Best UK Islands to Visit (That Most People Miss)

Discover the Hidden Isles of the UK

The UK is home to more than 4,000 islands — from tidal outposts and remote sea stacks to inhabited gems and loch-locked sanctuaries. Yet most people only know a handful. If you’re craving adventure, solitude, or scenery that stirs the soul, these underrated UK islands offer all that and more — without the crowds.

Whether you’re a walker, wildlife-lover, or paddleboarder, these hidden UK islands deserve a spot on your travel radar.

Samson, Isles of Scilly

Once home to just a few hardy families and now completely uninhabited, Samson is the wild soul of the Isles of Scilly. Drift over from St Mary’s by boat and step into a windswept world of sand dunes, ancient ruins, and untamed nature. With twin hills rising from the sea and beaches that stretch into silence, Samson feels like a place time quietly forgot.

• Highlights:Bronze Age burial sites, white-sand beaches, eerie cottage ruins, and panoramic island views
  • Best for: Solitude seekers, photographers, and history lovers with a taste for the remote

How to Get There:
Hop on a boat trip from St Mary’s (daily in season), often combined with other “uninhabited island” tours.

More information on visiting Samson here

Views from South Hill, Samson

Scolt Head Island, Norfolk

Just off the north Norfolk coast and accessible only by boat or at low tide on foot, Scolt Head Island is a salt-kissed wilderness of dunes, salt marsh, and shifting shingle. A national nature reserve and birdwatcher’s dream, it’s where avocets sweep through the air and terns nest in the summer hush. With no roads, no buildings, and no crowds, Scolt Head feels like stepping into nature’s private sanctuary.

• Highlights:Birdwatching (especially spring/summer), wildflower-strewn dunes, tidal creeks, and serene coastal solitude
• Best for: Birders, coastal wanderers, and lovers of raw, untamed landscapes

How to Get There:
Take a seasonal ferry from Burnham Overy Staithe or walk across the tidal causeway — just be sure to check tide times carefully.

More information on walking to Scolt Head Island here  walk page

Wading across to Scolt Head island

Cei Ballast, Wales

Tucked in the Afon Glaslyn estuary below Porthmadog  Cei Ballast is a wild island with a salty past. Formed from the discarded ballast of 19th-century ships, it’s now a haven for wildflowers, waders, and bathers. A patchwork of pebbles, sea thrift, and history, Cei Ballast has a low-key magic — a place where industry gave way to nature and the sea still writes the story.

• Highlights: Expansive low-tide sands with sun-warmed bathing pools
  • Best for:Explorers, geologists, and swimmers

How to Get There:
Walk from Porthmadog at low tide.

More information on walking to Cei Ballast here 

Swimming in the pools around Cei Ballast

Ynys Lochtyn, Wales

Jutting out into Cardigan Bay on the Ceredigion coast, Ynys Lochtyn is a tidal island reachable at low tide from the cliffs near Llangrannog. It’s a dramatic little headland where dolphins are often spotted offshore and gorse-scented winds whip across ancient rocks. Rugged, remote, and wildly scenic, Ynys Lochtyn is a gem of the Welsh coast — hidden in plain sight.

• Highlights:Coastal path views, dolphin sightings, tidal island walks, and wildflowers in spring
  • Best for: Coastal hikers, photographers, and fans of hidden, sea-lashed places

How to Get There:
Walk from Llangrannog along the Wales Coast Path — at low tide, a narrow, steep and crumbly path leads onto the island itself.

More information on the walk to Ynys Lochtyn here 

Watch Dolphins off the end of Ynys Lochtyn

Taransay, Inner Hebrides, Scotland

Lying just off the west coast of Harris in the Outer Hebrides, Taransay is a place of wide skies, empty beaches, and stories carried on the wind. Once home to a small community, then made famous by the BBC’s Castaway 2000, the island is now uninhabited — a silent sweep of machair, heather, and sea. With views across to Luskentyre and the Atlantic rolling in, Taransay is remote Hebridean beauty at its most soulful.

• Highlights:White sand beaches, wild camping (with permission), historical ruins, and Hebridean wildlife
  • Best for: Off-grid adventurers, sea kayakers, and lovers of quiet, wind-battered beauty

How to Get There:
Reachable by the Borve Estate boat

More information on Taransay here

Taransay beaches

Eilean Shona, Scotland

Floating in the sea loch of Moidart on Scotland’s west coast, Eilean Shona is a tidal island where forested hills meet secret coves and fairy-tale paths. Privately owned but open to guests, it’s car-free, quiet, and dripping in atmosphere — the kind of place that inspired Peter Pan. Deer roam the woods, otters play along the shoreline, and time seems to soften around the edges.

• Highlights:Wooded trails, hidden beaches, artist retreats, and views out to the Small Isles
  • Best for: Creative escapes, walkers, and those craving stillness and storybook scenery

How to Get There:
Reachable by boat from Dorlin on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula; access is usually arranged with accommodation bookings.

More information on Eilean Shona here

Walking in Eileen Shona

Why These Islands Deserve Your Attention

These six little-heard of UK islands offer more than a pretty view — they offer perspective, peace, and purposeful travel. Whether you’re hiking, swimming, or simply soaking in the stillness, each one invites you to slow down and rediscover a wilder, richer Britain.

Looking for more? Start exploring with the 4,000 Isles Project →