Scottish Island Hopping Itinerary: 5 stunning islands in 10 days!

Dreaming of exploring the wild and beautiful Scottish islands, but put off by the crowds of Skye? This island-hopping itinerary takes you through the Inner Hebrides’ highlights to some of the lesser known islands: the rugged beauty of Mull, the spiritual calm of Iona, the puffins and sea caves of Staffa, the whisky heartland of Islay, and the remote wilderness of Jura.  

This is a pretty tight itinerary but is perfectly do-able with only 6 days off work; the perfect addition to a bank holiday. Of course if you have more time available you could easily extend the trip to two weeks, or even longer, and really get to know the islands.

With a mix of ferry journeys, historic sites, whisky tasting, wildlife encounters, and coastal hikes, this is the ultimate guide to planning your adventure.  We’ll assume you’re starting in Glasgow, so adjust your timings from there.

Day 1 - The scenic route to Mull

Most travellers to Mull will arrive on the island at Craignure, having taken the ferry from Oban.  We decided to add in an extra wee ferry and take the scenic drive to Lochaline on the Morvern peninsula. 

Leaving Glasgow you will follow the road along the western shore of Loch Lomond, through the villages of Crianlarich and Tyndrum, and onto the majestic (although very busy) Glencoe. The Real Food Cafe in Tyndrum is worth a stop for a traditional Scottish breakfast or a quick cup of coffee. 

Cross the Ballachulish Bridge and continue on to Corran, where you take the Corran Ferry over to the Morvern peninsula. This 5 minute ferry is operated by Highland Council and runs approximately every half hour.  It is a non-bookable service and payment can be made onboard by card or cash.

Once over in Morven follow the road towards Strontian, then turn left along the southern shore of Loch Sunart, and take the single track road to Lochaline.

From Lochaline take the first of your Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) ferries over to Fishnish on Mull.  The MV Lochinvar runs approximately every hour and takes around 20 minutes to make the crossing.  This is another ‘turn-up and go’ service, so cannot be booked in advance.  Tickets are purchased at the port as you arrive.

On arrival at Fishnish, head north to the colourful seafront town of Tobermory. Spend the evening wandering the harbor and sampling local seafood.  We recommend the famous Mishnish Hotel for their delicious local food and live music nights.  Sarah particularly enjoyed the Cullen Skink, which was packed with seafood.

Day 2 - Exploring North Mull

Discover Mull’s wild northern coast, with a drive up to the beautiful white sandy beach at Calgary, passing through the village of Dervaig with its unusual white round tower church. 

Once you’ve had your fill of the beach, and maybe an ice cream from Robin’s Boat ice cream shop, you can either camp at the Calgary Beach Campsite (which was fairly full when we visited) or head on down the west coast to the small campsite at Killiechronan.  The drive down the west coast is stunning, with views out to the islands of Ulva and Gometra, past the Eas Fors Waterfall, then along the side of Loch na Keal.

Day 3 - Fionnphort on the Ross of Mull

From Killiechronan you can either follow the western coast road towards Clachandhu, or cut back across the island to Salen and head down the east coast.  We intended to travel west, but the road was closed by a landslide when we were there!  Whichever way you travel you will eventually end up on the southern shore of Loch Scridain, passing through Pennyghael, then on to Bunessan and Fionnphort (pronounced finn-eh-fort).

We highly recommend the campsite at Fidden Farm, with its waterfront pitches and stunning views over the bay.

It’s a pleasant walk from the campsite into Fionnphort, where you can enjoy a delicious meal at the Keel Row pub (booking advised) or grab some fresh, local seafood from the Creel Seafood Bar. 

Day 4 - Day Trip to Iona & Staffa

A must-do highlight of this itinerary was our trip to Staffa.  We took the boat from Fionnphort out to Staffa with Staffa Tours, and had an amazing experience. We were incredibly lucky to witness a mass feeding frenzy on our way to Staffa, with dozens of Gannets, a huge pod of Common Dolphins, and four Minke Whales all vying for food.

