“You must be dying down now, eh? What do you folk do in the winter?”

It’s tricky not to laugh at the question I’m asked while out walking my son along the island’s main road. It’s harmless enough - as the air gets chillier and the nights get darker, there’s a natural curiosity among those visiting the island about what locals get up to during the winter. But it’s not the first time I’ve been asked this season - nor will it, I suspect, be the last.

It doesn’t quite feel as though summer is dying down just yet. We still have at least two more solid weeks until tourist season unofficially ends on the Isle of Rum, and October brings with it prime deer stalking season, and the end doesn’t feel in sight. The group we’ve just checked in arrived off the boat decked in full camo gear, their rifles slung across their backs and the most industrious boots I have ever seen. I’m happy to report that so far, they’re following the hostel’s shoes-off policy.

Like other islands in Scotland, Rum has its own set of seasons, and they don’t necessarily follow the calendar. There’s Stargazing Season from January-March, where the sky puts on a show and the crisp night air feels magical; April-June is a haze of excited hillwalkers and adventure-seekers, eager to conquer........

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