Imagine this. You wake to sounds of sheep munching and curlews calling outside the yurt. There’s still a glimmer of life in the woodburning stove. With a cup of tea warm in your hands you open the door to sunrise on the mountains that (some say) inspired Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings.

Ok, we haven’t done this in real life. Not yet anyway. But we did imagine it when we found the yurt which snuggles into the North shore of the Isle of Muck looking across the waves towards the Cuillins of Rum. On clear days you can see Canna to the west and to the north east there is Eigg (which, to be accurate, is where Tolkein is said to have seen a landscape fit for fantasy).

This is ‘offline exploring’ at its best. You can make contact with the rest of the world, of course: thanks to the very innovative and enterprising HebNet, Muck like all the Small Isles, has excellent internet connection which speeds essential communications of 21^st century business for residents. And visitors can also enjoy the benefits of WiFi often faster than broadband connections on the mainland. But for the rest of the time you can wander ‘offline’ blissfully free from text, tweet or email; using your mobile phone only when the view calls out for a photograph (which admittedly is often).

Blue sky over the Cuillins of Rum

So we wandered across the island, in many weathers – hail, wind, rain and sunshine in just over 48 hours – each new front shedding a different light on the landscape. We wanted to make the most of our too-short trip to Muck, the smallest of the Small Isles, an hour and a half from the mainland on the shortest crossing (by the Sheerwater from Arisaig).

On the last morning we took the track towards Cairidh, a secluded bay, stretching the walk down to the harbour. We passed the sheep with her lamb and heard the curlews and seagulls. We peeped inside the door of the yurt – empty and waiting for someone to stay – and then sat round the campfire circle to watch a seal bask in the uncertain sunshine.

Uncertainty is a fact of island life as storms and seaswells can stop visitors arriving (this was our third attempt to make the trip). Which is not great for business yet somehow that is part of the magic for Dave and Julie who run Godag B&B and let out the yurt to visitors who enjoy the adventure of camping but with some home comforts such as a gas cooker. And composting toilet.

“It feels like camping,” says Dave, “but with heat and mattresses. All you have to do is turn up with a sleeping bag.” Dave ran a bed and breakfast for eight years on the mainland before joining his partner Julie on Muck. The yurt was already there (“its probably been here 14-20 years”) and proving a popular resource during the season which runs from May-September, with prices ranging from a single person for £15 per night to four to five people for £30 per night.

Some take what Dave calls the yin and yang option: a night in the yurt and a night of B&B. But this year someone has booked the yurt for a whole month (maybe a 21^st century Tolkein?).

Crab sandwiches are a speciality of the house

There are other places to stay; Muck offers self-catering cottage, house and bunkhouses. On this occasion we were treated to the luxury and fine food of Gallanach Lodge (we made good use of the WiFi there), with lunch of crab sandwiches at Muck Craft Shop and Restaurant.   But two nights was definitely not long enough so we will be back to explore some more.

Travel to Isle of Muck by the Loch Nevis on the CalMac Small Isles services from Mallaig.  Or by MV Sheerwater from Arisaig.

For more information about the yurt contact call 01687 462371 or email julie.isleofmuck@googlemail.com and for other details check the Isle of Muck website 

Muck is the latest in our occasional Caledonia Unconnected series. We’d love to hear your suggestions for other great escapes.

The Sheerwater waiting to take us back to Arisaig