Scottish Gaelic name | Eilean Tioram |
---|---|
Location | |
OS grid reference | NG781740 |
Coordinates | 57°42′04″N5°43′30″W / 57.701°N 5.725°W |
Physical geography | |
Island group | Wester Ross |
Area | 1.62 ha (4 acres) |
Highest elevation | 10 metres (33 ft) |
Administration | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Country | Scotland |
Council area | Highland |
Demographics | |
Population | 6 [1] |
Population rank | 74= [2] |
Dry Island is an inhabited island in Loch Gairloch in Wester Ross, Scotland, and part of the Inner Hebrides. Dry Island is translated from the Gaelic name for the Island "Eilean Tioram". [3]
Dry Island is located on the small harbour of Badachro and sheltered by Eilean Horrisdale, the largest island in Loch Gairloch. [4] It is connected to the mainland by a floating footbridge built in the 1990s. [5] Next to Dry Island is the smaller Island, Sgeir Ghlas, which can be reached by foot during low tide or by boat.
In 2011, the island was classified by the National Records of Scotland as one of 93 "inhabited islands in Scotland with usual residents, including those joined to the mainland or to other islands by a bridge, causeway or ford." [1]
Dry Island is currently owned by Ian McWhinney, a descendant of the Mackenzies. Since the 15th century, his family have lived, fished and farmed in the area. Nowadays Dry Island is the home of the family as well as the base of the fishing business owned by the McWhinneys. Additionally Dry Island is used as a guest accommodation with three guest houses and the starting point of the shellfish safari on McWhinney's working creel boat. [6]
At the end of the nineteenth century, Dry Island was one of two curing stations at the busy fishing center of Badachro and the dried fish, herring and cod was "exported all over Europe and to the Caribbean." [7] Nowadays, there are still few boats fishing for langoustines and crabs, which are exported to the south of Scotland, all over England and in Europe. [8] [7]
Built around 1840, the former fishing station including the family house and the jetty on Dry Island are listed buildings by the Historic Environment Scotland. [9]
After being dissatisfied with the 'politics of distant shores' as well as supporting a more local government, the owner of Dry Island claimed independence before the 2010 election. That is how the micronation of Islonia was founded. [10] [11]
Since then Islonia has been an issue to many radio and TV shows such as in the documentary "Micronations" by Discovery Channel.[ citation needed ]
Gairloch is a village, civil parish and community on the shores of Loch Gairloch in Wester Ross, in the North-West Highlands of Scotland. A tourist destination in the summer months, Gairloch has a golf course, a museum, several hotels, a variety of shops, takeaway restaurants, a community centre, a leisure centre with sports facilities, a local radio station, beaches and nearby mountains. Gairloch is one of the principal villages on the North Coast 500 route.
Ross and Cromarty, also referred to as Ross-shire and Cromartyshire, is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use, the latter of which is 8,019 square kilometres in extent. Historically there has also been a constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, a local government county, a district of the Highland local government region and a management area of the Highland Council. The local government county is now divided between two local government areas: the Highland area and Na h-Eileanan Siar. Ross and Cromarty border Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south.
Rona, sometimes called South Rona to distinguish it from North Rona, is an inhabited island in the Inner Hebrides. It lies between the Sound of Raasay and the Inner Sound just north of the neighbouring island of Raasay and east of the Trotternish peninsula of Skye. It has a total area of 930 hectares (3.6 sq mi) and a population of 3.
The Gair Loch is a sea loch on the North West coast of Highland, Scotland. In Scottish Gaelic it is an Geàrr Loch meaning 'the short loch'. Around 6 miles (9.7 km) long by 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide, it leads west to the Little Minch. The B8021 and B8056 run around its northern and southern shores respectively, connecting the villages of Gairloch, Charlestown, Kerrysdale, Shieldaig, Badachro, and Port Henderson. Longa Island lies at the loch's entrance.
Badachro is a former fishing village, in the northwest Highlands of Scotland.
Torsa is one of the Slate Islands in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Lying east of Luing and south of Seil, this tidal island was inhabited until the 1960s. There is now only one house there, which is used for holiday lets. The underlying bedrock is slate but unlike Torsa's immediate island neighbours this has never been worked commercially. The island's name is of Norse origin but the most prominent historical structure on the island is the ruined Caisteal nan Con on the northeast shore, once held by Clan Campbell. The abundant sea life in the waters surrounding the island are protected by the Loch Sunart to the Sound of Jura Marine Protected Area.
Loch Shiel is a freshwater loch situated 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Fort William in the Highland council area of Scotland. At 28 kilometres long it is the 4th longest loch in Scotland, and is the longest to have retained a natural outflow without any regulation of its water level, being 120 m (393 ft) deep. Its nature changes considerably along its length, being deep and enclosed by mountains in the north east and shallow surrounded by bog and rough pasture in the south west, from which end the 4 km River Shiel drains to the sea in Loch Moidart near Castle Tioram.
Castle Tioram is a ruined castle that sits on the tidal island Eilean Tioram in Loch Moidart, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is located west of Acharacle, approximately 80 km (50 mi) from Fort William. Though hidden from the sea, the castle controls access to Loch Shiel. It is also known to the locals as "Dorlin Castle". The castle is a scheduled monument.
Loch Torridon is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland in the Northwest Highlands. The loch was created by glacial processes and is in total around 15 miles (25 km) long. It has two sections: Upper Loch Torridon to landward, east of Rubha na h-Airde Ghlaise, at which point it joins Loch Sheildaig; and the main western section of Loch Torridon proper. Loch a' Chracaich and Loch Beag are small inlets on the southern shores of the outer Loch, which joins the Inner Sound between the headlands of Rubha na Fearna to the south and Red Point to the north.
The Isle of Ewe is a small Scottish island on the west coast of Ross and Cromarty. The island is inhabited by a single family, the Grants, who have lived at the Main House in the south of the island since the mid-19th century.
Ross-shire is a historic county in the Scottish Highlands. The county borders Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire – a county consisting of numerous enclaves or exclaves scattered throughout Ross-shire's territory. Ross-shire includes most of Ross along with Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Dingwall is the traditional county town. The area of Ross-shire is based on that of the historic province of Ross, but with the exclusion of the many enclaves that form Cromartyshire.
Eilean Shona is a tidal island in Loch Moidart, Scotland. The modern name may be from the Old Norse for "sea island". The pre-Norse Gaelic name, as recorded by Adomnán was Airthrago or Arthràigh, meaning 'foreshore island', similar to the derivation of Erraid.
Isle Martin is an uninhabited island in Loch Broom, on the west coast of Scotland. It is the closest of the Summer Isles to Ullapool and has been the site of a monastery, a herring curing station and a flour mill. Now recognised as a bird sanctuary, it is owned and managed by a community trust.
Eilean Ruairidh Mòr is a forested island in Loch Maree, Wester Ross, Scotland. Its name was formerly anglicised as "Ellan-Rorymore".
Eilean Mhic Chrion is a tidal island sheltering Ardfern in Loch Craignish, Scotland.
Eilean Horrisdale is an uninhabited island in Loch Gairloch in Wester Ross, Scotland.
Eilean Loain is a small island in Loch Sween and one of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.