Once on Staffa, we walked along the incredible hexagonal basalt columns to the famous Fingal’s Cave and headed up onto the top of the island to the puffin breeding grounds.  Early August is late in the season for puffins, but we still managed to catch sight of a couple of birds flying into their nests.  Sarah also was lucky enough to spot an Orca off the coast of Staffa on her way back to the harbour, which we believe was one of the last two remaining West Coast Resident Orcas.

The boat calls into Iona on the way back to Fionnphort, so if you take the morning tour out to Staffa, you'll have time to jump off and explore Iona too.  You can then make your own way back to Fionnphort as a foot passenger on the Calmac ferry.

On Iona, you can explore the iconic Abbey and ruined Nunnery, visit the local art and craft galleries, and enjoy the peaceful beaches of this spiritual island. Why not stop for a drink and enjoy the harbour views from the Argyll Hotel while you wait for the ferry.

Day 5 - Ferry to Oban & onwards to Islay

The ferry from Oban to Islay only sails on a Wednesday and Saturday, so make sure you time your trip around this if you want to follow our route.

Take a morning ferry from Craignure over to Oban, and you'll have time to quickly explore the “Gateway to the Isles” before the ferry to your next island.

Explore the shops, try some more local seafood (or as is tradition for the boys - an ice cream in the rain!), or enjoy a coastal walk before boarding the 1630 sailing to Port Askaig on Islay.

This scenic route takes you past Kerrera and the Slate Islands to the Isle of Colonsay and onwards to Islay, but unfortunately you won't be able to disembark on Colonsay unless you add a few days to your trip and catch the next Islay ferry on Saturday. Alternatively you can travel from Colonsay back to Oban, or save Colonsay for your next island adventure!

Days 6 and 7 - Exploring Islay

Known as the "Queen of the Hebrides", Islay is renowned for its landscapes and rich cultural heritage. 

We often joke that the best thing about Islay is the view of Jura - but it’s the whisky that truly sets it apart. With nine working distilleries, its unique and diverse range of single malts are well worth checking out. The current distilleries are; Ardbeg, Ardnahoe, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin, and Laphroaig.

It’s not all about the whisky though; check out the stunning white sandy beaches, visit the American monument on the Oa peninsula, pay a visit to the historical site of Finlaggan, home of the Lords of the Isles during the 13th to 15th centuries, or go bird watching at the RSPB reserve at Loch Gruinart.  If you’re after more fresh, local seafood try the Islay Oyster Shed or Orsay Seafood Shack at Portnahaven.

The Port Mor campsite just outside of Port Charlotte has lovely sea views and great facilities.  

For more things to do and accommodation options on Islay take a look at the great Islay Info website.

Days 8 and 9 - Discover Jura

You’ve saved the best for last with a trip to Jura (in our somewhat biased opinion). Jura is a just a short hop from Islay, on the regular Jura ferry across the Sound of Islay.

Whether you're seeking adventure, relaxation, or a deeper connection with nature, the Isle of Jura has something for everyone. Its unspoiled beauty and welcoming community make it a memorable destination for travelers looking to escape the hustle and bustle. Here are a few of our favourite things to do on our beautiful island.

Jura's Wildlife

One of the most striking features of Jura is its population of red deer. With an estimated population of around 5,000 deer, Jura is home to one of the highest densities of red deer in the UK. 

Jura is also a sanctuary for other wildlife, including the elusive otter and a remarkable variety of bird species. The island is particularly known for its population of golden eagles, hen harriers and even sea eagles, which can be spotted soaring majestically over the cliffs and coastlines. 

Exploring the Coastline

Jura’s rugged coastline is dotted with beautiful beaches and hidden coves, which you are likely to have all to yourselves! Spend a day beachcombing, picnicing, or simply enjoying the views. 

Climb a Pap

Climb a Pap, or take a guided walk with Jura local, Grant, who offers guided walks at varying levels of difficulty as Jura Guided.

