A stunning beach paradise lies just an hour’s flight from Glasgow – and one adventurous YouTuber decided to check it out for himself.
Tourists will travel to the ends of the earth in search of pristine beaches that “could be in the Caribbean” with crystal-clear blue waters, yet such a place already exists right here in Scotland. That’s according to Dominic Callander, who shares his travel exploits on his YouTube channel WorldWide Dom.
The vlogger made his way to Glasgow Airport to board a Loganair flight to the Isle of Tiree, the most westerly island of the Inner Hebrides.
According to Dom, the destination is “often overlooked as a day out or holiday” by his fellow Scots. The tiny island’s permanent population stands at just around 750 people, yet it draws approximately 26,000 visitors each year.
The flight from Glasgow takes roughly an hour and, while the YouTuber didn’t receive an onboard service during the journey, he was treated to breathtaking views as the aircraft came in to land, reports Glasgow Live.
Dom, who was only visiting the island for six or seven hours, wasted no time in seeking out the main attraction. He said: “Let’s go and see some of the beaches because that’s what Tiree is known for.”
View 3 ImagesThe Isle of Tiree is renowned for its stunning beaches(Image: YouTube/WorldWide Dom)
The traveller was left speechless when he first laid eyes on one of Tiree’s beaches. He said: “Look at that beach. The water colour is aqua blue. This is just beautiful, it’s just gorgeous. I love it so much.
“I think you will agree this is a pretty good beach. People go around the world for beaches like this but there’s one in Scotland.
“More than one. You think if there were no clouds, roaring hot sunshine, it could be the Caribbean. I say could be because it doesn’t matter how hot that sun is, that ocean out there, still going to be pretty cold.”
The Isle of Tiree is occasionally dubbed ‘the Hawaii of the North’ owing to its stunning white sand beaches, crystal-clear turquoise waters and remarkably high sunshine hours throughout the summer months.
View 3 ImagesThe YouTuber said it could be mistaken for a Caribbean island (Image: YouTube/WorldWide Dom)
It boasts one of the greatest number of sunshine hours anywhere in the UK, benefiting greatly from the Gulf Stream. The island is equally renowned for surfing and windsurfing, as well as its abundant wildlife, including dolphins, seals, puffins and rare bird species.
The Independent’s travel writer Ellie Ross wrote: “My one-hour flight from Glasgow revealed colours you would expect to see on a tropical island – seas of jade and emerald dashed with ivory sand.”
In addition to Glasgow, visitors can also catch direct flights to Tiree from Oban and the Isle of Coll.
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The Visit Tiree website says: “Nicknamed ‘The Hawaii of the North’ – by many – for a reason, sunny warm days and the surf here are enough to beat many places. It’s a Scottish Isle on which to relax, to unwind on or carve up the endless surf.”