'I visited the UK's rainforest island - it was unlike anything I'd seen before'
A tiny, rarely visited island in Scotland where the population has shrunk to a fraction of its peak is also home to one of the world's rarest rainforests.
When you think of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, it is unlikely that your mind will conjure up images of rainforests. The Western patch of the country is more typically associated with marshy peat bogs and stags standing dramatically beneath towering peaks.
While much of the region is dominated by gorse bushes and hardy thistles, there is one island where more than 300 types of wildflowers blossom. Come to the Isle of Lismore during the spring months and you will be welcomed by a riot of floral colour you're unlikely to see in many other British places beyond the Scillies.
The outcrop is 9.1 sq/miles in total, meaning it is just a scrap of a thing compared to the nearby Mull and Skye. Despite being a few hundred metres from the mainland, Lismore is rarely on the tourists 'to visit' list. This, as I found when I took the storm battered, stomach churning ferry from Oban at the end of September, is a great shame.
The island is home to more than 300 types of wildflower come the spring (Explore Lismore)As much as I love to visit west Scotland, the combination of wind, lashings of rain and undulating hills of brown bog that seem to go on unchanged forever can start to feel a little samey in some parts. Lismore is an island that offers something completely different to anywhere else in the country I have been.
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Soil rich with minerals thanks to the limestone lying just beneath the surface, along with a mild climate and plenty of rain, has allowed the island to become a 'great garden' - as the name means in its original Gaelic. Wild primroses, yellow irises, and rare wild orchids that attract spotters from across the country can all be found here.
Driving around in the 4x4s of husband and wife duo Iris and Robert Smith, who run Explore Lismore, great ferns and lush bushes drip over the rocky, waterlogged tracks. Scarce plants, lichens and fungi all thrive, as does a cluster of trees that form a precious patch of Atlantic rainforest.
Considered to be rarer and more undertreat than its better known tropical counterpart, Atlantic or temperate rainforest thrives in a tiny handful of places across the world where high rainfall and humidity, and a low annual variation in temperature, are in a perfect balance. Often they are teeming with life and home to ancient oak, birch, ash, pine and hazel.
Beyond the shores of western Scotland, Cornwall and a few other smaller locations in the UK, it is incredibly rare globally. Thankfully the conservation efforts of many of the 160 Lismore islanders, the collapse of its once thriving limestone mining industry and the relatively few visitors it receives means what's left of the rainforest is hopefully here to stay.
Lismore is home to just 160 people today (Explore Lismore)Beyond the chance to see and stand in one of Britain's rare, great contributions to the natural world, Lismore has plenty to offer. During my tour of the island I was lucky enough to head out with Arthur the shepherd who was in the process of training a new dog.
Just as we began stomping across the hills in pursuit of his flock a 15 minutes burst of icy rain and buffeting winds started up - enough to make me shiver and button up my raincoat, but seemingly doing little more than putting an extra spring in Arthur's step.
He, like all of Lismore's residents, is on first name terms with everybody else on the island. When we stopped off for a spot of lunch at the one cafe the soap and candle maker came over for a chat. Later on we drove to the family home of Robert and waved at his mum through the window. We learned that marrying couples are expected to invite every other resident to their big day.
Another joyful little secret of Lismore are the fact that two of the rocky outcrops just off its coast have their own populations. One is home to two goats who were banished there for escaping their pens too often and chaos havoc on the mainland. The other is home to free-spirited pigs, also placed there by a mischievous resident.
Since Covid disrupted international travel and encouraged many to look for breaks closer to home, the west coast of Scotland has seen unprecedented numbers of visitors. At times this has made some more popular spots a little unbearable.
Lismore is also home to some very rare Atlantic rainforest (Explore Lismore)When I visited Skye two years ago there was a queue to get up the Old Man of Storr. Locals have spoken in disgust at the poor manners of campervanners driving the recently rebranded North Coast 500, accusing them of littering and relieving themselves against the backdrops of its beautiful vistas.
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Not to tempt fate too much, but there are plenty of places in Scotland that remain free from the impacts of over-tourism, if you're willing to get off the beaten track a little. While no one would wish Lismore to be inundated with visitors, the fact it was once a bustling island with a population 25 times its size today suggests many more could - and should - come and see this little slice of natural wonder.
How to get there
There are hundreds of islands off the west coast of Scotland, many of them beautiful and with fascinating histories. One of the easiest and greenest ways to get there is via the train from Glasgow to Oban, where many ferries depart, including to Lismore. For more information on visiting the Highlands and Islands, go to discoverhighlandsandislands.scot.
Check the website of CalMac - the UK's largest ferry operator which runs 29 routes to more than 50 destinations - for sailings and fares.
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