Visit one of Jura’s Distilleries

Jura is rightly famous for its whisky, and many visitors come to Jura especially to pay a visit to the Jura Whisky Distillery, but Jura is also home to Lussa Gin and Deer Island Rum.  Book yourself a tour and tasting of your favourite tipple, or all three!

Take a boat trip to the Corryvreckan Whirlpool

The Corryvreckan is the third largest whirlpool in the world, and the most exciting way to see it is from the water.  Book a trip with Jura Boat Tours and experience it for yourself.

For more information and accommodation on Jura take a look at the Isle of Jura website or download our Digital Guide.

Day 10: Return Journey

Ferry from Jura back to Islay, then from Islay to Kennacraig, then drive back to Glasgow via Inverary.

Practical Tips for Your Island Hopping Itinerary

Best Time to Visit: May–September for the best weather and wildlife (puffins on Staffa in summer, red deer rut on Jura in autumn).

Transport: A car is highly recommended, but buses and local tours are available.

Ferry Bookings: Reserve CalMac ferries well in advance, especially for Islay and Mull in peak season.

Why Choose This Itinerary?

This 10-day Hebridean island hopping itinerary combines history, whisky, wildlife, and breathtaking landscapes. From the sacred isle of Iona to the whisky capital of Islay and the remote wilderness of Jura, it’s the perfect balance of culture and adventure.

Looking for a longer trip? 

This itinerary can easily be extended; there’s plenty more to explore on each of these amazing islands, or you could add a day trip to the Isle of Ulva off the west coast of Mull, or spend a night in Oban and hike up to McCaig’s Tower or tour the Oban Distillery. You could also pay a visit to Colonsay on your way to Islay, but you’d need to add a few days as the ferry only calls in on a Wednesday and Saturday.  Or why not add a visit to Gigha too, the ferry departs just down the road from Kennacraig. 

Which island is on your must-see list, and why?

Australia Family Road Trip: Pacific Coast Way, Daintree Rainforest, and Great Barrier Reef

The Pacific Coast Way: Off Grid Style

Our latest Errington Family Adventure saw us travelling along the East Coast of Queensland, Australia.  We mostly followed the Pacific Coast Way but added a couple of detours; firstly heading north to the Daintree Rainforest, and of course we couldn't miss the Great Barrier Reef!

What is the Pacific Coast Way?

The Pacific Coast Way is Queensland's ultimate coastal road trip, at almost 1800km (1100 miles) the PCW follows the Bruce Highway from Cairns in tropical North Queensland to Gold Coast just south of Brisbane in the South East. If you're dreaming of a road trip that serves up sun-drenched beaches, rainforest walks, vibrant towns, and wildlife encounters all in one amazing stretch, this is it.

Our family of four recently drove the route in an awesome fully equipped 4x4 pickup, or 'ute' as the Aussie's would say, with two roof tents from overlanderadventures and loved every moment. As you'd expect from us, we decided to take the off grid route and camped our way along the coast. Here’s our ultimate guide to a family adventure on this iconic road trip!

Our Route: Cairns to Cape Tribulation to Brisbane

Whilst you could cover the distance in around 20 hours, we tackled it over two weeks, and you could easily stretch it longer - there’s just so much to see!  

📍 Our Top Stops Along the Pacific Coast Way

1. The Daintree – Where the Rainforest meets the Reef

We picked up the truck in Cairns, and after a quick stop for supplies, headed on our first detour north towards Mossman in the lush Far North Queensland. Our first night was spent at Creek's Edge Park; a small private campground with space for about 5 campers in the non-powered section.  They have a lovely croc-free creek, which made for a refreshing morning swim!

We then headed to Port Douglas for a quick look around and some lunch, we highly recommend the burgers from N17 Burger Co.

In the afternoon we took a tour of Mossman Gorge with a local indigenous guide.  Levi talked passionately about his connection to the Daintree, the plants and animals, and the local Kuku Yalanji culture. 

