1. A writer retreats to Jura - Steve Keenan is intrigued by the island's Orwell legacy and a new retreat available to rent

2. A weekend on Arran, a min-Scotland - after three days by kayak, horse, bicycle and on foot, Ginny McGrath still hasn't seen it all

3. At home with the sharks on Coll - Louisa McLennan, 200 inhabitants, two fine restaurants, great beaches and - increasingly - sharks

4. Blown away by the Shetlands - Jeremey Lazell has one of the best weeks of his life - while Will Hide hitches a lift with the postman on the islands.

5. Over the sea to Skye and the Hebrides - Rev Peter Owen-Jones trains to Fort William and then on by car, slowly, to Skye

6. Mull's winter wildlife - a lovely piece by Lee Karen Stow watching the whales, eagles, otters on Mull

7. Work, rest and play in Arran - Andrew Eames signs up for a National Trust for Scotland conservation holiday

8. Tour and climb the Hebrides by boat - Eames, again, climbs the Cuillins on Rum and tours the islands on a 44-ft cutter

9. Instant Weekend: Skye - from the Sunday Times series, Jeremy Lazell on how to plan a perfect break to Skye

10. Let's windsurf Tiree, the all-action island - Ginny McGrath visits October's windsurfing jamboree, plus tries coasteering

11. Cycling to the Outer limits - Dan Bailey catches the ferry to South Uist to start a 112-mile cycle ride of the Outer Hebrides

12. My favourite Scottish island - six writers who know the islands nominate their favourites - and the nominations are Gigha, Colonsay, Islay, Tiree, Skye and Harris