Stone Age inhabitants left little behind except their middens or rubbish heaps, which inform us that shellfish were a major part of their diet.

By the Bronze Age, there was a flourishing culture on the islands, as the hundreds of standing stones and stone circles testify. The Ringing Stone, on Tiree, is covered in Cup and Ring markings, and emits an eerie, bell-like tone when struck. An old legend says that if it breaks, Tiree will vanish beneath the waves.

Iron Age inhabitants built fortifications called brochs. There are dozens throughout the islands. But however strong the brochs were, they did not halt the next wave of settlers, the Scots. They brought their Gaelic language and culture with them, and a new religion: Christianity.

The Scots too had their invaders to cope with. Vikings raided and settled throughout Argyll's Islands. Many of the islands' names derive from the Old Norse language.

Eventually, Norse, Gaelic and Pictish culture combined to form the classic Clan structure of Scottish society. The greatest of the Argyll clans were the MacDonalds, whose progenitor Donald came from Islay. They gloried in the title 'Lord of the Isles' and thought of themselves as a Kingdom in their own right. King James IV thought otherwise. His forces invaded the isles and destroyed the Lordship forever.

Traces remain, however, in the ruins of castles scattered throughout the islands: 14th century Aros Castle on Mull a couple of miles north of Salen is one of the earliest, while Dunyvaig Castle situated on the east side of Lagavulin Bay, near Lagavulin Distillery on Islay, has perhaps the bloodiest history. The Finlaggan Trust at Ballygrant on Islay has an extensive collection devoted to the Lords of the Isles, while the Museum of Islay Life paints a vivid picture of daily life on the island over the centuries.

Islay's whiskies are renowned for their dark peat and iodine flavours. In the Islay malts, the link between the island and the whisky is unbreakable, their character a reflection of the brooding, rolling, peat-covered and salt soaked land and seascapes of Islay.

The MacDonalds' greatest rivals were the MacLeans. Their power base was at Duart Castle on Mull. Nearby Torosay Castle has beautiful gardens, which you can reach from Craignure on Mull Rail, a 10 ¼" gauge railway. The Old Byre Heritage Centre near Dervaig is a good place to start exploring Mull's heritage.

The final chapter in the story of the islands begins in the 18th century, when the people were forced off the land to make way for sheep as part of the Highland Clearances. They left behind deserted villages, such as Sorisdale on Coll, Shiaba on Mull and Sailean on Lismore. At Bunessan, the Ross of Mull Historical Centre is a guide to many settlements, abandoned during the Clearances.

Although much has been lost, tradition is still thriving. Over half the people of Tiree speak Gaelic. The best places to hear the language is at Ionad Naomh Moluage, the Gaelic Heritage Museum on Lismore, an island which has a significant Gaelic speaking population, or at one of the islands' many mods or music festivals.

Islay is known as Scotland's Whisky Isle and the Feis Isle or Islay Festival celebrates music and whisky. Most of the island's distilleries welcome visitors as do all the pubs! If you want to find the true culture of these islands visit the pubs, village halls, community centres, festivals and ceilidhs where you will mix with the local people and talk, laugh, sing and tell stories.