Tanera: My weekend in a below-radar community growing in the Summer Isles

I landed here after a couple of years of occasional chat with the owner, financier Ian Wace, about my interest in Tanera. And last Saturday I found him on the island’s beautifully restored herring skiff in Ullapool.

Soon, we were on a faster boat to Tanera. My friend, completely unexpectedly, came too, such was Wace's insistence and wish to share the island. It was very much recommended that she did.

Our bags were back on land, but no matter, someone would sort that. On Tanera, there is someone to quietly sort anything – and they won’t ask for anything in return, only that you respect this place, the people who come here and become a bit of Tanera itself.

Pushing at speed through Loch Broom, Tanera comes into view and it is clear something major is happening here. It is a hive of activity, or work, of building. The buildings that have been restored feel deeply connected to the past of this island, built on the herring boom that faded as the fish moved on, but with a level of comfort, style and creativity that tells its own story of where it sits now.

There is a gentleness here and an extraordinary generosity, both shared in the hope that Tanera can be that better place.

The island and its setting is extraordinarily beautiful and emits a rare atmosphere free from the consequences of mass tourism. Bound by views of mountains on one side and the ocean expanse to the other, the landscape deeply stirs as light and elements work on the bigger picture.

This, to me, is where true peace can be found. Not much else is required.

But the way the island now looks, and how it functions, offers a further escape route from the norm, the system and its pressures. Paradoxically, a great deal of money has gone in to stripping all these things away.

Tanera is also fun and where the unexpected may occur.

One lunchtime, around 200 staff and guests sat in the imported giant World War Two hanger for lunch. While the Tanera experience is by invite only, it is not entirely unusual for people to be scooped up and brought here to eat, such as the crew of the nearby superyacht owned by Fox News billionaire Barry Diller and a holidaying couple from Berkshire who randomly found themselves at the long table.

As we eat, the island’s amphibious vehicle and fire engine appear. Soon, Wace turns on the high pressure fire hose and sprays those all around before moving inside and soaking the rest of us.

Why did he do that? Well, because it was fun, it made people smile and it challenged the norm. That is Tanera.

Also being tested is how hospitality is experienced. Trust is key, few doors are locked and no money changes hands.

Staff are genuine, open and so kind. Locals are glad to have rewarding jobs that extend beyond the summer. Some are from London needing a different pace, which they have gratefully found. People are moving for work and, in some cases, their partners are coming too. A baby has been born.

There is life before Tanera and then there is a life that it gives.