Portal:Scottish islands

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

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

---

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 square kilometres, and there are a further 200 islands which are greater than 40 hectares in area. Of the remainder, several such as Staffa and the Flannan Isles are well known despite their small size. Some 94 Scottish islands are permanently inhabited, of which 89 are offshore islands. Between 2001 and 2011 Scottish island populations as a whole grew by 4% to 103,702.

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

• 
  The cliffs of Eshaness, North Mainland, Shetland

  Credit: ThoWi

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

  Credit: Doc Searls

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

  Credit: Gene Selkov

• 
  Common or harbour seal, seen off Lismore

  Credit: Charles J Sharp

• 
  Fishing boats in Stromness Harbour, Orkney

  Credit: Renata

• 
  Baile Mòr, the village on Iona

  Credit: Clydecoast

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

  Credit: Jon Thomson

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

  Credit: LornaMCampbell

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

  Credit: Ronsteenvoorden

• 
  Fingal's Cave on Staffa

  Credit: Unknown (c. 1900)

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

  Credit: Philippe Giabbanelli

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

  Credit: Nevit Dilmen

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

  Credit: Bdcl1881

• 
  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

• 
  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

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

  Credit: Lionel Ulmer

• 
  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

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

  Credit: Colin

• 
  The main ridge of the Cuillin, Skye

  Credit: Adrian Pingstone

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

  Credit: Walter Baxter

• 
  Sandy beach at Eoropie, Lewis

  Credit: AmosWolfe

• 
  Sandy beach at Mealista, Lewis

  Credit: Peter Moore

• 
  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

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

  Credit: Diliff

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

  Credit: DJI_0077

• 
  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

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

  Credit: Paul Hermans

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

  Credit: Mipmapped

• 
  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

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

  Credit: Diliff

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

  Credit: Steve Houldsworth

• 
  Aerial view of the ruins of a hermitage on Canna

  Credit: Peter Van den Bossche

• 
  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

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

  Credit: Jacob Spinks

• 
  Portree, the main settlement on Skye

  Credit: Bert Kaufmann

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

  Credit: ThoWi

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

  Credit: Drianmcdonald

Selected island group

The islands within the Firth of Clyde

The Islands of the Firth of Clyde are the fifth largest of the major Scottish island groups after the Inner and Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland. They are situated in the Firth of Clyde between Ayrshire and Argyll and Bute. There are about forty islands and skerries. Only four are inhabited, and only nine are larger than 40 hectares (99 acres). The largest and most populous are Arran and Bute. They are served by dedicated ferry routes, as are Great Cumbrae and Holy Island. Unlike the isles in the four larger Scottish archipelagos, none of the isles in this group are connected to one another or to the mainland by bridges.

The geology and geomorphology of the area is complex, and the islands and the surrounding sea lochs each have distinctive features. The influence of the Atlantic Ocean and the North Atlantic Drift create a mild, damp oceanic climate. There is a diversity of wildlife, including three species of rare endemic trees.

The larger islands have been continuously inhabited since Neolithic times. The cultures of their inhabitants were influenced by the emergence of the kingdom of Dál Riata, beginning in 500 AD. The islands were then politically absorbed into the emerging kingdom of Alba, led by Kenneth MacAlpin. During the early Middle Ages, the islands experienced Viking incursions. In the 13th century, they became part of the Kingdom of Scotland. (Full article...)

