The opportunity to flourish

The Outer Hebrides enjoy a first-class transport and communication infra-structure that brings us from the edge of Britain to the very heart of Europe.

A recently extended air service operates between the islands and the main-land UK - frequent flights connect Edinburgh, as well as Glasgow and Inverness with Stornoway, Benbecula and Barra, while an inter-island service unites the three. London is just three hours from Stornoway by plane.

A modern fleet of car and passenger ferries connects the islands to each other and to the mainland ports of Ullapool, Uig and Oban. While journey times are slightly longer than by air, the views offer plenty by way of compensation.

Bridges and causeways connect the islands and heavy investment in the road system has speeded up on-island travel times considerably - traffic jams are an oddity here and journeys are as smooth as they are scenic.

Our transport system can move people on, off and around the islands in just a few hours, but for journey times of under a minute, look to the islands for state of the art telecommunications.

As technology advances, so do we - our continually developing digital infrastructure is revolutionising life on the islands, opening up new worlds of opportunity in business, education and the community.

Local agencies are working in partnership to make our islands a better and more productive place to live and work. The results speak for themselves - a diversified economy where quality of life is now matched by quality of opportunity.