Portal:Scottish islands

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The Scottish Islands Portal
Welcome! — Fàilte! — Walcome!

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   The Cuillin, Isle of Skye
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   Tobermory waterfront on Mull
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   Portree Waterfront, Isle of Skye
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   Clisham in the distance, Harris
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   View from Elgol on the Isle of Skye across to the Cuillin
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   Tiree
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   Looking from the Isle of Mull towards Ardnamurchan peninsula as the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry MV Clansman sails past the Rubha nan Gall lighthouse
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   Tombolo connecting St Ninian's Isle to Mainland, Shetland
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   Seilebost on Harris

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Relief map of Scotland, showing some of the numerous offshore islands

Old Man of Hoy, Orkney

Scotland has around 900 offshore islands, most of which are to be found in four main groups: Shetland, Orkney, and the Hebrides, sub-divided into the Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides. There are also clusters of islands in the Firth of Clyde, Firth of Forth, and Solway Firth, and numerous small islands within the many bodies of fresh water in Scotland including Loch Lomond and Loch Maree. The largest island is Lewis and Harris, which extends to 2,179 km² (841 sq mi), and there are a further 200 islands which are greater than 40 hectares (100 acres) in area. Of the remainder, several, such as Staffa and the Flannan Isles, are well known, despite their small size. Some 101 Scottish islands are currently permanently inhabited, of which 89 are offshore according to 2011 census data. Between 2001 and 2011, Scottish island populations as a whole grew by 4% to 103,702 although by 2022 the total had fallen back to just under 103,000.

The geology and geomorphology of the islands is varied. Some, such as Skye and Mull, are mountainous, while others like Tiree and Sanday are relatively low-lying. Many have bedrock made from ancient Archaean Lewisian Gneiss which was formed 3 billion years ago; Shapinsay and other Orkney islands are formed from Old Red Sandstone, which is 400 million years old; and others, such as Rùm, from more recent Tertiary volcanoes. Many of the islands are swept by strong tides, and the Corryvreckan tide race between Scarba and Jura is one of the largest whirlpools in the world. Other strong tides are to be found in the Pentland Firth between mainland Scotland and Orkney, and another example is the "Grey Dog" between Scarba and Lunga. (More on Scottish islands...)

Selected picture

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  Barra Airport is the only one in the world to use a beach as a regular runway

  Credit: Steve Houldsworth

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  Eilean Donan Castle at the confluence of three sea lochs, Loch Duich, Loch Long and Loch Alsh

  Credit: Diliff

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  Fingal's Cave on Staffa

  Credit: Unknown (c. 1900)

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  Common or harbour seal, seen off Lismore

  Credit: Charles J Sharp

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  The 1st-century Dun Carloway on Lewis is a well-preserved example of an Iron Age broch, a type of complex Atlantic roundhouse only found in Scotland

  Credit: Morris R. Maciver

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  The ferry from Glenelg to Kylerhea on Skye has run for 400 years; the present boat, MV Glenachulish, is the only hand-operated turntable ferry still in operation

  Credit: Wojsyl

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  Aerial view of the ruins of a hermitage on Canna

  Credit: Peter Van den Bossche

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  The Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm, Orkney was built from two Nissen huts by Italian prisoners of war during World War 2; the interior frescoes are by Domenico Chiocchetti

  Credit: Renata

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  The highest of the Fairy Pools, a series of waterfalls near Glen Brittle, Skye

  Credit: Drianmcdonald

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  The cliffs of Eshaness, North Mainland, Shetland

  Credit: ThoWi

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  A boat leaving a slipway stacked with creels in Elgol Bay, Skye, with the Cuillin in the background

  Credit: Paul Hermans

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  The Bruichladdich distillery, one of eight on Islay; single-malt whisky is a major product of the islands

  Credit: Bdcl1881

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  Wildflowers in machair, a coastal dune grassland found in the Outer Hebrides and elsewhere

  Credit: Jon Thomson

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  Sgùrr nan Gillean, in the Cuillin on Skye, from Sligachan

  Credit: Diliff

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  Aerial view of Kisimul Castle, a small medieval castle on an islet off Barra

  Credit: DJI_0077

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  Sandy beach at Mealista, Lewis

  Credit: Peter Moore

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  The Neolithic farmstead of Knap of Howar on Papa Westray, Orkney, dates from 3700 BC and might be the oldest surviving stone dwelling in northern Europe

  Credit: Me677

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  The Corryvreckan Whirlpool in the narrow Gulf of Corryvreckan between Jura and Scarba

  Credit: Walter Baxter

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  A scattered settlement on Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides, beneath Beinn Sciathan

