Spain’s Canary Islands are ready to welcome the 2026 Skyrunning World Championships - The International Skyrunning Federation

Some islands make bigger waves than others. For Hawaii’s Maui, a scenic high roller in our Readers' Choice Awards, it’s surf breaks such as Jaws that made it legendary, while a 17th-century shipwreck off Bermuda inspired Shakespeare to write The Tempest – although it’s the calm, pink sand beaches such as Horseshoe Bay that you wrote home about. Hydra, immortalised by Leonard Cohen, still offers a warm welcome to drifting travellers – a criterion that helped it beat six other Greek islands this year – as do the Caymans, where drivers toot twice just to say hello. Elsewhere, the biodiversity noted by Darwin on the Galápagos back in 1835 made it a clear winner, with sustainability points also going to Palawan in the Philippines and the Isles of Scilly, whose waters are regarded as some of the cleanest in the UK. St Martin's on the Isles of Scilly Nigel Hicks/Getty ImagesThe best islands in the UK10. Isle of Man. Score 84.889. Shetland. Score 85.118. Isle of Wight. Score 85.337. Orkney. Score 86.886. Hebrides. Score 87.505. Jersey. Score 88.434. Isle of Skye. Score 88.503. Isle of Arran. Score 89.342. Guernsey. Score 89.431. Isles of Scilly.

Canada will have a new national skyrunning series in 2027, with nine races at three western Canadian mountain events joined together under one points system. The Canadian Skyrunning National Series will feature races in Crowsnest Pass, Alta.; Apex Mountain Resort, B. C.; and Revelstoke, B. C. between June and August. Runners can tackle an array of races, from short, steep uphill races to a 50.5K SkyUltra, and are able to collect points toward an overall national ranking.