OWPG: Media News Bulletin Winter 2019 | Page 14

Terry Marsh A Touch of Magic I t’s just over 50 years since I first set foot on the Isle of Skye, and I’ve been going back every year since. Amazingly, I’m still finding places I’d not visited previously, not many, but the odd corner here or a hidden bay there. It’s this ability to conceal their treasures from all but the most determined that brings a touch of magic to any visit to the islands of Scotland. As the years go by, I’m increasingly determined to flush out as many of Scotland’s hidden island treasures as I can, from prehistoric settlements on Shetland and Orkney to the rugged corries of Arran by way of the skyscapes of Harris and Lewis and the bosomy embrace of Mull. With around 800 islands to go at, visiting them all is never going to happen, but I’m happy to return to old favourites, and tease what I can from landscapes that over the years I’ve come to love and appreciate. So, over the year I’ll be heading back to Mull, Orkney, the Outer Hebrides top to toe, Arran, Shetland…and I’m sure Skye will find its way into the list somehow; it always does. Main Image Lochbuie Bay Inset Image The Ring of Brodgar