Spotting otters on the Isle of Skye

Otter-watching on the Isle of Skye induces a wonderful sense of inner peace, says Lyn Rogers in Condé Nast Traveller. The best tactic is to pick a secluded part of the Scottish island's shoreline and sit very still beside it around the hours of dawn and dusk in the hope that one of the "elusive, reclusive" animals will appear.

It's rather like "Zen meditation" – a "pure and pointless quest" amidst a landscape of "stark grandeur" and "sheer empty wildness". Otters are "creatures of habit", so once you've spotted one, regular sightings in the same place are "almost guaranteed". And between watches, there is the rest of the "magical" island to explore: its Black Cuillin mountains are among the most dramatic in Scotland.

Large Holiday Houses (01381 610 496) and Ecosse Scotland (01835 822 2277) have properties to rent on the island. ·