This Remote Scottish Island Really Wants Frustrated City Dwellers to Move There

A remote Scottish island with 349 inhabitants is recruiting new residents.

Stronsay, in the Orkney islands, currently attracts about 600 visitors per year. But with the launch of a new website and tourism campaign, the island is attempting to double that number within the next three to five years.

“We hope that by increasing tourism we will be able to create additional jobs on the island that will bring more residents, whether retirees or young families,” Dianne Riley-Moore, one of the members of the group behind the new tourism campaign, told The Guardian.

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Like many small islands, residents often work more than one job. Farmers could drive taxis after hours and teachers may double as lifeguards. You are bound to bump into many of the same people while exploring the 13-square-mile island.

Visitors can reach the island via a 95-minute ferry ride from Kirkwall, the nearest mainland island, or arrive via plane. Visitors will likely have to make reservations for lodging well in advance. Accommodations in Stronsay are limited to one hotel, one bed and breakfast, and one hostel.

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Once on Stronsay, visitors can explore the natural terrain, including the Vat of Kirbister, considered by many to be Orkney’s finest natural sea arch. Visitors can get around with a free bike rental program, or walk along sandy beaches and spot seals and arctic birds.

For those looking to get off the grid, this remote island could be the perfect getaway. According to their campaign, Stronsay has a “a sense of place, freedom and self-sufficiency that many city dwellers frustrated with the frenetic pace of modern life can only dream about.”