News

Proposed spaceport site at Lamma Ness, Unst

• 12 February: The BiFab construction yard at Arnish near Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, is purchased by InfraStrata.
• 11 February: Wild fires occur in Benbecula; and at Achmore and Sildinish in the Isle of Lewis; Horsaclete in Harris; Brevig in Barra; and Eubhal in North Uist.
• 19 January: Barra and Vatersay are put under tier-4 restrictions after an outbreak of Covid-19.
• 18 January: The Shetland Space Centre submits plans for a spaceport on Unst (proposed site pictured), Shetland, including three rocket launch pads.
• 8 January: Distilleries in Orkney and South Uist receive government grants to research ways of reducing their CO₂ emissions.
• 4 January: After the UK leaves the European Union, the Northern Celt, an Irish fishing boat based out of Greencastle, County Donegal, is ordered to leave the 12-nautical-mile zone around Rockall by officers of Marine Scotland.
• 1 January: A total of 72 cases of Covid-19 are recorded in an ongoing outbreak in Shetland.
• 9 December: A review by a committee of MSPs into the commissioning and building of two new dual-fuel Caledonian MacBrayne ferries, MV Glen Sannox and "hull 802", criticises CMAL, Transport Scotland and the Scottish government, as well as the ship builders, Ferguson Marine.
• 3 December: North-east Lewis, Sea of the Hebrides and Shiant East Bank are designated Marine Protected Areas, while East Mainland Coast Shetland, Sound of Gigha, Coll and Tiree, Rùm, the west coast of the Outer Hebrides, and the waters off St Kilda and Foula are designated Special Protection Areas.
• 30 November: Michael Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, and David Stewart and John Finnie, MSPs for the Highlands and Islands region, will stand down at the 2021 election.
• 17 November: Phytophthora ramorum-infected larch trees in Arran are to be felled over a 543-acre area, to prevent the fungus-like pathogen from spreading.
• 4 November: The Scottish Wildlife Trust objects to a proposed salmon farm in the Marine Protected Area of Wester Ross, near Horse Island, Summer Isles, because of the potential impact on kelp forests and maerl beds.

Selected fauna

An Eriskay pony on Eriskay

The Eriskay Pony (Scottish Gaelic: Each Beag nan Eilean or Each Èirisgeach) is a breed of pony from Scotland. It is generally grey in colour, and has a dense, waterproof coat that protects it in harsh weather. The breed developed in ancient times in the Hebrides of Scotland, and a small population remained pure and protected from crossbreeding by the remoteness of the islands. It is used for light draught work, as a mount for children, in many equestrian disciplines, and for driving.

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust considering the breed's status to be critical. There are two breed registries for the Eriskay Pony: Comann Each nan Eilean - The Eriskay Pony Society, which was formed in 1972 and has the King Charles III as society patron, and The Eriskay Pony Society was formed in 1986. Both societies are recognised as holding a studbook of origin for the breed. and resembles the exmoor pony and are usually gray but sometimes are black or bay. (Full article...)

Selected history & culture article

The nuckelavee chasing an islander, painting by James Torrance (1859–1916).

The nuckelavee ( /nʌklɑːˈviː/) or nuckalavee is a horse-like demon from Orcadian folklore that combines equine and human elements. British folklorist Katharine Briggs called it "the nastiest" of all the demons of Scotland's Northern Isles. The nuckelavee's breath was thought to wilt crops and sicken livestock, and the creature was held responsible for droughts and epidemics on land despite being predominantly a sea-dweller.

A graphic description of the nuckelavee as it appears on land was given by an islander who claimed to have had a confrontation with it, but accounts describing the details of the creature's appearance are inconsistent. In common with many other sea-monsters, it is unable to tolerate fresh water, therefore, those it is pursuing have only to cross a river or stream to be rid of it. The nuckelavee is kept in confinement during the summer months by the Mither o' the Sea, an ancient Orcadian spirit, and the only one able to control it.

Orcadian folklore had a strong Scandinavian influence, and it may be that the nuckelavee is a composite of a water horse from Celtic mythology and a creature imported by the Norsemen. As with similar malevolent entities such as the kelpie, it possibly offered an explanation for incidents that islanders in ancient times could not otherwise understand. (Full article...)

