Scotland’s Lewis and Harris named best island in Europe – and comes in at number five in the world

 The Scottish island of Lewis and Harris has been named as the best in Europe, beating contenders from Greece, Italy and Malta.

Lewis and Harris also came out above islands in Thailand, Chile and Madagascar to claim a spot in the top five in the world, according to the findings of international travel website TripAdvisor.

Scotland dominated the UK top 10 taking six places, with only Jersey (4th), the Isle of Man (7th), St Mary’s, Scilly (9th) and Anglesey (10th) providing any competition.

Lewis and Harris is the largest of the islands in the Outer Hebrides, and the biggest single land mass in the UK after Great Britain and Ireland. It is home to the town of Stornoway and the historic Callanish stone circle.

Mike Cantlay, the chairman of VisitScotland, said: “With hundreds of islands, each with their own unique character, diverse landscape and rich wildlife, it’s no surprise that these islands have been recognised in the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Islands awards.

“It’s always great to get this kind of recognition and I’m sure it will help encourage even more people to visit these incredible islands in 2014.”