The Daintree Rainforest is over 135 million years old making it the oldest rainforest in the world, and at over 1200 square kilometres it's also the largest in Australia.  

After crossing the Daintree River on the chain ferry (keep an eye out for crocs!), we headed up to Cape Tribulation Camping.  This is a beautiful campsite, right on the beach and with great facilities.  We spent two nights here; wandering the white sandy beach (with virtually no-one else around), exploring the mangrove boardwalk and the rainforest, swimming at Mason's swimming hole (croc-free), playing pool and eating delicious pizza at the campsite bar. 

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We did think about skipping it but would say not to miss a crocodile spotting cruise on the Daintree River, we went with Bruce Belcher's Daintree River Cruises and saw lots of crocs from tiny babies to big mothers with a knowledgeable guide.

2. Atherton Tablelands - Chasing Waterfalls

After the Daintree, we headed south, but rather than following the coast back to Cairns, we headed inland towards the Atherton Tablelands.  This fertile plateau forms part of the Great Dividing Range, and is a rural, agricutural area.  The green rolling hills are not what we expected to see in Australia, but make for a very scenic drive; it's worth a diversion to visit some of the area's many waterfalls.

We spent the night at Henrietta Creek Campground, where we were the only campers.  This meant we had the creek to ourselves for a morning swim, but unfortunately we didn't spot the reported platypus!

3. Crystal Creek - Beach-side camping

Crystal Creek was our first true off-grid camp of the trip, which we found on park4night.  This free dispersed camping area allows you to camp right on the beach.  There are no facilities, and it feels a bit like you shouldn't be driving down the track, but stick with it, it is worth it!  

(Don't follow the directions on park4night or Google, it will take you to a dead end in the middle of a farm!  Take the Crystal Creek Caravan Park (Barrilgie Road) exit from the Bruce Highway and follow the track along the creek.)

4. The Whitsundays & Great Barrier Reef – Pure Tropical Bliss

One of the reasons we chose the East Coast of Australia was so the boys (and Ridley) could visit the Great Barrier Reef.  Sarah actually learned to dive on the GBR way back when!  Our Great Barrier Reef experience was certainly one of the highlights of our trip, and we'll write more about it in another post.

We launched into the Whitsunday Islands from Airlie Beach with Cruise Whitsundays, and headed out to the Reef World Pontoon at Hardy Reef.  We opted for the Reef Sleep experience, where you spend the night in a covered bed on the deck of the pontoon, which was amazing.  We dived and the boys snorkelled on the Reef, we also took a trip on the semi-submersible boat.  Highly recommended!

Nomads Airlie Beach was a great base for us, we stayed in their campsite the nights before and after the trip, and left the truck set up on a pitch for the night we were away on the reef. It worked out really well, and you can easily walk from the site to the terminal for the trip - and leaving the truck there meant we could both enjoy a few drinks with the amazing lunch we had before we left Reef Sleep.  It doesn't look particularly like a family site but we found it really good, and the boys liked the 2 pools for a cool down swim. Ask for a pitch out the back of the site, where it is a bit quieter. 

4. Cape Hillsborough National Park - Sunrise Kangaroos

Cape Hillsborough is famous as a place to spot kangaroos on the beach at sunrise.  The campsite at the cape was full when we visited, but we found a quiet spot at nearby Ball Bay  Sunrise was at about 0530, so it was a quick pack up and an early start to get to the beach in the dark.  As the sun rose, we saw 2 kangaroos and about 8 wallabies eating the food which a park ranger had placed on the beach.  Despite multiple requests from the ranger to turn off camera flashes and keep the noise down, the kangaroos soon got spooked by the crowds and hopped off into the surrounding forest, which was a bit disappointing.

If you're going to visit, we'd recommend getting there early! 

