I visited a surprising Scottish island home to just 170 people - it was like stepping back in time

I was buying a ticket in a last-minute decision to go to the island of Lismore, or Lios Mòr - meaning the 'Great Garden' in Gaelic - for the night. She said it had little in the way of facilities given a much smaller tourist flow compared to the likes of nearby Iona and Mull.

I was travelling to the Inner Hebridean island in November, so the chances of finding somewhere to stay were even slimmer given the time of year. I had the tent as back-up, though it was a particularly dreich and windy day.

After the boat I hoped to make from Oban was cancelled due to the tides, I caught the next one and finally arrived at Lismore ferry terminal in the dark, with no signal and a vague idea of the 30-minute walk it would take to get to the island’s only bunkhouse.

At the time, I had no idea if it was open, but luckily I met a few passengers on the slipway who said they were staying there.

Sometimes I like arriving in places in the dark to wake up to a surprise the next day. And Lismore was certainly that.

The journey there itself already made me feel like I was stepping back in time, coupled with being told it was a small crofting island with about 170 residents and one shop.

Exploring the island the next day, which is about ten miles long and one mile wide, I found the craggy dramatic ruins of Achanduin Castle, thought to date back to the 13th century and said to be the residence of the Bishops of Argyll. Locals I met told me of the close association the island has with Saint Moluag, a compatriot of Saint Columba, and whose staff is still held on the island by resident Baron of Bachuil.

There are also the remains of An Sailean lime works, which were active in the 1800s, but have now altogether ceased. What remains is a quiet harbour with lobster pots and sheep wandering between the ruins. Sitting in among them, I noticed several hen harriers, a scarce breeding species of raptor in Scotland, hovering above.

But threaded through this sparsely populated historic landscape was a strong community spirit with interesting characters sharing innovative ideas and enthusiasm to keep certain traditions on the island alive.

Mike Hyatt, who runs the bunkhouse with his partner Clare, showed me around their croft. They grow tea and are reviving heritage grains on the island, including oats and bere barley, that were once a more common feature of the landscape.

He told me historic photos of the west coast and highlands show the extent of crop growing there once was, and how the changing landscape has impacted certain traditions, such as the thatching industry as old grain varieties had longer stalks.

With a tupperware of Mike’s oatcakes made from homegrown Lismore oats in my rucksack, I continued my walk around the island. Round the corner, I stumbled across signs for the Sailean Project, a croft where the owners Gilly and Roger Dixon-Spain practice holistic management and regenerative grazing methods, producing Lismore grass-fed Highland beef, shearling lamb and pasture-raised chicken.

Their aim is to “minimise soil disturbance and keep the soil covered with living plants and roots to prevent the erosion of topsoil and release of carbon into the atmosphere”. They use their animals “to provide organic matter to feed the soil, contributing to a healthier environment for diverse species of plants and insects to thrive, improving resilience to drought or flood and keeping more carbon where it belongs”.

Shortly after reluctantly leaving the island on Lady Lismore, a foot passenger ferry to the mainland, I found out the islet of Eilean Loch Oscair, which lies off the north-west coast of Lismore, came on the market for £125,000.

Unaware of this small, uninhabited island during my visit, I looked into the sale. The property agents told me the existing owners had applied for planning permission to build on the island, but this was turned down.

The advert says the island “has the ability to support not only livestock, but also produce food”. I thought back to Mike and Clare with their efforts to bring back the heritage grains and the Sailean Project.

Feeling an appreciation for Lismore after my time there, and inspired by what the people there are doing with the land, I can only hope this little sister island will fall into similar hands.