There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. this is not clear from this definition. Our fleet of four small vessels visit the islands of the Inner and Outer Hebrides, St Kilda, the remote North West Coast mainland and the Caledonian Canal. There are various small island groups within the Inner Hebrides that are included above. However, it was quarried to a depth of 76 metres (249 ft) below sea level leaving only the outer rim of the island. Haswell-Smith (2004) uses "an Island is a piece of land or group of pieces of land which is entirely surrounded by water at Lowest Astronomical Tide and to which there is no permanent means of dry access". The smaller Inner Hebridean islands, grouped by location (from south to north), in the vicinity of: From Ininmore Bay in Morvern to the River Sheil. [Note 13]. On a clear day visitors can see the beautiful Irish coast, which lies just The Isle of Skye, commonly known as Skye (An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or Eilean a' Cheò), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The archipelago is exposed to wind and tide. Haswell-Smith (2004) unless otherwise stated. Sgeir is "skerry" and often refers to a rock or rocks that lie submerged at high tide. [Note 5]. Exploration of the Hebrides from Ullapool gets you closer to the Outer Hebrides then any of our other start ports . Staffa came to prominence in the late 18th century after a visit by Sir Joseph Banks. The Hebrides have been shown to have been inhabited as far back as 6500 BC. In common with the other main island chains of Scotland many of the more remote islands were abandoned during the 19th and 20th centuries, in some cases after continuous habitation since prehistoric times. Fuaigh Beag or Vuia Be(a)g is an island in the Outer Hebrides. The Collins Encyclopedia of Scotland describes the Inner Hebrides as lying "east of The Minch", which would include any and all offshore islands. Lady's Rock, a skerry in Loch Linnhe, was the site of the attempted murder of Lady Catherine Campbell by her husband Lachlan Maclean of Duart in 1527. [32] Nearby Eilean-a-beithich once stood in the Easdale Sound between Easdale and Seil. Oronsay ( Scottish Gaelic : Orasaigh ), also sometimes spelt and pronounced Oransay by the local community, is a small tidal island south of Colonsay in the Scottish Inner Hebrides with an area of 543 hectares (1,340 acres). So, please broaden Many other prominent personalities visited Staffa over the next two centuries, including Felix Mendelssohn, whose Hebrides Overture brought further fame to the island. It is off the west coast of Lewis near Great Bernera in Loch Roag. Inner Hebrides The Inner Hebrides are those islands lying close to the mainland of Western Scotland. Staffa came to prominence in the late 18th century after a visit by Sir Joseph Banks. [18] At that time there was an investigation by the British government to test both the vulnerability of Britain to attack and the possibility of attacking Germany using anthrax. [6] Skye has been connected to Kyle of Lochalsh by the Skye Bridge since 1995. The northern Inner Hebrides, including Skye, the Small Isles and the Summer Isles, are part of the Highland unitary council region. In common with the other main island chains of Scotland many of the more remote islands were abandoned during the 19th and 20th centuries, in some cases after continuous habitation since prehistoric times. However, although the Outer Hebrides have retained many Gaelic speakers, in the 2001 census only Skye (31%) and Tiree (48%) had more than 25% of the resident population able to speak Gaelic; Mull, Jura, Gigha and Coll each recorded figures of less than 15%. Their boundaries are ill-defined. Ross and Cromarty, sometimes referred to as Ross-shire and Cromartyshire, is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Dingwall is the traditional county town. [33], In addition to being a hazard to navigation, the Torran Rocks south of Erraid are one of the locations featured in the novel Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson. The local government county is now divided between two local government areas: the Highland area and Na h-Eileanan Siar. Thus the "Inner Hebrides is a chain" is correct in that "Inner Hebrides" is the noun for an archipelago. This is a list of Orkney islands in Scotland. The Inner Hebrides comprise 35 inhabited islands as well as 44 uninhabited islands with an area greater than 30 hectares (74 acres). It may have been called, This island is in the Sound of Kerrera