Breachacha Castle is located on an island, which from its geography and the journey that is needed to get there has a free-spirited atmosphere. Nature reserves surround the castle reaching almost up to its walls: the bird reserve extends from shore to shore and the sea is protected around the island. Huge mile long beaches sprawl before you or tiny tucked-away coves wait for you to stumble upon them.

The word ‘Breachacha’ refers to the Hebridean Machair: a swathe of riotous wild flowers that flank every shore. In its midst your accommodation awaits, commanding views over the Bay, the forbidding ancient tower of the old castle almost lapped by the waves, and the Treshnish Isles beyond – a few steps from the sea. You see the spectacular flight and sound of the rare concrake, swarms of geese and other protected birds.

The marine reserve around the Isle of Coll abounds with arctic and antarctic cetaceans that come to these clear waters to feed from May to September attracted by the krill, a holiday restaurant for the sealife. At night the island is the darkest place, without any disturbing light, so that you can discover the stars in the firmament above, including the milky-way, that appear in all their magnificence as dusk fades away in the late evenings.