Shetland and the Hebrides

[Ezlo]

I'm desperate to visit the islands of Scotland. I want a real 'get back to nature's encounter. Are there any isles you would recommend? I'd be travelling from the north west of England on public transport. How is the best way to get there?

The Hebrides are on the West Coast, whilst the ferry to Shetland goes from Aberdeen on the East coast.

Have a look at the Calmac website for details of ferries to the Hebrides and intro to what the different isles offer.

First just choose one set of islands

Shetland is very far away so I haven't been yet

Orkneys is great for archeology

Inner Hebrides - beautiful scenery , can get quite busy but that does mean there are more tourist facilities ( restaurant choices , gift shops ) .least stressful travel

Outer Hebrides - beautiful

Look up the Chaotic Scot, she travels around the Scottish islands by public transport.

https://www.thechaoticscot.com/

We lived a few years in Lerwick. Fair Isle was a great trip. We went for a week.

To get to Shetland you can fly from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness or Aberdeen. Or you can get the overnight ferry from Aberdeen. Another option is to go to Orkney for a few days (ferry there from Scrabster or Aberdeen) and then get the ferry to Shetland.

Also there are nearly 100 inhabited islands in Scotland. Pick one group, or one island, especially if travelling by public transport.

We did 9 days touring around the Hebrides but not by public transport. We were on an expedition boat and made it out to St Kilda. We met various people using the ferries. It’s the only way to go if you aren’t on board a ship for the whole trip.

In no particular order we visited Skye, Lewis, The Shiants, Canna, Rum, Iona, Staffa, Mull, St Kilda and Lunga. We went in May and no midges! It’s absolutely unspoilt and fabulous. It will need planning and we were told the ferries are unreliable. Not sure if new ones have arrived yet!

I would omit Shetlands unless you have quite a lot of time. We sailed from Oban.

Get a hopscotch ticket from Calmac for the ferries if you're island hopping. You might need to pre-book if you go to Mull when the music festival or car rally is on.
The railway station at Oban is virtually next door to the ferry terminal. (I've known the ferry to wait in the past if the train has been delayed ).
I would do Mull, Iona and Staffa together. (You need to cross Mull to get to the other two).

Unless the new ferries have arrived, the service isn’t reliable though. So you might need flexibility in the itinerary.

Barra and Vatersay (Outer Hebs) are beautiful. Ferry from Oban to Castlebay in Barra.

@MrsMoastyToasty the hopscotch tickets are discontinued and sadly the ferries notoriously do not wait for trains or buses. 5 minutes late in the car and you're in the unbooked queue. The new CalMac app is helpful.
I think the best option for the OP would be flying to Orkney, Shetland or Stornoway, choose a base and hire bikes, or take bus tours. Otherwise lots of time will be taken up on unreliable and expensive local buses. No one can live easily in rural Scotland without a car, so plan to make the journey part of your holiday or compromise on the amount you'll be able to do.

I’ve been to Shetland without a car and u wouldn’t recommend it, the bus services are terrible and don’t join up well. Even the bus between the airport and Lerwick isn’t timed to coincide with when the few flights a day arrive and depart! If you can drive then I would fly there and hire a car on arrival.
Orkney was better for buses from Kirkwall, but again if you want to get away from it all you’d probably want a car or at least a bike (but it can be very windy)
arran is very easy by public transport and a lot closer to home for you as a starting point.
i think Mull has a decent bus service and the ferries are timed to coincide with the trains at Oban.

This!

You definitely need a car for Shetland.