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Swish, modern arts exhibition centre. Part of the draw is the delicious vegetarian meals and snacks served in the café.

Long a favourite of Glaswegians, Arran is often described as “Scotland in miniature”. Goat Fell is its craggy core, while the surrounds of Brodick Castle offer more urbane, forest-path walks.

This small isle encapsulates all the charm of the Hebrides: scintillating beaches, the culture of the Gaels, tranquillity and road-priority to sheep. No matter how you arrive, it will make a deep impression: planes land on the sands of Cockle Beach, while ferries sail into a delightful bay where the 11th-century Kisimul Castle poses on an island of its own. A soothing place to unwind.

Chef Richard Leparoux has chosen the remotest corner to set up his restaurant. Well worth the trek to find dazzling French-Scottish dishes in an old RAF base with picturesque surrounds.

Cheap bar meals are on offer, as well as silver service with all the trimmings in its restaurant overlooking the village bay.

Wild flowers, migrant birds, otters, standing stones, active crofts, a castle and a surfeit of beaches contribute to making this a particularly varied and delightful island.

Colonsay has provided farmland and shelter to people since at least the Bronze Age, and many of their tombs and standing stones remain. Old traditions persist here, and Colonsay is still a strong crofting (see West Coast Islands) and fishing community. Wild flowers and birds thrive on this terrain, but it is the coastline, with its mix of sprawling and secretive beaches, that lures most visitors. Check the tides and walk out to the adjacent little island of Oronsay, with its ruined priory; its Christian roots go back as far as Iona’s.

Dining room in a meticulously restored Victorian house situated just opposite Mull Theatre and overlooking the glen.

This former slate quarry has been transformed into a picturesque village. Surrounded by holes and fragmented rocks, it is bizarre and fascinating – a living museum.