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Post by andi on Mar 27, 2007 19:23:45 GMT 10
RonayRonay (Scottish Gaelic: Rònaigh) is an island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, which lies a short distance off the east coast of Grimsay. The name originates from the Old Norse for rough island. In 1826, there were 180 living on the island, but in 1831, the whole population was cleared to make way for sheep farming. See Highland Clearances. The island has been uninhabited since the 1920s. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronay
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Post by andi on Mar 27, 2007 19:36:46 GMT 10
Seaforth IslandSeaforth Island (gaelic: Eilean Shìphiort or Shìophort) is an uninhabited island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Unlike other islands of the Outer Hebrides which are mainly surrounded by open sea, Seaforth Island lies in a narrow fjord-like sea loch named Loch Seaforth, 8 km from the open waters of the Minch. The island has poor soil which only supports rough grazing. Although the island is not thought to have been inhabited in the past, the loch area was the subject of border disputes in the 19th century. In 1851, these were resolved by the unusual decision to allocate the whole of Seaforth Island to both counties, Ross and Cromarty and Inverness-shire, which at the time controlled Lewis and Harris respectively. This situation continued until the 1975 county reorganisation. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seaforth_Island
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Post by andi on Mar 27, 2007 19:37:30 GMT 10
Scarp, ScotlandScarp is an uninhabited island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, west of Hushinish on Harris. It has an area of around 2,500 acres (1,000 hectares, divided into 16 crofts. The majority of the land is rocky and uncultivated, and is dominated by two hills, of which the higher reaches over 1,000 feet (300 metres). There is a small area of low-lying fertile land in the south-east corner of the island, and here, closest to Harris, is where the inhabitants of the island once lived. The population of Scarp peaked at 213 in 1881, and as recently as the 1940s it was reported to be over 100. Scarp was one of several Scottish islands, including St Kilda and Handa, where all the men of the island would gather every morning in a so-called 'parliament', to agree the work to be done on that day. Such meetings would sometimes last for many hours, and on these occasions no work would be done, except by the women of the island. Crofting was the way of life on the island, mainly comprising sheep and dairy cattle rearing and fishing, in latter years principally lobster fishing, which provided an income for around 12 families Islanders were deeply religious and a Church of Scotland Mission House was the focal point for Sunday worship and weekly prayer meetings The 1950s and 1960s saw a further decline in the island's population. The closure of the primary school in 1967 and the post office in 1968 were final blows and by the time of the 1971 census the population had dwindled to 12. By the end of 1971, the last permanent inhabitants of Scarp had moved to Harris. However, a few houses on the island are still in occasional use as private holiday homes. The island is reached by a short boat crossing across the Kyle of Scarp from Hushinish, but the sea here is very shallow and landing on Scarp can be difficult when there is a swell. Whilst it is occasionally possible to wade from Scarp to Harris at very low tide, this is a dangerous exploit and lives have been lost attempting it. Because of this relative isolation, the island has a place in history of the Royal Mail. In 1934, Scarp was the site of an experiment by German inventor Gerhard Zucker to deliver the island's post by rocket mail, but it was a failure. A fictionalised account of the experiment was used as the basis of a 2002 film, The Rocket Post, filmed on Taransay. The artist, Norman Adams bought a croft house on the island in 1963 with his wife Anna and two sons, and painted many of his well known works there in his distinctive style over the next 10 summers. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarp%2C_Scotland
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Post by andi on Mar 27, 2007 19:38:24 GMT 10
ScotasayScotasay (Scottish Gaelic: Sgeotasaigh) is an uninhabited island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It lies 1km off the east coast of Harris and gives some shelter to the ferry port of Tarbert. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotasay
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Post by andi on Mar 27, 2007 19:42:28 GMT 10
