My travels: Judith Schalansky on remote islands (2011)

theguardian.com

44 points·Thevet··7 comments

As an owner of Schalansky's Atlas of Remote Islands (I actually have the "pocket atlas" version), I have to say it's a really beautiful little book with poetic and well-written stories for each entry. I'd definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys Atlas Obscura-type stories of strange tales from across the world.

"Two bridges chained it to the mainland ... it didn't feel like a proper island."

I'm glad it's not just me that thinks this way - the bridge to Skye did remove a bit of romance for me. Mind you the bridge is infinitely more convenient, faster, cheaper..... I've used the wee ferry from Glenelg a few times since the bridge opened to get that feeling back!

http://skyeferry.co.uk/

Me too. And the drive along the Old Military Road from Shiel Bridge to Glenelg is a great start to the journey (as I'm sure you know).

I'm also reminded of the proposed bridge to Tintagel [1], which is intended to have a gap in the middle to symbolically preserve the island's separateness.

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/30/bridge-to-ti...

We've been lucky to stay at the Glenelg Inn when the weather was perfect, blue skies and no wind, quite warm and the mountains still covered in snow higher up. Ideal conditions for exploring brochs and Munros!

Of course, it's always like that...... ;-)

Some places, like Hong Kong, don't have bridges only tunnels ... which possibly makes a significant difference in subconscious perception!

If we are talking about connections between islands and the "mainland" then that possibly also applies to the island of Great Britain ;-)

You can take a ferry to North Manitou island in northern Michigan. It's a great weekend adventure.

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