  Credit: Mipmapped

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  Kilarrow Parish Church, known as the Round Church, is a Georgian building in Bowmore on Islay

  Credit: Ronsteenvoorden

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  Aerial view of the low-lying island of Berneray in the Outer Hebrides, known for its sandy beaches backed by machair

  Credit: Doc Searls

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  Blackhouses were the traditional form of house across the Hebrides and the Highlands; this example is at Arnol, Lewis

  Credit: LornaMCampbell

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  The main ridge of the Cuillin, Skye

  Credit: Adrian Pingstone

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  Duart Castle, a 13th-century castle on Mull, the historical seat of Clan Maclean

  Credit: Philippe Giabbanelli

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  A common or harbour seal breast-feeding a pup on Skye

  Credit: Nevit Dilmen

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  Shetland mouse-ear, a rare plant species unique to Shetland and found only on two serpentine hills in the Keen of Hamar reserve on the island of Unst

  Credit: Melvin Grey

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  Rubha nan Gall lighthouse, Tobermory, Mull, built in 1857 by David and Thomas Stevenson, with a Caledonian MacBrayne ferry in the background

  Credit: Colin

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  Baile Mòr, the village on Iona

  Credit: Clydecoast

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  Neist Point Lighthouse on Skye was designed by David Alan Stevenson and dates from 1909

  Credit: Lionel Ulmer

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  White-tailed eagle fishing off Mull, one of several islands to which the birds have been successfully re-introduced

  Credit: Jacob Spinks

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  Skye Bridge, opened in 1995; the toll was lifted in 2004

  Credit: Gene Selkov

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  Alasdair Crotach MacLeod is the first McLeod not to be buried on Iona; his tomb on Harris dates from 1528, and is among the finest of this period in Scotland

  Credit: Gvdwiele

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  Fishing boats in Stromness Harbour, Orkney

  Credit: Renata

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  Satellite image of Skye, showing the surrounding islands including Rona, Raasay and Scalpay to the north east and Soay, Canna and Rùm to the south

  Credit: NASA

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  Portree, the main settlement on Skye

  Credit: Bert Kaufmann

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  The tied island of St Ninian's Isle is joined to the Shetland Mainland by the largest tombolo in the UK

  Credit: ThoWi

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  Sandy beach at Eoropie, Lewis

  Credit: AmosWolfe

Selected island group

Satellite photo of the Firth of Forth and the surrounding area

The Islands of the Forth are a group of small islands located in the Firth of Forth and in the estuary of the River Forth on the east coast of Scotland. Most of the group lie in the open waters of the firth, between the Lothians and Fife, with the majority to the east of the city of Edinburgh. Two islands lie further west in the river estuary.

The islands have a varied geology and history; over the centuries, several have had both ecclesiastical connections and a history of involvement in military occupations. Various lighthouses and other aids to navigation have been erected on the islands and skerries — one of these dates to the 17th century. But only one of the islands still has year-round human inhabitants. The area has diverse bird and sea life. The scientific name for the northern gannet was chosen in recognition of this bird's connection with the Bass Rock.

There are only a few islands off the coast of eastern Scotland, and most of them of any significant size are included in this group. (Full article...)

News

Selected fauna

The great auk (Pinguinus impennis), also known as the penguin or garefowl, is an extinct species of flightless alcid that first appeared around 400,000 years ago and was driven to extinction by human exploitation in the mid-19th century. It was the only modern species in the genus Pinguinus. It was not closely related to the penguins of the Southern Hemisphere, which were named for their resemblance to this species.

It bred on rocky, remote islands with easy access to the ocean and a plentiful food supply, a rarity in nature that provided only a few breeding sites for the great auks. During the non-breeding season, the auk foraged in the waters of the North Atlantic, ranging as far south as northern Spain and along the coastlines of Canada, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Ireland, and Great Britain.

The bird was about 75 centimetres (29.5 inches) tall and weighed about 5 kilograms (11 pounds), making it the largest alcid to survive into the modern era, and the second-largest member of the alcid family overall (the prehistoric Miomancalla was larger). It had a black back and a white belly. The black beak was heavy and hooked, with grooves on its surface. During summer, great auk plumage showed a white patch over each eye. During winter, the great auk lost these patches, instead developing a white band stretching between the eyes. The wings were only 15 cm (6 in) long, rendering the bird flightless. Instead, the great auk was a powerful swimmer, a trait that it used in hunting. Its favourite prey were fish, including Atlantic menhaden and capelin, and crustaceans. Although agile in the water, it was clumsy on land. Great auk pairs mated for life. They nested in extremely dense and social colonies, laying one egg on bare rock. The egg was white with variable brown marbling. Both parents participated in the incubation of the egg for around six weeks before the young hatched. The young left the nest site after two to three weeks, although the parents continued to care for it.

