1 day agoByEmma Gibbs,Getty ImagesEvery spring, almost 100,000 seabirds – guillemots, great skuas, razorbills and puffins – descend on the small island of Handa, just off Scotland's far north-west coast.Handa Island can be glimpsed from many points among the coastline of far north-western Scotland, but its proximity to the mainland means that unless you know what you're looking at – or have a map to hand – you may not realise it's actually an island. At its nearest point, just 300m separate it from the rest of the country; close enough that you might be tempted to think, on a sunny day, to swim out to it, were it not for the chill of the water.The 10-minute ferry to the island leaves from the small pier at Tarbet, a little hamlet 5.5 winding miles by road from the larger village of Scourie. Approaching its eastern side, and landing on a soft white-sand beach lapped by turquoise water, the island looked surprisingly tranquil, with little indication of the steep cliffs covered in seabird...
