Inhabited west coast Scottish islands - The Outer Hebrides - Eriskay

At just 2.75 square miles (1760 acres), Eriskay is one of the smaller islands in the Outer Hebrides. A bit like Vatersay, it has a larger northern section and a smaller southern section with a narrow strip of land connecting both bits. The northern section is mainly Beinn Sgritheann (at 185 metres or 606 feet), with the southern section being mainly Beinn nan Stac (at only 125 metres or 410 feet). Unlike Vatersay, the ridge connecting both sections is raised well above sea level and also hosts a third, even smaller hill (Beinn Cracabhaig at only 73 metres or 239 feet). Also unlike Vatersay, Eriskay does not host a beautiful sandy beach on both sides of this connecting isthmus - although there is a very fine, white sandy beach on the western side (Tràigh Leis), which stretches northwards until it almost joins with a scattering of sandy beaches (some very small) reaching towards where the causeway to South Uist starts. This more northern string of beaches are separated by rocky outcroppings (maybe making it more fun to explore for anyone not solely into swimming or sunbathing). Tràigh Leis is better known as the Prince’s Strand due to it being the spot that Prince Charles Edward Stewart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) first set foot on Scottish soil when raising the flag, or standard, for what became known as the '45 rebellion.

As an aside here, it is often thought that the '45 rebellion, along with all the battles leading up to Culloden, was a Scotland versus England thing. That is not the case as there were about as many Scots fighting with the Red Coats as there were fighting for the Jacobite cause. This war was a battle between the Roman Catholic supporters of the deposed, Roman Catholic, Stewart line and the Protestant line of George II, whose father, George I, being the first of the Hanovarian line, came to the throne when Queen Anne died without any children and he was the closest, living, Protestant in the line of succession (The Act Of Settlement of 1701 demanding a Protestant monarch from that date onwards). He was also related, through his mother, to the Stewart line. The west of Scotland, including the southern islands of the Outer Hebrides, where Bonnie Prince Charlie landed, were mainly Gaelic speaking Catholics, while much of the rest of Scotland had already converted to the Protestant faith. From what I can determine, the northern islands of the chain had mainly already converted away from Catholicism and did not actively support the Jacobite cause. To this day there is a religious split through the middle of the archipelago with the northern half being mainly Free Church Of Scotland (known as the Wee Frees) while the southern islands remain mainly Roman Catholic.

The main population of Eriskay is scattered along it's northern coast (Bun A Mhuilinn, Haun and Rhuban) and slightly down the north western coast (Balla). I say ‘scattered’ because the houses, although fairly close to each other, are not jam packed together like they’d be in a village or town. There are also a scattering of homes around Acairseid Mhor, halfway down the east coast (on the eastern side of the isthmus connecting the northern and southern sections of the island). There are also a few houses dotted about between both areas, although these are even less closely spaced to each other compared to the other inhabited locations mentioned above. The southern portion of the island is basically uninhabited, apart from the homes along the southern coast of Acairseid Mhor and what appears to be an accommodation business, just south of the Barra jetty, on the west coast. As of the most recent 2022 census, Eriskay's population was 158. Crofting, fishing and tourism provide the main income sources for the islanders - and tourism, these days, now includes a pub serving both drinks and meals (Am Politician, named after the famous S.S. Politician which sank between Eriskay and South Uist in 1941, an incident which gave rise to Compton MacKenzie’s famous book, then film, Whisky Galore. Since MacKenzie lived on Barra, and most of the film was shot on Barra, many assumed that the S.S. Politician went down off Barra. That is not the case (although the sinking was not too far away). A bit of research shows that the ship went down in the Sound of Eriskay, just north of the very small, uninhabited island of Calvay - which means that the nearest inhabited island to the disaster was South Uist (although the nearest human being was probably on Eriskay as that corner of South Uist is uninhabited). Stories related to me in my youth indicate that my mother’s cousin, twice or three times removed, was one of the many islanders who raided the wreck for some of it’s whisky and that his wife complained, after several such trips, that it was only whisky he was bringing home. As a result, he came back next time with some pretty useless household items. The truth of this story remains in doubt and all the active characters are no longer with us, making it impossible to check one way or the other.

