‘It felt wild and mystical’: readers’ favourite remote spots in Europe

Cross the causeway to another world, Kintyre

Davaar island, off the Kintyre peninsula in south-west Scotland, is a true getaway: it is connected to the mainland by a shingle causeway, which is only possible to cross when the tide is low. There are a few cottages and cabins for rent, but a day visit (remember to leave on time) is enough to climb and walk around the 52-hectare island, enjoy the views and visit the spectacular cave with a painting of the crucifixion. There are chances of seeing dolphins and basking sharks, but we mainly saw masses of birds – good enough! There are obviously no shops/cafes, so bring everything you need (and … leave on time!).
Asa

Solitude in Eryri, north Wales

Aran Fawddwy is a 906-metre mountain in the south of the Eryri (Snowdonia) national park, but it feels remote as the rambling crowds are drawn to more famous peaks. On a fine August day last year, the only person we met on its flanks was a park ranger. The atmosphere is as wild and mystical as anywhere in the British Isles, even though “civilisation” in the form of Dolgellau is not far away.
Noelle

Into the Apennines, on Garibaldi’s trail

Driving between the Apennine villages Lamoli and San Giustino over the Bocca Trabaria pass takes you from Le Marche to Umbria and up to 1,049 metres above sea level. Check a map to see numerous hairpins and you’ll understand why 13 miles takes 40 minutes. On a drizzly day, we edged over the top breaking through the cloud cover to discover a somewhat lunar landscape stretching away from us. Multiple mountain peaks punctured lower swathes of cloud – the Alpe della Luna is aptly named. In 1849, Garibaldi hauled his army over the pass evading Austrian troops … who didn’t know the road existed.
Clare McArthur

Sheep and socks, County Kerry

On many trips to Kerry with my Irish spouse, I’ve seen lonely, stark mountain passes, windswept and wild, guaranteed at any time of year or day to render anybody’s head with a bad hair day. The air chases away the cobwebs and fills the lungs with a palpable sense of lifeblood and oxygen I’ve never experienced anywhere else. Taking a detour down a narrow lane in Cahersiveen, we climbed the hills and came across an abandoned village, with the house of a previous occupant, empty and bereft, complete with socks still drying on the hearth. Nowhere in Ireland has moved me in quite the same way as seeing that house with all its contents just as the occupant left it, with the sheep now grazing among it.
Liz

Lots of fish, few people, Croatia

The Croatian island of Susak is not far from the Istria peninsula, but remains relatively untouched with wild beaches and traditional houses, and only 200 residents. Upon visiting a local fish restaurant, you might not be given a menu, but offered whatever catch of the day they have. And you might not even get a chance to pick, as you’ll be served a bit of everything.
Dejan

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s most remote village

The village of Lukomir is said to be Bosnia and Herzegovina’s highest permanent settlement at 1,045 metres, and its most remote. Although only 30 miles (50km) from Sarajevo, it’s a two-hour car journey on a rough mountain road. We passed beech-clad mountains, rock-strewn hills, alpine meadows full of colourful wildflowers and shepherds tending their flocks. From the village centre, there were several hiking trails and the views overlooking the Rakitnica canyon, one of Europe’s deepest, were stunning. At the end of a strenuous hike, we enjoyed an alfresco cheese-filled börek pastry followed by traditional syrup-soaked pastries called hurmašica, and a cup of reviving mountain herb tea at the Letnja Basta Guesthouse.
Helen Jackson

Splendid isolation in Greece

We sailed to the isolated Kia Panagia island in the Alonnisos marine park in the Sporades. Birds such as Eleonora’s falcons astonished us. We dived for Byzantine pottery. To enjoy the isolation we’d anchor for a week. No engine. No island lights. Stunning night sky. Only the island’s guardian, monk Hariton, lives there. He welcomed us at the ancient monastery for breakfast of coffee, sweet loukoumi and a swig of tsipouro. As we stepped over a small snake on leaving he said, “It only wants a mouse.” After shutting the gate, we heard him singing softly to the wild goats.
David innes-wilkin

Wales’s most southerly point

Flat Holm, or Ynys Echni, is one of two small islands in the Bristol Channel and Wales’ most southerly point. I have lived in Wales for 18 years, but only recently managed to visit this remote and wild place, four miles off the Welsh mainland between Cardiff and Weston-super-Mare, in view of one of the hospitals I work in. It is uninhabited, apart from occasional wardens, whose work here includes habitat management. We arrived, slightly wetter than when we set off, thanks to a choppy crossing in a rigid inflatable boat, just after 7am. Lesser black-backed gulls circled above us, menacingly, before the boat landed, and their warning cries added to the noise from the crashing waves. There is a large colony of gulls on the island, and visitors are most definitely not welcome, especially during nesting season. The island has a derelict cholera hospital, which adds to the atmosphere. There is a white lighthouse and numerous buildings and relics from the second world war.
Mark Taubert

Rugged Galicia is a place for the hardy few

The Romans thought the Atlantic coast of Galicia – known as the Costa da Morte for its storms and shipwrecks – was the end of the world when they arrived at Cabo Finisterre. The vertiginous cliffs and empty roads between A Coruña and Muros attract few visitors compared with other parts of Spain. A hardy local population and a few walkers, wandering pilgrims and extreme watersports enthusiasts persevere in this remote, beautiful, craggy landscape.
Richard

Winning tip: Trail by Jura, Hebrides

Walking the west coast of the Inner Hebridean island of Jura is about as wild as it comes. On our five-day walk from the Gulf of Corryvreckan to Feolin, we didn’t see a single person as we traversed 55 miles (89km) of raised beaches and clifftops. We did see lots of eagles, stags, seals and wild goats though! The island has some of Scotland’s best wild camping spots, but if you time your days right, you can do almost the whole route using the coastal bothies. Either former hunting lodges or fishers’ cottages, one of them has a bed made from old fishing nets.
Scarlett