The Summer Isles is a group of about 20 islands, rocks and skerries that sit off the Coigach peninsula. You can walk to the closest, Isle Ristol, with its long white sandy beach, on the lower tides; the furthest, Eilean a Chleirich (Priest Island), lies some 6 miles from shore. Home to seals, otters and seabirds, the islands also offer fresh grazing for local crofters to summer their sheep.
The largest, Tanera Mhor is some 800 acres (300 ha) and is the only one of the islands permanently inhabited. Tanera Mhor was the centre of a thriving herring fishing industry in the 18th century, and many centuries before that its sheltered harbour was home to Vikings. It was the Vikings who named the island Tanera, a name later given the Gaelic addition of Mhor (‘big’) to distinguish it from its neighbour Tanera Beag (‘small’ Tanera). A trip to the Summer Isles is a popular excursion for visitors to Achiltibuie, and a local cruise boat takes passengers on a magnificent trip around them, landing on both Tanera Mhor and Tanera Beag, during the summer months. Self-catering cottages are also available on Tanera Mhor. The islands are great too if you have an appropriate boat or kayak – within easy reach, incredible rock formations, caves and beaches.
