Scottish Gaelic name | Innis Chonachain |
---|---|
Meaning of name | The Colquhoun's Island |
Location | |
OS grid reference | NS375918 |
Coordinates | 56°05′28″N4°36′43″W / 56.091°N 4.612°W |
Physical geography | |
Island group | Loch Lomond |
Area | 35 ha [1] |
Area rank | (Freshwater: 12) [2] |
Highest elevation | 50 m |
Administration | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Country | Scotland |
Council area | Argyll and Bute |
Demographics | |
Population | ~7-10 Wallabies |
References | [3] [4] |
Inchconnachan (Innis Chonachain in Gaelic, meaning 'The Colquhoun's Island') is an island in Loch Lomond in Scotland, in the Trossachs National Park. [5] It is accessible by boat from the village of Luss on the south side of the Loch.
The island is uninhabited and is an Area of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation.
Wallabies, of the species Macropus rufogriseus (Red-necked Wallaby), were introduced by Fiona Gore, Countess of Arran in the 1940s, and still roam wild. [6] It is one of the very few places outside Australia which has a viable population of wallabies. [7]
On 9 July 2020, Inchconnachan was put up for sale by the Colquhoun family, at a price of over £500,000. It was sold to Soho House founder, Nick Jones and his wife, Kirsty Young. [8]
The sale included a derelict colonial-style timber bungalow dating from the 1920s, built for the tea merchant Admiral Sullivan, which was later the holiday home of the family of Fiona Gore, Countess of Arran. Planning consent and detailed architectural drawings are in place to replace the bungalow with a new four-bedroom lodge and one-bedroom warden's house, along with a boat house and pier. [9]
Objections have been received to the development including an online petition of over 100,000 signatures and an objection from the Woodland Trust Scotland, as the building work would involve cutting down trees including ancient oak woodland [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-60319920 ][ https://www.thenational.scot/news/20279873.inchconnachan-wallabies-petition-save-population-hits-100-000-signatures/ ][ https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/09/woodland-trust-joins-objection-to-kirsty-youngs-plan-for-scottish-island ]
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. 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.
A phantom kangaroo is a report of kangaroos, wallabies, or their accompanying footprints in areas where there is no native population. Some explanations put forth are escaped zoo or circus animals, or publicity stunts by local businesses using photographs from Australia. Others suggest outbreaks of such sightings are a form of mass hysteria.
A wallaby is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and sometimes the same genus, but kangaroos are specifically categorised into the four largest species of the family. The term "wallaby" is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or a wallaroo that has not been designated otherwise.
The West Highland Way is a linear long-distance route in Scotland. It is 154 km long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, with an element of hill walking in the route. The trail, which opened in 1980, was Scotland's first officially designated Long Distance Route, and is now designated by NatureScot as one of Scotland's Great Trails. It is primarily intended as a long distance walking route, and whilst many sections are suitable for mountain biking and horseriding there are obstacles and surfaces that will require these users to dismount in places.
The red-necked wallaby or Bennett's wallaby is a medium-sized macropod marsupial (wallaby), common in the more temperate and fertile parts of eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Red-necked wallabies have been introduced to several other countries, including New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Isle of Man, France and Germany.
Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands. Traditionally forming part of the boundary between the counties of Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire, Loch Lomond is split between the council areas of Stirling, Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire. Its southern shores are about 23 kilometres (14 mi) northwest of the centre of Glasgow, Scotland's largest city. The Loch forms part of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park which was established in 2002.
The Isle of Bute, known as Bute, is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, United Kingdom. It is divided into highland and lowland areas by the Highland Boundary Fault.
Kirsty Jackson Young is a Scottish television and radio presenter.
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park is a national park in Scotland centred on Loch Lomond and the hills and glens of the Trossachs, along with several other ranges of hills. It was the first of the two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament in 2002, the second being the Cairngorms National Park. The park extends to cover much of the western part of the southern highlands, lying to the north of the Glasgow conurbation, and contains many mountains and lochs. It is the fourth-largest national park in the British Isles, with a total area of 1,865 km2 (720 sq mi) and a boundary of some 350 km (220 mi) in length. It features 21 Munros and 20 Corbetts.
Arthur Desmond Colquhoun Gore, 9th Earl of Arran, styled Viscount Sudley between 1958 and 1983, is a British peer and Lord Temporal in the House of Lords, sitting with the Conservative Party.
Inchmurrin is an island in Loch Lomond in Scotland. It is the largest fresh water island in the British Isles.
Inchmoan is an island in Loch Lomond, Scotland.
Inchlonaig is an island in Loch Lomond in Scotland.
Inchtavannach, is one of the larger islands in Loch Lomond.
Arthur Kattendyke Strange David Archibald Gore, 8th Earl of Arran, styled Lord Arran, was a British columnist and politician who served as the Conservative whip in the House of Lords. He is known for leading the effort in the House of Lords to decriminalise male homosexuality in 1967, following the suicide of his gay brother.
Bucinch or Buc-Innis is a small island in Loch Lomond, in west central Scotland.
The Ross Isles are two small islands in Loch Lomond, in west central Scotland.
The Balloch Steam Slipway consists of a ramp, carriage and steam powered winch located on the shores of Loch Lomond by which ships or boats can be moved in and out of the loch, usually for repairs and general maintenance. It is owned and operated by the Loch Lomond Steamship Company. It is thought to be Europe's last steam operated winch and it is contained within a railway-style winch house that is category A listed.
Fiona Bryde Gore, Countess of Arran was a Scottish powerboating racer who was awarded the 1980 Segrave Trophy. She held the record for the fastest woman on water.