A Hebridean island with a population of just 170 people has been named one of the best islands in the world to visit in 2020 – alongside hotspots in the Caribbean, Brazil, Japan and Australia.

Raasay, an island off the east coast of Skye which is just 14 miles long and five miles wide, was singled out in the wake of the opening of its first ever legal distillery, which offers visitors overnight stays.

The island, arguably best known as the birthplace of Gaelic poet Sorley MacLean Angus Mackay, Queen Victoria’s first piper, has just one hotel, three bed and breakfasts, two shops and a primary school, but boasts an iconic flat-topped peak offering views of the Outer Hebrides, steep cliffs, forest trails and secluded beaches.

But now a leading travel bible has rated it alongside Hong Kong, Kyushu in Japan, the Anavilhanas Archipelago, in Brazil, Prince Edward Island, in Canada, St Barts and Domenica, in the Caribbean in its 13-strong guide “to be two steps ahead of the pack.” [ . . . ]

Continue at THE SCOTSMAN: Remote Hebridean island with its own whisky distillery named one of the best in the world to visit in 2020 – The Scotsman