Shiant IslesThe Shiant Isles (Scottish Gaelic: Na h-Eileanan Mora), also known in Gaelic as "The Enchanted Isles" (Na h-Eileanan Seunta) are a privately owned island group in the Minch, east of Harris in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The main islands are Eilean Garbh and Eilean an Tighe, which were inhabited until 1901 and are actually joined by a narrow isthmus, and Eilean Mhuire. The islands are known for their dolerite columns, similar to but much larger than those on Staffa, and for their population of seabirds, including a few great skuas and tens of thousands of puffins. The islands are also home to a colony of black rats: apart from one or two small islands in the Firth of Forth, the Shiants are the only place in the UK where the black rat or ship's rat (Rattus rattus) can still be found. There are thought to be about 3,000 rats over-wintering on the islands. Author Compton MacKenzie owned the islands in the 1920's. In the 1930s they were acquired by Nigel Nicolson, then an undergraduate at Oxford, later a writer, publisher and politician. Nicolson's son, the writer Adam Nicolson, published the definitive book on the islands, Sea Room. The Shiants now belong to Adam's son Tom. Sheep belonging to a Lewis crofter graze all three islands. The simple bothy restored by Nigel Nicolson on Eilean an Tighe is currently the only habitable structure on the islands. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiant_Islands
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Post by andi on Mar 27, 2007 19:46:53 GMT 10
Shillay Shillay (Gaelic:Siolaigh) is an uninhabited island which lies 2 km north of Pabbay in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The name is derived from the Norse selr-øy meaning seal island and is a Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve owing to its international importance for breeding grey seals. The is no record or evidence that it has ever seen human habitation, but the grazing rights belong to crofters of the nearby island of Berneray. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shillay
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Post by andi on Mar 27, 2007 19:48:44 GMT 10
TahayTahay (Scottish Gaelic: Taghaigh) is an island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, located at grid reference NF965755. The name originates from the Old Norse tagg-øy meaning island with a prominent hill. At 53ha (0.21 sq mi) in area and with a central peak of 65m (215 ft), it is the largest of the group of uninhabited islands off the north east coast of North Uist. In 1846, six families who had been evicted from their homes on Pabbay to make way for sheep, moved to the previously uninhabited island of Tahay. Although the island has no arable land, they hoped to make a living from fishing. However this proved too hard and they gave up the struggle in the 1850s and emigrated to Australia. The island is used for sheep grazing and peat cutting. Tahay is owned by the Scottish Office. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahay
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Post by andi on Mar 27, 2007 19:54:39 GMT 10
Taransay Taransay (Tarasaigh in Gaelic), is an island in the Scottish Outer Hebrides. It is famous for being the host of the British television series Castaway 2000. GeographyTaransay lies on the west coast of Scotland at latitude 57.8995°N and longitude 7.0167°W. It is part of the Harris parish and governed by the Western Isles council. Taransay is in the traditional county of Inverness-shire and lies two miles (3 km) from the Isle of Harris, separated by a stretch of sea called the Sound of Taransay. Crossings between the two islands are dependent on calm weather and there are no harbours for large boats on either island. Taransay is four miles (6 km) long, and, at its widest point, 3 miles (5 km) across, covering over 3500 acres - about five-and-a-half square miles (14 km²). Taransay is made up of two 750 ft (230 m) heather-covered hills connected by a white sandy isthmus in the south of the island. It overlooks the bays of Luskyntyre and Seilibost bay to the east, with the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The bays are bordered with sandy beaches and machair dunes. The area is mostly gneiss rock, with granite veins. The highest point of the island is Ben Raah (Beinn Ra) at 876 feet (267m). WildlifeThe island hosts a variety of birds, but other wildlife is limited to Red deer and mice. In 2003/4, the population of American mink on the island were the subject of an eradication programme in order to protect the rare groundnesting birds [1]. Taransay is however, noted for its flora, with an abundance of wild flowers growing on the island's machair grasslands. HistoryThe Isle of Taransay has been inhabited since 300 AD, and probably considerably earlier. Originally home to Celtic pagans, Christianity was established on Taransay around 650 AD. In 900 AD, Taransay was taken over by Vikings when they invaded Scotland. 