Selected island

Dùn Caan from Loch na Mna

Raasay (/ˈrɑːseɪ/; Scottish Gaelic: Ratharsair) sometimes the Isle of Raasay is an island between the Isle of Skye and the mainland of Scotland. It is separated from Skye by the Sound of Raasay and from Applecross by the Inner Sound. It is famous for being the birthplace of Gaelic poet Sorley MacLean, an important figure in the Scottish Renaissance.

Traditionally the home of Clan MacSween, the island was ruled by the MacLeods from the 15th to the 19th century. Subsequently, a series of private landlords held title to the island, which is now largely in public ownership. Raasay House, which was visited by James Boswell and Samuel Johnson in 1773, is now a hotel, restaurant, bar and outdoor activity centre. Raasay means "Isle of the Roe Deer" and is home to an endemic subspecies of bank vole. (Full article...)

Did you know?

• ... that the triskelion in MacLeod heraldry (pictured) originates from a mistaken belief that the clan's founder, Leod, was a son of a king of Mann?
• ...that the Scottish island of Lunga is the location of the "well of the church of Saint Columba", which reputedly never runs dry?
• ... that illustrations from three of the Katie Morag series of children's picture books by Mairi Hedderwick have been used in a health promotion campaign to encourage breastfeeding?
• ... that the remains of the San Juan de Silicia, a Spanish Armada ship which sank off the coast of Scotland, were mistaken for those of a treasure ship and destroyed by countless searches for gold?

Selected portrait

• 
  A Hebridean spotted orchid in machair on Lewis

  Credit: Etherp

• 
  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

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

  Credit: Tom Richardson

• 
  Fossilised dinosaur print on Staffin beach, Skye

  Credit: maproom

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

  Credit: Fantoman400

• 
  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

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

  Credit: Tbc

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

  Credit: Jerry Sharp

• 
  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

• 
  Jurassic sandstone rock arch on the Strathaird peninsula of Skye

  Credit: John Allan

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

  Credit: SkateTier

• 
  Seals hauled out by Lyrie Geo on Hoy

  Credit: Claire Pegrum

• 
  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

Selected geography article

The Bell Rock Lighthouse, off the coast of Angus, Scotland, is the world's oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse. It was built between 1807 and 1810 by Robert Stevenson on the Bell Rock (also known as Inchcape) in the North Sea, 11 miles (18 km) east of the Firth of Tay. Standing 35 metres (115 ft) tall, its light is visible from 35 statute miles (56 km) inland.

The masonry work on which the lighthouse rests was constructed to such a high standard that it has not been replaced or adapted in 200 years. The lamps and reflectors were replaced in 1843; the original ones are now in the lighthouse at Cape Bonavista, Newfoundland, where they are currently on display. The working of the lighthouse has been automated since 24 October 1988. The Northern Lighthouse Board, which has had its headquarters at 84 George Street in Edinburgh since 1832, remotely monitors the light.

The lighthouse previously operated in tandem with a shore station, the Bell Rock Signal Tower, built in 1813 at the mouth of Arbroath harbour. Today this building houses the Signal Tower Museum, a visitor centre that offers a detailed history of the lighthouse.

Because of the engineering challenges that were overcome to build the lighthouse, it has been described as one of the Seven Wonders of the Industrial World. (Full article...)

Selected biography

Haakon's seal, from a 1247/48 letter (with reverse). The seal itself was given to Haakon as a gift from Henry III of England in 1236.

Haakon IV Haakonsson (c. March/April 1204 – 16 December 1263; Old Norse: Hákon Hákonarson [ˈhɑːˌkon ˈhɑːˌkonɑrˌson]; Norwegian: Håkon Håkonsson), sometimes called Haakon the Old in contrast to his namesake son, was King of Norway from 1217 to 1263. His reign lasted for 46 years, longer than any Norwegian king since Harald Fairhair. Haakon was born into the troubled civil war era in Norway, but his reign eventually managed to put an end to the internal conflicts. At the start of his reign, during his minority, Earl Skule Bårdsson served as regent. As a king of the Birkebeiner faction, Haakon defeated the uprising of the final Bagler royal pretender, Sigurd Ribbung, in 1227. He put a definitive end to the civil war era when he had Skule Bårdsson killed in 1240, a year after he had himself proclaimed king in opposition to Haakon. Haakon thereafter formally appointed his own son as his co-regent.

