Auskerry

Not to be confused with Out Skerries.

Auskerry

Scots name	Soond [1]
Old Norse name	Austrsker
Meaning of name	east skerry
Location
Auskerry Auskerry shown within Orkney
OS grid reference	HY675165
Coordinates	59°01′56″N2°34′11″W / 59.032267°N 2.569761°W / 59.032267; -2.569761
Physical geography
Island group	Orkney
Area	85 hectares (0.33 sq mi)
Area rank	157=  [2]
Highest elevation	18 metres (59 ft)
Administration
Council area	Orkney Islands
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Demographics
Population	2 [3]
Population rank	88=  [2]
Population density	2.35 people/km2 [3] [4]
References	[4] [5] [6] [7]
Auskerry Lighthouse
Constructed	1866
Built by	David Stevenson, Thomas Stevenson
Construction	stone
Automated	1961
Height	34 m (112 ft)
Shape	cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern [8] [9]
Markings	white tower, black lantern, ochre trim
Power source	solar power
Operator	Northern Lighthouse Board
Heritage	category B listed building
Fog signal	None
Focal height	34 m (112 ft)
Range	20 nmi (37 km; 23 mi)
Characteristic	Fl W 20s

Auskerry (Scots : Soond; Old Norse : Austrsker, east skerry) is a small island in eastern Orkney, Scotland. It lies in the North Sea south of Stronsay and has a lighthouse, completed in 1866.

Description

Auskerry is a small, flat, red sandstone islet, 3 miles (5 km) south of Stronsay. ^{[10] [11]} A standing stone and mediaeval chapel are signs of early settlement. ^[10] The island was uninhabited for a time after the automation of the lighthouse in the 1960s. It was previously a popular location for hunting seals. ^[10]

Auskerry has been inhabited for nearly 50 years by a family (of the reporter Hamish Auskerry) who keep a flock of rare North Ronaldsay sheep. ^[12] There are three small wind turbines and four solar panels on the island, which provide most of the power. After a series of expansions and renovations, the single roomed stone bothy is now a modern house with four bedrooms, kitchen, shower room and living room. The chemical toilet is outdoors due to the complication of installing septic tanks. Mail is delivered from Stronsay, once a month, by a fishing boat. ^[13]

Lighthouse

The lighthouse lights the north entrance to the Stronsay Firth. ^[14] It was built in 1866 by engineers David and Thomas Stevenson. ^[15] It is attached to two flats; the lower one is used all year as a store and the top one is used mainly in summer.

The Hastings County, a 116-metre Norwegian cargo ship, ran ashore on north west of Auskerry in 1926 during thick fog. ^[16] The vessel broke in half and wreckage is spread over a wide area, with the engine on the beach.

Wildlife

Auskerry is designated a Special Protection Area due to its importance as a nesting area for Arctic tern and European storm petrel; 4.2% of the breeding population of European storm petrels in Great Britain nest on the island. ^[17] The island has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant breeding populations of seabirds. ^[18]

See also

• Scotland portal
• Engineering portal

• Isle of Auskerry (Handmade Business)
• List of lighthouses in Scotland
• List of Northern Lighthouse Board lighthouses

References

1. "Map of Scotland in Scots - Guide and gazetteer" (PDF).
2. Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent. 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census and 101 such islands in 2022.
3. "Scottish Islands Data Dashboard". RESAS/Scottish Government. 2025. p. 6. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
4. Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN   978-1-84195-454-7.
5. Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 5 Orkney (Northern Isles) (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2008. ISBN   9780319228111.
6. Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). ISBN   0-901824-25-9
7. Pedersen, Roy (January 1992) Orkneyjar ok Katanes (map, Inverness, Nevis Print)
8. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Scotland: Orkney". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Retrieved 24 May 2016.
9. Auskerry Northern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 24 May 2016
10. "Auskerry". Gazetteer for Scotland . Retrieved 9 August 2009.
11. Express, Britain. "Orkney geography and climate". britainexpress.com. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
12. "Isle of Auskerry". Archived from the original on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
13. "Why postage should be cheaper in UK if Scots vote 'Yes'". BBC News. 19 April 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
14. "SS Hastings County Ashore On Auskerry". Scran. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
15. "Auskerry History". Northern Lighthouse Board . Retrieved 9 August 2009.
16. "Hastings County". North Isles Diving. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
17. "Special Protection Area description: Auskerry". JNCC. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
18. "Auskerry". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.

External links

• Northern Lighthouse Board

59°02′03″N2°34′05″W / 59.03429°N 2.56798°W / 59.03429; -2.56798