With numb feet I chose a path across the smooth slate and waded into the dark, glassy water. Seaweed caressed my legs with knobby, caramel-colored fingers. As I cut through the quiet, salty bay, a scruffy black cormorant circled overhead. As I floated on my back, I looked back and then saw a buzzard also keeping watch from a nearby rock.
Just swimming in places where otters and seals are often found felt like it could upset the natural balance on Luing (pronounced "Ling"), a barely inhabited island in the Inner Hebrides. The largest of the Slate Islands flourished in the late 19th century, when fifteen quarries produced the hand-cut slate that covered buildings around the world. But the industry failed after World War II, when slate production on the mainland became faster and cheaper and the quarries were flooded.
The island's population of more than 600 dwindled away and now only about 167 people live on Luing. Not only is there no pub, but there hasn't been one for a century. The small village shop has unorthodox opening hours. Meanwhile, the wildlife - harbor and gray seals, red and fallow deer, otters and birds - are flourishing.
Luing is a place to visit if you want to unwind, reconnect with nature and live in absolute, soul-stirring peace. The Cadzows, owners of most of the island, are among the few locals left. During the lockdown, looking for new opportunities, the younger generation decided it was time to make some changes.
This year, youngest son Jack Cadzow designed and built WildLuing, the island's first luxury guest accommodation. The attractive collection of suites allows visitors to take the five-car Cuan Ferry from near Oban and discover Luing for themselves. Eight larch-clad suites offer stunning views over a riddle of hills and tidal bays. Each room has a kitchenette stocked with eggs, fruit, cereal and fresh bread, and you can watch the sun rise over the picturesque island of Torsa from your bed.
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Guests can be picked up from the ferry with an all-terrain vehicle, or you can bring a car. However, don't forget to refuel in Oban, because there is of course no gas station here. Cullipool, around the WildLuing headland, is one of the island's two villages. Next to the flooded quarries is a nature reserve, where a few white houses with slate roofs shelter under steep cliffs. One current resident had left a simple sign in her window that read "coal please." In winter you don't want to miss the coal man's rounds.
As children, the Cadzows lived in a farm near a small slate beach, on Blackmill Bay. "Mommy always rang the bell to call us in," Jack told me, as his spaniel bounced through the swamp and a Labrador crunched crab claws behind a dock. The only other sound was the whirring of a small house's wind turbine.
The silence here is powerful. Hidden in my suite, with no TV or radio, I kept opening the door to check if Luing was still there. One morning I went to a slate slab at the water's edge and sat in the pale sunlight, peering at splashes that might have been an otter, but more likely a cormorant. Time ticked by, without a care in the world.
Finally, before dinner, I saw an otter paddling its belly into the observatory. The open observatory is the centerpiece of WildLuing. Step inside and the candles, laughter and wonderful smells are a big sensory hug after the all-encompassing tranquility of the island. Windows around the dining table overlook Torsa Bay, with a high-quality kitchen extending to one side and a large, comfortable lounge to the other.
In the evening, Jack handed out glasses of Lussa gin or Jura whisky, while the friendly WildLuing team prepared incredible meals. First I tried pieces of well-marbled Luing beef; the next evening I enjoyed oysters fresh from the bay, local langoustine and sweet, squat lobster.
Jack Cadzow's grandfather was the first to breed the fluffy and docile Luing cattle that roamed the island. He established the breed by crossing cattle shorthorns with Scottish Highlanders. New projects on Luing include rewilding nature, with a new lake and wildlife corridors. Jack's brother is involved in organizing shooting parties to stay in WildLuing during the season. Plans are also underway for the return of the slate industry to Luing, albeit on a much smaller scale.
Sustainable activities include hiking, cycling, guided kayaking and sea safaris. The island is littered with ruins and has plausible Viking graffiti. A covered Rib can take guests to Scarba, another enigmatic island also owned by the Cadzows, for a short walk and lunch in a Bothy.
Along the way I saw a sea eagle nest and got close to the choppy waters of the legendary Corryvreckan vortex, which forms above an underwater rock. On Scarba I walked an easy path past trees covered in lichen. Heather-covered slopes plunged into the sea, their backs often crowned by deer, their antlers in silhouette.
Just as the rain began to fall, the valley opened up to reveal a dilapidated mess below. Inside, the plasterboard was crumbling from the walls, but a fire was lit and WildLuing's chef, Iain, brought out a tablecloth and a spread of frittata, spicy red pepper soup and homemade venison rolls.
On the return trip, a playful gray seal kept sticking its head out of the water. Further on, at a small, rocky cove with steep hills behind it, I was struck by the lonely figure of a deer staring out to sea. "Deer come to this beach when they realize they are no longer king of the hills," Jack's wife, Emily, told me. As rain showers poured through the valley, the beautiful animal stood looking out at the Atlantic Ocean, as others before him had done. Some things in the Slate Islands haven't changed in a long time. As far as Luing is concerned, some have done that for the better.
Essentials
Natalie Paris traveled as a guest of WildLuing (07765 870111; wildluing.com), which offers suites (for two people) from £200, with group bookings and exclusive use available. British Airways (ba.com) flies from London to Glasgow from £76 return; the Cuan Ferry to Luing (argyll-bute.gov.uk) is a 2.5 hour drive further north
