Lying halfway between the Orkneys and The Shetlands, Fair Isle is a tiny isolated island, with a population of about 70 souls. Just 4.8 km long and 2.4 km wide, it is probably the windiest of the British Isles. The island is part of the National Trust for Scotland and is a paradise for birds, ornithologists and twitchers, and each year hundred of birders flock there. Photo by: billynxn

The majority of the population inhabit the southern end of the island, as this is where the only crofting land is available. Fair Island Crafts, an island cooperative produces the famous Fair Isle knitwear, the profits from which have funded the island’s wind and diesel electricity generators. Photo by: shumtik

The north and the west of the island have the finest and most dramatic scenery. Steep, red sandstone cliffs rising from the water have been pounded by the waves and battered by the wind into convoluted shapes cut by narrow inlets and caves, while rock arches and sea stacks litter the coastline. Photo by: shumtik

As for the birds, some 345 different species have been recorded here, the highest number in Britain. Any number of sea birds can be seen, great colonies of them, including puffins and skuas. Fair Isle is on several migration routes, and the Bird Observatory is one of the Europe’s most important centres.

When to go: April, late June to early September and late October for bird watching and late October for rare migrating birds. Population: About 70. How to get there: By air or by ferry from May to September. Photo by: shumtik