1544 saw the Massacre of Taransay by the Morrisons of Lewis. Inhabitants from the island of Berneray retaliated against this, forcing the Morrisons to retreat to a rock where they were executed. The rock was later called Sgeir Bhuailte, meaning smitten-rock. Taransay was once made up of three villages; Raa, Uidh and Paible (Paibeil). Rent increases in 1835 caused a large decrease in the population of Taransay, made worse in 1883 by new orders that cotter households were no longer allowed to keep livestock or grow neither oats nor barley. By 1961, the island was left with only one family; the MacRae's, living in the village of Paible. They departed in 1974 following the death of Ewen Macrae. Taransay remained uninhabited until 2000 when the island was revived in order to host the television programme Castaway 2000. During the uninhabited years, the island had been used as a sheep-farm, run from the Harris mainland. From 2001, when the Castaway show ended, Taransay has been a tourist resort, with the buildings being let as holiday accommodation, and boat trips to the island. Evidence that Vikings settled on the island can be derived from its name, as the word is an old Norse translation of "the Isle of Taran". The island was most probably named after the Irish Saint Ternan (also known as Taran or Torannan, see also Taranis), although another theory, reported by Saint Adomnan of Iona, suggests that Taran may have been the son of a Noble Pictish family. The village of Paible had two ancient chapels; the chapel of Saint Taran and the chapel of Saint Keith. The former was used for the burial of women, and the latter for men. A traditional myth on the island suggests that if this was reversed, the dead would rise and the bodies would be disinterred. The remains of Saint Keith's chapel can still be identified on the ground, but the site of Saint Taran's was destroyed by coastal erosion some time in the late 1970s. CastawayTaransay became well known following the BBC show Castaway. The show, organised by Lion Television, featured a group of 36 people marooned on the island for a year starting January 1, 2000. Castaway was broadcast internationally, including to audiences in Germany, America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The show reached nine million viewers at its peak. The cast was made up of volunteers hand-picked from 4000 applicants. They lived in temporary accommodation built especially for the show, known as 'pods', which were based in the former village of Paible. Existing buildings on the island included a Farmhouse, also called the Mackay house and a School Chalet, which were renovated for the show. As of 2004, these are available as self-catering holiday cottages for tourist use. According to the BBC website, the aim of the project was to "create a new society for the new millennium". Unlike the original inhabitants of the island, the "castaways" had access to electricity and a water supply, as well as limited modern conveniences. Of the 36 who joined the show, 29 remained on the island for the whole year, including Ben Fogle who went on to be a presenter for a number of BBC shows, including Countryfile. The show was reported to be a social experiment, focusing on how this group would form a community. Castaway 2007, a follow-up to Castaway 2000, will, however, not be based on Taransay. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taransay
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Post by andi on Mar 27, 2007 19:56:09 GMT 10
VallayVallay (Scottish Gaelic: Bhalaigh or Bhàlaigh) is an uninhabited tidal island in the Scottish Outer Hebrides. It is linked to North Uist by a road, and by a long beach at low tide. Once the island supported a population of nearly sixty people, but its best known inhabitant was the archaeologist Erskine Beveridge. The island is also known for its sea birds and for prehistoric monuments. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vallay
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Post by mcnass on Mar 27, 2007 20:27:31 GMT 10
Pabbay.... its a fantastic little island. Did I ever mention that a friend and mine wrote a book - a part of the story happens in Pabbay...
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Post by andi on Mar 27, 2007 21:12:11 GMT 10
Yes wonderful scenery indeed
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Post by andi on Mar 27, 2007 21:21:19 GMT 10
Monach Islands The Monach Islands, also known as Heisker (Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Heisgeir), are an island group west of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The islands have been uninhabited since 1948, but were inhabited by up to 100 people for centuries leading up to 1810. They were originally abandoned due to overgrazing, but were resettled in the wake of the Highland Clearances. The main islands of Ceann Ear (once home to a nunnery), Ceann Iar and Hearnish are all linked at low tide. It is said that it was at one time possible to walk all the way to Baleshare, and on to North Uist at low tide. The islands are a National Nature Reserve and are known for their grey seal population, and also have a large number of nesting seabirds and a rich flora. The islands are home to a small, unstaffed light, built to replace a lighthouse which was abandoned in 1943. Smaller islands in the group include Deasker, Shillay and Stockay. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monach_Islands
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