at, Encyclopædia Britannica (1978) states: "Hebrides – group of islands of the west coast of Scotland extending in an arc between 55.35 and 58.30 N and 5.26 and 8.40 W." This includes, General Register Office for Scotland (28 November 2003), Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. Portion of the North Atlantic Ocean, located off the coast of western Scotland, separating the mainland and the northern Inner Hebrides islands (to the east)—including Skye and the Small Isles—from the southern Outer Hebrides islands (to the west)—including South Uist, Eriskay, and Barra. This is widely agreed to be unhelpful as it intentionally excludes bridged islands. The Inner Hebrides that lie respectively north and south of Ardnamurchan are administered by two separate local authorities as part of larger territories. The definition of an island used in this list is that it is "land that is surrounded by seawater on a daily basis, but not necessarily at all stages of the tide, excluding human devices such as bridges and causeways". Like its southern neighbour Ross-shire, Sutherland has some of the most dramatic scenery in the whole of Europe, especially on its western fringe where the mountains meet the sea. Photo by permission of West Lothian Sub Aqua Club: Stevenson, R.L. Although obviously inhabited (there is a hotel on the island) the General Registers Office did not provide a population total for this tidal island in either the 2001 or 2011 censuses. In the past, the Hebrides as a whole were a strong Scottish Gaelic-speaking area, and in 1921 more than 50% of the populations of most of these islands, including Skye, Mull and Islay, were proficient in the language. [10], Lunga in the Firth of Lorn had a population of 7, Eilean Bàn a population of 2 and Eilean Donan a single resident in 2001 but none recorded a usually resident population in 2011. The main commercial activities are tourism, crofting, fishing, and whisky distilling. [31] Belnahua supported a population of slate workers in its substantial and now flooded central quarry during the 19th century. The Collins Encyclopedia of Scotland describes the Inner Hebrides as lying "east of The Minch", which would include any and all offshore islands. Its name means "little Fuaigh", and is named in contrast to Fuaigh Mòr nearby. [29] [30] Nearby Castle Stalker was in the possession of Clan Stewart of Appin at this time, but its more recent claim to fame is as a location in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail . [34]. There are various islands that lie in the sea lochs, such as Eilean Bàn and Eilean Donan, that might not ordinarily be described as "Hebridean", but no formal definition exists and for simplicity they are included in this list rather than elsewhere. The beauty of the area is world-renowned as evident by Wanderlust travel magazine featuring the Outer Hebrides as one of the top 100 Greatest Travel Experiences – the only area in Britain to make the list. [1], The modern economy centres on tourism, crofting, farming, fishing, and whisky distilling. There are countless archaelogical sites throughout the islands that provide evidence of thriving communities in the Inner and Outer Hebrides. The Clachan Bridge from Argyll to Seil was designed by Thomas Telford and dates from 1792. Sutherland is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. The Lewis Chessmen were discovered in the dunes behind the beach. The northern Inner Hebrides including Skye, the Small Isles and the Summer Isles are part of the Highland unitary council region. These places had been perceived as relatively self-sufficient agricultural economies,[15] but both island residents and outsiders later came to consider that the more remote islands lacked the essential services of a modern industrial economy. [6] Skye has been connected to Kyle of Lochalsh by the Skye Bridge since 1995. Ross-shire is a historic county in the Scottish Highlands. The Outer Hebrides are a … [8], Castle Stalker, Eilean Horrisdale, Eilean Loain and Inch Kenneth are "included in the NRS statistical geography for inhabited islands but had no usual residents at the time of either the 2001 or 2011 censuses". You should be able to sail to the outer Hebrides and for Bara, Mingulay and for those in the know Parabay. Covering much of the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, it is Scotland's largest county, though one of the smallest in population, with 67,733 people or 1.34% of the Scottish population. [5]. 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