Back of Beyond - may 2007

I'm recently back from the holiday of a lifetime - on Taransay! Unlikely I know, and it certainly seemed so when standing on a wind and rainswept Horgabost beach waiting for the RIB to come and pick us up, but as soon as we landed on Taransay we knew we'd done the right thing. We'd been worrying for days about what 3 children were going to do for a week on an uninhabited island in the rain, and had even gone out and bought emergency Tamagotchis just in case of mutiny. An hour into the holiday I realised with a sinking feeling that I'd left them behind. I decided to keep this to myself - the right strategy as it turned out, as no-one even mentioned electronic games of any description, instead turning to drawing, reading and charging around outside getting covered in sand and sheep poo. My oldest son read more in that week than in his previous 7 years. In the evenings they were so tired they couldn't stay awake long enough to have a carry on in the bedroom they were all sharing. We had wonderfully relaxing evenings sitting gazing out of the floor to ceiling windows, watching the light change over the hills and the sea with ringed plovers, dunlin and oystercatchers bustling on the shoreline and gannets plunging headlong into the waves.

It's hard to explain just why it was such a great holiday - the island is undoubtedly a magical place which takes a hold of people's imaginations, as the visitor's book testifies. But I think the really special thing about it is that there is nothing to do there. Of course, there's plenty to keep you occupied, but nothing that actually has to be done. It was liberating, inspiring and relaxing - and we'll be going back agian next year!

Here's a few photos for you.....