Under Haakon's rule, medieval Norway is considered to have reached its zenith or golden age. His reputation and formidable naval fleet allowed him to maintain friendships with both the pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, despite their conflict. He was at different points offered the imperial crown by the pope, the High Kingship of Ireland by a delegation of Irish kings, and the command of the French crusader fleet by the French king. He amplified the influence of European culture in Norway by importing and translating contemporary European literature into Old Norse, and by constructing monumental European-style stone buildings. In conjunction with this he employed an active and aggressive foreign policy, and at the end of his rule added Iceland and the Norse Greenland community to his kingdom, leaving the Norwegian realm at its territorial height. Although he for the moment managed to secure Norwegian control of the islands off the northern and western shores of Scotland, plus the Isle of Man, he fell ill and died when wintering in Orkney following some military engagements with the expanding Kingdom of Scotland. (Full article...)

Related portals

Selected panorama

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

  Credit: Colin

• 
  Iona Abbey

  Credit: Oliver-Bonjoch

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

  Credit: Klaus with K

• 
  Eilean Donan

  Credit: Stefan Krause

• 
  Quiraing, Trotternish, on Skye

  Credit: Stefan Krause

• 
  The colourful Main Street of Tobermory on Mull

  Credit: Colin

• 
  View towards the Cuillin on Skye

  Credit: Stefan Krause

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

  Credit: Klaus with K

• 
  Small freshwater islets on Loch Assynt

  Credit: Vincent

• 
  The remains of the Old Pier at Salen, Mull

  Credit: Colin

• 
  View from Canna, overlooking Sanday towards Rùm

  Credit: Emoscopes

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

  Credit: Mihael Grmek

Topics

Categories

The main category is Islands of Scotland, with subcategories

Category puzzle

Select [►] to view subcategories

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

Scottish Island set index articles

Skerries of Scotland

Islands of the Tay

Tidal islands of Scotland

Towns on Scottish islands

Villages on Scottish islands

Things you can do

• Add new articles to the project by placing {{WPSI|class=|importance=}} on the talk page
• Add a link to the portal in the "See also" section of relevant articles with {{Portal|Scottish islands}}
• Take requested photographs or create requested pages, including Prehistoric Hebrides, Trialabreac, Dog Isle...
• Expand a Scottish Islands stub into a full article, adding images, citations, references and infoboxes; did you know that if you expand one 5x, you can nominate it for Did You Know?
• Improve one of the highest priority articles, including Mull, Bute, North & South Uist, Columba, Highland Clearances, Sorley MacLean, St Magnus Cathedral...
• Follow these hints to improve a B-class article and nominate it for Good Article
• Suggest articles, pictures, interesting facts, events and news to be featured here on the portal

Wikiproject

Castle Stalker, Loch Laich

Scottish Islands

Scotland • UK Geography • Islands

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

• 

  Commons
  Free media repository

• 

  Wikibooks
  Free textbooks and manuals

• 

  Wikidata
  Free knowledge base

• 

  Wikinews
  Free-content news

• 

  Wikiquote
  Collection of quotations

• 

  Wikisource
  Free-content library

• 

  Wikiversity
  Free learning tools

• 

  Wikivoyage
  Free travel guide

• 

  Wiktionary
  Dictionary and thesaurus

Discover Wikipedia using portals

• 

  List of all portals

• 

  The arts portal

• 

  Biography portal

• 

  Current events portal

• 

  Geography portal

• 

  History portal

• 

  Mathematics portal

• 

  Science portal

• 

  Society portal

• 

  Technology portal

• 

  Random portal

• 

  WikiProject Portals