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West Highland Coast · Scotland

Eilean Shona

A car-free island in Loch Moidart where J.M. Barrie wrote part of Peter Pan

Private Island ★★★★★ Loch Moidart, Lochaber, Highland
The setting of Eilean Shona
Location image, not the property. Jim Barton / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Eilean Shona sits in the mouth of Loch Moidart, reached only by boat and with no roads once you land. J.M. Barrie rented it in the 1920s, worked on the Peter Pan screenplay here and called it a wild rocky romantic island, which remains a fair description a century later.

The Devereux-Branson family have owned it since 1995. Guests take one of eight self-catering cottages, from one-bedroom hideaways to a four-bedroom house sleeping eight, or the nine-bedroom Eilean Shona House for a whole-island party of eighteen. Lets run by the week in high season, with shorter breaks at quieter times.

Red deer, otters and golden eagles are the other residents. Days are spent kayaking, swimming off the shore, walking the island paths or doing nothing at all, which the island is exceptionally good at encouraging. Power comes from renewables and the island runs plastic-free.

At a glance

What to expect

  • Private car-free island
  • Eight self-catering cottages
  • Nine-bedroom island house
  • Kayaking and wild swimming
  • Boat transfer from the mainland
  • Wildlife watching
  • Whole-island exclusive use