5. Byfield National Park - conquering Big Sandy

Byfield is a bit of a detour from the Pacific Coast Way, about 70km north east of Rockhampton, but when Ridley heard about the park, he really wanted to add it to our route.  The park is famous for the stunning 5 Rocks and 9 Mile Beaches, but access is by 4wd only and requires conquering Big Sandy; a 1km sand dune which is pretty tricky to climb.  After watching a few YouTube videos, Ridley was pretty sure we would make it, but it was still a bit nerve wracking, especially when the Aussie in the ute ahead of us had multiple attempts and kept getting stuck.  We had aired down the tires to 15psi and had no problems in low range 4wd. Don't attempt this without a high clearance 4wd vehicle and the ability to air down (or rather reinflate!) your tyres. 

The challenge is worth it; we camped at the 5 Rocks campground with only a couple of other campers, which meant we had the beach to ourselves. Look out for the makeshift shower to the right of the path on the way down to the beach.

The next morning we took the alternative track out which includes a beautiful drive along 9 Mile Beach, and a descent of Big Sandy.

6. 1770 - Luxury Camping

Seventeen-seventy is a bit of a strange name for a town, but it's where James Cook landed in 1770, his second landfall in Australia and the first in what is now Queensland. We camped at a great site called 1770 Eco Camp. We were on the 'Grass Trees' part of the site which is right at the top of the hill and has lovely views, a great outdoor swimming pool, communal fire pits and kitchen facilities; a real treat after a couple of nights off-grid!

7. Bundaberg - the Brewery Town

The boys had quickly gained a taste for Bundaberg (the soft drinks not the rum!), so Bundy had to be on our list of destinations.  The tour of the 'brewery' is well worth it, you get to sample all of their many flavours and choose your own mix pack of bottles to take away.

We camped at Buxton Bush Camp near Bundaberg, which is a nice site on the Burrum River.  It was quiet when we were there, but regularly hosts music events etc, so check them out before booking. 

8. Bribie Island - the Sunshine Coast?

Our last couple of nights coincided with the Anzac Day long weekend, we had planned to stay in Noosa but we really struggled to find a campsite that wasn't full.  In the end we found some availability at Bribie Island National Park, which turned out to be really fortunate.  The park is accessed along a long sandy track (4wd only again), but it is pretty flat and felt really easy after Big Sandy!  Even before we got to the park, we spotted a family of kangaroos by the roadside, and the further into the park we got the more we saw.  When we woke up in the morning there was a group bouncing over who sopped to graze right outside the tent, which was a pleasant surprise after the disappointing experience at Hillsborough.

Unfortunately the weather was not on our side (despite the name of the area!), and after raining pretty much all of the first night the forecast was for continuous rain for the whole of the next day.  We made the decision to pack up camp in the morning and bailed out to an Airbnb in Brisbane.

9.  Brisbane – City fun to round out our trip

The decision to end the trip in Brisbane actually turned out really well.  It allowed us to clear out the truck, repack our bags for the flight home and get the truck washed ready for handover.

We found a great Airbnb in the New Farm area of the city, which was a perfect location to explore with a lovely riverside walkway into the city. With a evening flight home, we effectively got two days of exploring the breweries, the South Bank, riding the CityCat ferries, and enjoying riverside parks. We really liked Brisbane and it was the perfect place to relax and reset before heading home.

🧳 Family Travel Tips for the Pacific Coast Way

• Break up the drive: Aim for 2–4 hour segments, especially with younger kids.
• Pack for all weather: The climate changes as you move south.
• Stay flexible: Spontaneous stops became some of our favourites!
• Book popular tours in advance: Mossman Gorge and the Reef Sleeps can fill quickly.

📸 Final Thoughts: Why This Road Trip is a Must-Do

From ancient rainforests to snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef, this was more than a holiday—it was a real adventure and taking the less obvious, off grid, approach made it even more special.

If you're planning your next big family adventure in Australia, we can’t recommend the Pacific Coast Way enough. Add it to your bucket list—you won’t regret it.