and easier to reach, and say the boat trip itself, with puffins, seals and sometimes dolphins, is half the pleasure. Tips from visitors: you land from a small boat onto slippery rock and scramble up, so be sure of foot; there are no paths, toilets or shelter, so bring food, waterproofs and a map; and leave dogs at home in the breeding season.