Scotland’s Islands Go Down A Storm In TripAdvisor Poll

Considering that there are many islands throughout Europe that have a higher profile, it really is a coup for Scotland to be able to provide the winner of the TripAdvisor sponsored Travellers Choice Islands Awards.

The islands of Lewis and Harris topped the European survey, beating five top rated Greek islands and the Island of Gozo in Malta and the Island of Capri in Italy. Scotland then proceeded to provide the knockout punch by adding the Orkney Islands and the Isle of Mull to the top ten.

It's not hard to believe that this is a top European island

Not content with beating the best of the European opposition, Lewis and Harris went on to claim a place in the top five islands in the world, outscoring heavy opposition from places such as Thailand, Chile and Madagascar.

As usual, the results were based on the opinions of people who had visited the respective islands. Lewis and Harris, in the Outer Hebrides, is Scotland's largest island. Lewis forms the northern part of the island, and Harris the southern part, although both are often referred to as if they are separate islands.

As well as featuring heavily in the world and European categories, Scotland also dominated the top 10 UK island list with six of the top 10 islands being located north of the border. Skye, Arran and Islay took fifth, sixth and eighth places respectively in the UK list of winners.

Mike Cantlay, chairman of VisitScotland said: "With hundreds of islands, each with their own unique character, diverse landscape and rich wildlife, it's no surprise that these islands have been recognised in the TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Islands awards. It's always great to get this kind of recognition and I'm sure it will help encourage even more people to visit these incredible islands in 2014, the year Scotland Welcomes the World."

James Kay, TripAdvisor spokesman said: "An island holiday usually conjures images of faraway palm-lined beaches, white sand and crystal clear water but the results of this year's awards reveal that the ideal island getaway might be closer to home than you think."

TripAdvisor's Top 10 European islands

•    1. Lewis and Harris, Scotland
•    2. Naxos, Greece
•    3. Island of Gozo, Malta
•    4. Orkney Islands, Scotland
•    5. Milos, Greece
•    6. Cephalonia, Greece
•    7. Santorini, Greece
•    8. Island of Capri, Italy
•    9. Isle of Mull, Scotland
•    10. Paros, Greece

                                                                              Lewis
                                                                              Harris