How to Visit UK Islands Without a Car

1. Herm, Channel Islands

Tiny, tranquil, and totally car-free, Herm is a Channel Island escape where walking barefoot on the beach is part of the charm. Just a 20-minute ferry ride from Guernsey, the island has no cars, no bikes – just coastal paths, white sands, and stunning sea views. Nearby Sark is also a wonderful car-free Channel Island.
• Highlights: Shell Beach, cliff walks, kayaking, and total peace
• Access: Ferry from St Peter Port, Guernsey (foot passengers only)

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2. Isles of Scilly, Cornwall

Car-free and carefree, the Scilly Isles (Tresco, St Martin’s, Bryher, St Agnes) are a paradise of beaches, gardens, and coastal paths. Most visitors arrive via ferry from Penzance (the Scillonian) or fly from Exeter, Newquay, or Land’s End. Once there, inter-island boats and walking are all you need.

• Highlights: Tresco Abbey Garden, white sand beaches, paddleboarding
• Access: Train to Penzance + ferry OR fly from regional airports

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3. Holy Island (Lindisfarne), Northumberland

This magical tidal island is walkable (or driveable across a causeway) at low tide. Public transport to nearby Berwick-upon-Tweed makes it a great day trip. A seasonal shuttle or a scenic 6-mile walk gets you to the island.

• Highlights: Lindisfarne Priory, castle ruins, seabird sightings
• Access: Train to Berwick-upon-Tweed + bus or walk to the causeway (check tide times!)

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4. Holy Island (Ynys Gybi), Anglesey

Part of the larger Isle of Anglesey, Holy Island is home to dramatic cliffs, seabird colonies, and ancient heritage sites. The train to Holyhead brings you right onto the island, with local buses and coastal paths making car-free exploring easy.
• Highlights: South Stack Lighthouse, Holyhead Mountain, RSPB bird cliffs
• Access: Train to Holyhead (direct from Chester, Shrewsbury, and even London)

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5. Isle of Arran, Scotland

Known as “Scotland in miniature,” Arran is incredibly accessible. Hop on a train from Glasgow to Ardrossan Harbour, where the ferry to Brodick departs. Once on the island, local buses, bike hire, and walking trails make exploring easy.

• Highlights: Goatfell mountain hike, Brodick Castle, coastal walking trails
• Access: Train to Ardrossan + CalMac ferry to Brodick

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6. Great Cumbrae, Scotland

A compact island made for cycling, Great Cumbrae is just an hour from Glasgow and ideal for a day trip or short escape. From Largs, a 10-minute CalMac ferry takes you to the island, where bike hire is available right at the slipway. The 10-mile loop around the coast is perfect for walkers and cyclists alike (lanes are very quiet but not completely car-free).
• Highlights: Full island coastal loop, Glaid Stone viewpoint, Cathedral of the Isles
• Access: Train to Largs + CalMac ferry to Cumbrae Slip

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7. Ramsey Island, Pembrokeshire

A nature reserve off the coast near St Davids, Ramsey is a wildlife-rich island that’s completely walkable and wild. Take a bus to Britain’s smallest city, then walk to the boat at St Justinians for a day of rugged paths and seabird-filled cliffs.
• Highlights: Seals, seabirds, dramatic cliffs, ponies
• Access: Bus to St Davids (from Haverfordwest) + walk or short taxi to St Justinians + boat crossing (April–October)

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8. Skomer Island, Wales

One of the UK’s top puffin hotspots, Skomer is a car-free island best visited in spring or summer. Reach Martin’s Haven by bus and foot, then hop on a boat for a day of spectacular coastal walking and wildlife.
• Highlights: Puffins (May–July), seals, wildflowers, cliff-top trails
• Access: Bus to Marloes (from Haverfordwest) + 1.5-mile walk to Martin’s Haven + boat (book early – popular in puffin season!)

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9. Isle of Eigg, Inner Hebrides

Part of the Small Isles, Eigg is a community-owned, car-light island. Trains run to Mallaig, where you can catch the CalMac ferry. Once on Eigg, everything is walkable — from the Singing Sands to the base of An Sgùrr.

• Highlights: Sustainable living, seabird colonies, wild coastal views
• Access: Train to Mallaig + CalMac ferry

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10. Inchcolm Island, Firth of Forth

Often overlooked, this historic island is a stone’s throw from Edinburgh. Accessible by boat from South Queensferry, Inchcolm offers peaceful paths, coastal wildlife, and the best-preserved monastic ruins in Scotland.

• Highlights: Inchcolm Abbey, WWII tunnels, views across the Forth
• Access: Train to Edinburgh + boat from South Queensferry

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11. Isle of May, Scotland

A wildlife haven in the Firth of Forth, the Isle of May is perfect for a spring or summer day trip from Edinburgh. Reachable via scenic boat trips from North Berwick or Anstruther, the island is car-free and criss-crossed with walking trails that take in puffin colonies, seals, and historic lighthouses.
• Highlights: Puffin and seabird colonies (April–July), Stevenson lighthouse, coastal walking trails
• Access: Train to North Berwick or bus to Anstruther + seasonal boat trip to the island

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12. Foula, Shetland

Remote and windswept, Foula is one of Britain’s most isolated inhabited islands — and one of its most unforgettable. Reachable by small plane or ferry from Shetland, it’s completely car-free and easily explored on foot along cliff-top paths and moorland tracks.
• Highlights: Britain’s highest sea cliffs, seabirds, wildflowers, Norse heritage
• Access: Fly from Tingwall (Shetland mainland) or ferry from Walls (weather dependent)

Find out more about visiting Foula