A magical rum adventure

Starting the weekend with Calmac's finest!

A peaceful wedding anniversary weekend in one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland. Rum has held an allure for me for several years now but, between ferry times and fear of midgies I've never quite managed to get there. May bank holiday weekend is probably the best weekend of the year in Scotland and we were blessed with beautiful sunshine (ok, possibly warming my skin through a duvet jacket), no midges, tranquility and stunning views.

A 10-hr round trip, many people have described the Rum Cuillin as the best hill walk in Scotland and I think they could be onto something. From the top of the ridge it's possible to look out to the majestic Skye Cuillin, Muck, Eigg (easily identifiable by its quirky hill) and even Berneray and Mingulay on the horizon.

As the rock changed from harsh gabro to the softer, golden-hued Torridonian sandstone, Rum was a real journey of discovery: curly horned mountain goats; tiny alpine flowers clinging to the rocks and intriguing scrambling. We scanned for otters along the shoreline and were sad to see neither the otters nor the sea-eagles that Rum is famous for. We'll just have to come back another time.