Sula Sgeir guga hunters

The departing Guga hunters by Donald Morrison

The men of Ness, on Lewis and Harris, have hunted guga (gannets) for centuries on the remote island of Sula Sgeir, 40 miles north of the Butt of Lewis. The rocky stack supports thousands of gannets, of which 2000 can be culled for the cooking pot by the Ness community. Donald Morrison was lucky enough to witness the tradition living on in the new millennium. His pictures on Flickr offer a fascinating insight to the hardship of harvesting, and are recommended viewing. Take a look, here.

Island Fact - no.4

Wild Cat Island, the magical location featured in Arthur Ransome's book Swallows and Amazons, is based on Peel Island on Coniston Water in the Lake District.

Island fact - no.3

According to UK Coast Guide there are 291 inhabited islands in the UK. To find out more, visit www.ukcoastguide.co.uk

Top 10 hit

The Shetland isles have been voted 'one of the top 10 regions in the world to visit' by Lonely Planet. The archipelago is made up of more than 100 islands, and is rich in wildlife and history.

To find out more, visit The Lonely Planet. 

Island cottages for sale on Colonsay

If you've ever been on holiday and felt like never leaving then Colonsay Estates may have the answer, but only if you have £200K to spare. The Scottish island of Colonsay has two ex-holiday cottages available for purchase...

Port Mhor

Garta Ghoban

"In a magnificent location with outstanding views over the sea to the west, these cottages are in excellent condition and are amongst our best holiday letting properties. Both properties are on approx 1/4 acre plots.  More photos and details on our website. Offers over £195,000 for each property.  We are looking for a completion date in early October."

There is also a "1/4 acre building plot on the west coast with detailed planning permission for a 5 bedroom zero carbon house with outstanding views over the sea to the west. Offers over £95,000.

Further details are available from the Estate Office on 01951 200211 or to jane@colonsayestate.co.uk or alex@colonsayestate.co.uk

Dark Chamber at Dimbola Lodge

Dark Chamber is a group exhibition of pinhole photography at Dimbola Lodge on the Isle of Wight. The Open View takes place on Saturday 2nd April from 4 - 7 PM.

The exhibition will run between Friday 1st April until Sunday 26th June, (Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am - 5pm).

Nhung Dang is one of our favourite photographers, and co-authors the brilliant blog: The Lost Promenade. Dimbola Lodge is a remarkable gallery/museum on the wonderful Isle of Wight. It is a veritable 'match made in heaven' and well worth a trip over to the island, especially if you have a spot of lunch at Dimbola.