The great auk was an important part of many Native American cultures, both as a food source and as a symbolic item. Many Maritime Archaic people were buried with great auk bones. One burial discovered included a corpse covered by more than 200 great auk beaks, which are presumed to be the remnants of a cloak made of great auks' skins. Early European explorers to the Americas used the great auk as a convenient food source or as fishing bait, reducing its numbers. The bird's down was in high demand in Europe, a factor that largely eliminated the European populations by the mid-16th century. Around the same time, nations such as Great Britain began to realize that the great auk was disappearing, and it became the beneficiary of many early protection laws but despite them was still hunted. (Full article...)

Selected history & culture article

Jarlshof, February 2007

Jarlshof (Shaetlan pronunciation: [ˈjarlzhɒf] ^ⓘ YARLZ-hof) is the best-known prehistoric archaeological site in Shetland, Scotland. It lies in Sumburgh, Mainland, Shetland and has been described as "one of the most remarkable archaeological sites ever excavated in the British Isles". It contains remains dating from 2500 BC up to the 17th century AD.

The Bronze Age settlers left evidence of several small oval houses with thick stone walls and various artefacts including a decorated bone object. The Iron Age ruins include several different types of structures, including a broch and a defensive wall around the site. The Pictish period provides various works of art including a painted pebble and a symbol stone. The Viking Age ruins make up the largest such site visible anywhere in Britain and include a longhouse; excavations provided numerous tools and a detailed insight into life in Shetland at this time. The most visible structures on the site are the walls of the Scottish period fortified manor house, which inspired the name "Jarlshof" that first appears in an 1821 novel by Walter Scott.

The site is in the care of Historic Scotland and is open year-round, with longer opening hours during April to September. In 2012, Jarlshof, Mousa and Old Scatness were added to the UK's tentative list of proposed World Heritage Sites in a combination called the "Zenith of Iron Age Shetland." (Full article...)

Selected island

Achnacroish

Lismore (Scottish Gaelic: Lios Mòr, pronounced [ʎis̪ ˈmoːɾ] possibly meaning "great enclosure" or "garden") is an island of around 2,351 hectares (9.1 square miles) in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It is in the council area of Argyll and Bute. The climate is damp and mild, with over 166 centimetres (65 in) of rain recorded annually. This fertile, low-lying island was once a major centre of Celtic Christianity, with a 6th-century monastery associated with Saint Moluag, and later became the seat of the medieval Bishop of Argyll. There are numerous ruined structures, including a broch and two 13th-century castles.

During the 19th century, various new industries were introduced, including lime quarrying. During the early decades of the 20th century, the population exceeded 1,000, but this was followed by a lengthy decline. Although resident numbers are now less than 200, there was a small increase from 2001 to 2011. About a third of the population were recorded as Gaelic-speaking at the former date. The modern economy is largely based on farming, fishing and tourism, and the largest settlement is Achnacroish. Various shipwrecks have been recorded in the vicinity. (Full article...)

Did you know?

• ... that the ceremonial Dunvegan Cup (pictured) was created in 1493 at the request of the wife of an Irish lord, and is today an heirloom of the chiefs of the Scottish Clan Macleod?
• ... that a herd of Highland cattle is known as a fold?
• ... that according to local tradition on Coll, the now-ruinous dun of Dùn an Achaidh was once the fortress of the son of a Norse king named Olaf?
• ...that when John Sands excavated a ~2,000 year old building on the remote Scottish island of St Kilda he unearthed tools that the 1877 residents recognised?

Selected portrait

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  The Standing Stones of Stenness, near Stromness, Orkney, started by 3100 BC and possibly Britain's oldest henge site

  Credit: Fantoman400

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  A Hebridean spotted orchid in machair on Lewis

  Credit: Etherp

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  Jurassic sandstone rock arch on the Strathaird peninsula of Skye

  Credit: John Allan

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  Puffins and guillemots on Lunga in the Treshnish Isles, with Bac Mòr (known as Dutchman's Cap for its distinctive shape) in the background

  Credit: Simaron

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  Eilean Ruairidh Mòr, one of many forested islands in Loch Maree

  Credit: Jerry Sharp

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  Seals hauled out by Lyrie Geo on Hoy

  Credit: Claire Pegrum

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  The 8th-century Kildalton Cross, Islay, one of the best-preserved Celtic crosses in Scotland

  Credit: Tom Richardson

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  The North Carr Beacon at low tide; the unlit beacon was built between 1813 and 1821 by Robert Stevenson to warn shipping of the North Carr Reef near Fife Ness

