Nearly all of Rum, the largest of the Small Isles, is a national nature reserve, one of Scotland’s first, set up in 1957. It’s a mountainous island with no roads beyond a few tracks, dominated by the jagged Rum Cuillin. Research here goes back to the reserve’s earliest days: the study of its red deer, running since the 1950s, is one of the longest continuous wildlife studies in the world. One of the world’s largest colonies of Manx shearwaters nests in burrows on the high slopes, flying in and out mostly under cover of darkness. In 2024 Rum was named Scotland’s first International Dark Sky Sanctuary, one of only two in Europe.
The CalMac ferry from Mallaig lands at Kinloch, the island’s only settlement; a summer passenger boat also runs from Arisaig. Above the pier stands Kinloch Castle, a red sandstone mansion built around 1900 for the Bullough family, who owned Rum for decades; it’s currently closed to visitors while NatureScot looks for a buyer to restore it. Facilities on the island are minimal and the weather changes fast, so come prepared.