  Credit: Kathrinpassig

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  Columba was a 6th-century Irish-born saint who spread Christianity in Scotland and founded Iona Abbey, where he is commemorated in this stained-glass window

  Credit: Vegansoldier

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  Seabird colonies on a crag on the Brough of Birsay, Orkney

  Credit: Tbc

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  Fossilised dinosaur print on Staffin beach, Skye

  Credit: maproom

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  Reconstruction of a timber crannog, an ancient man-made island, on Loch Tay; several hundred crannog sites have been recorded in Scotland

  Credit: Dave Morris

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  Scottish Gaelic speakers in the 2011 census; the Outer Hebrides, Tiree, Raasay, Skye and Lismore have the highest proportion of speakers

  Credit: SkateTier

Selected geography article

The Quiraing

Trotternish (Scottish Gaelic: Tròndairnis) is the northernmost peninsula of the Isle of Skye in Scotland, spanning in length from Portree to Rubha Hunish. The Trotternish escarpment runs almost the full length of the peninsula, some 30 kilometres (20 miles), and contains landmarks such as the Old Man of Storr and the Quiraing. The summit of The Storr, overlooking the Old Man, is the highest point of the peninsula at 719 m above sea level. The north-eastern part of the peninsula around Quiraing is designated as a National Scenic Area and the entire escarpment is a Special Area of Conservation.

Dinosaur footprints have been found at An Corran, which is also a Mesolithic hunter-gatherer site dating to the 7th millennium BC. The ruins of the 14th–15th-century Duntulm Castle stand at the northern end of the peninsula.

The three major settlements on Trotternish are Portree, generally regarded as the capital of Skye, Uig, a ferry terminus, and the township of Staffin. Trotternish is the strongest Gaelic-speaking area of Skye. (Full article...)

Selected biography

Saint Columba, Apostle to the Picts

Columba (/kəˈlʌmbəˌ ˈkɒlʌmbə/) or Colmcille (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary credited with spreading Christianity at the start of the Hiberno-Scottish mission in what became Scotland. He founded the important abbey on Iona, which became a dominant religious and political institution in the region for centuries. He is the patron saint of Derry and one of the patron saints of Ireland along with Patrick and Brigid. He was venerated by both the Gaels of Dál Riata and the Picts, and is remembered as one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland.

Columba was born in Tyrconnell, studied under some of Ireland's most prominent church figures and founded several monasteries in the country. Around 563 AD he and his twelve companions crossed to Kintyre before settling on the island of Iona in the Hebrides, part of the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata. They founded Iona Abbey, which became a base for spreading Christianity among the pagan northern Pictish kingdoms. He remained active in Irish politics, though he spent most of the remainder of his life in what became Scotland. Three surviving early-medieval Latin hymns are attributed to him. (Full article...)

Related portals

Selected panorama

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  Small freshwater islets on Loch Assynt

  Credit: Vincent

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  Eilean Donan

  Credit: Stefan Krause

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  View from Canna, overlooking Sanday towards Rùm

  Credit: Emoscopes

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  The remains of the Old Pier at Salen, Mull

  Credit: Colin

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  The colourful Main Street of Tobermory on Mull

  Credit: Colin

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  Iona Abbey

  Credit: Oliver-Bonjoch

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  Dunvegan Castle, a 14th-century castle on Skye, the seat of Clan MacLeod

  Credit: Mihael Grmek

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  View towards the Cuillin on Skye

  Credit: Stefan Krause

• 
  Loch Fada, Trotternish, on Skye, looking towards The Storr

  Credit: Klaus with K

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  Arran's northern hills, including Goat Fell, the island's highest point

  Credit: Colin

• 
  Quiraing, Trotternish, on Skye

  Credit: Stefan Krause

• 
  The Storr ridge on Skye, with the Old Man of Storr (right)

  Credit: Klaus with K

Topics

Categories

The main category is Islands of Scotland, with subcategories

Category puzzle

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Islands of Scotland

Islands of Scotland by council area

Uninhabited islands of Scotland

Lists of islands of Scotland

Archipelagoes of Scotland

Endemic biota of the Scottish islands

Former islands of Scotland

Islands of the Forth

Freshwater islands of Scotland

Islands of the Inner Hebrides

Lighthouses of Scottish islands

Lochs of Scottish islands

Military action involving Scottish islands

Mountains and hills of the Scottish islands

People associated with Scottish islands

Railways on Scottish Islands

Skerries of Scotland

Islands of the Tay

Tidal islands of Scotland

Towns on Scottish islands

Villages on Scottish islands

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Castle Stalker, Loch Laich

Scottish Islands

Scotland • UK Geography • Islands

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