Although Eriskay is mainly three, small, rough and heather clad hills, it does also have some machair type land (backing the sandy beaches) - not much, compared to, say, South Uist to the north, but enough for a mix of flora and fauna suitable for a range of conditions. Birds which might be spotted include; eagles (both golden and white tailed sea eagles), lapwings and the usual host of divers, waders and seabirds. Animals, including land and marine life, which might be seen include; seals, dolphins, porpoises, whales (e.g. minke and killer), otters and the usual sheep and cattle. Red Deer can now also be occasionally seen on Eriskay - no doubt crossing the causeway (getting to Eriskay before that being just about impossible for them). In addition to the above, Eriskay is also home to the Eriskay Pony. These ponies roam free on the island but are sadly endangered (there are specific reasons as to why this is the case but it would take too long to outline those here - if you’d like to know, then please feel free to ask the likes of Google what those reasons are). Then there is the plant life, including the already mentioned heather along with clover, buttercups, orchids and more. In addition to the above there is also the rare Prince’s Flower (calystegia soldanella). This is a pretty pink flower which grows close to the ground. It is known as the Prince’s Flower as the story is that Bonnie Prince Charlie scattered it’s seeds when he first stepped ashore on Eriskay, maybe inadvertently or maybe deliberately (who knows?). It had always been my understanding that the Prince’s Flower was only found on Eriskay (in Scotland, anyway) but on reading up on Vatersay I found it mentioned that it was also to be found there. This, for me, raises some doubt about the above story as there is no record of Bonnie Prince Charlie visiting Vatersay (coming or going). At the same time, birds could have been responsible for spreading the seeds from one island to the other - but in that case why just to Vatersay and Eriskay and not also Barra, South Uist and the rest of the archipelago? As with all the Outer Hebrides there are no native trees, although some have been introduced in sheltered spots like Acairseid Mhor (note that even on the nicest of days, the Outer Hebrides are very often subjected to a strong, south westerly wind - and Eriskay is no exception). Although I didn’t particularly notice them on my visits, the satellite view on my phone suggests several areas which seem to have quite a covering of low lying bushes. I have not, however, been able to determine what these might be outside of, perhaps, gorse, broom and maybe willow scrub.

When I first started to visit the Outer Hebrides (1952), as a baby and for many years after that, the only way to get to Eriskay was by boat from South Uist - and sometimes, especially at very low tide, that boat was basically nothing but a very large rowing boat. As far as I can remember, there was no direct link between Eriskay and Barra. These days there is the ferry link direct to Eriskay from Barra as well as the causeway from South Uist, with no need, these days, for an unsafe boat crossing. I well remember one such crossing to Eriskay at a very low tide. This tide was so low that everyone, including old ladies getting tangled up in their long skirts and dresses, had to scramble out over seaweed covered rocks before almost having to slide into the overcrowded, ‘very large rowing boat’ - this because the whole of the usual Ludag jetty was high and dry. Also on this crossing, the ‘very large rowing boat’ ran aground, halfway across, on a sand bank. The two men rowing the boat had to jump overboard, not even up to their knees in the water, and push the whole boat off into (slightly) deeper water in order to complete the trip without having to wait for the tide to come back in. This, of course, might go some way to explaining why the S.S. Politician sank trying to sail through this sound instead of the sound between Eriskay and Barra.

What is there to do on Eriskay when you get there - and how long before you exhaust it's possibilities? Well, there are the beaches to enjoy (including swimming if it's not too cold). There are the above mentioned birds and animals to go searching for a sight of and there are the three small hills to climb along with exploratory walks through the island's uninhabited areas. Unfortunately, there are no ancient or historical sites or places to visit (apart from the Prince’s Strand). Day trips to Barra and the Uists could also be undertaken. For how long could all the above keep you amused? That could depended upon the weather and how much you enjoy lounging about and soaking up the peace and tranquillity of a beautiful wee, Hebridean island. I'd say that a visit of at least a week would not be too long to make the most of it.

As always, a selection of photographs that I’ve taken over the years completes this post. The square shaped ones date back to between about 1973 and 1976 while all the rectangular ones are from 2019, when I visited the Outer Hebrides just to ensure I’d visited every inhabited island in the chain, large or very small. Sadly, the weather on the 2019 visit had become dull and overcast (after being bright and sunny earlier in the week) but I hope they still give an idea of what Eriskay looks like.

 

 

The above photo is of the car ferry to Barra sitting at the Eriskay jetty.

 

 

The shot above is of the Prince's Strand, taken from the Eriskay to Barra car ferry jetty. On a sunny day the beach would have been an almost blinding white - but we can't control the weather.

 

 

 

The photo above was taken somewhere along the road from Balla to the jetty - but I'm not sure exactly where. Looking at the first photo, and the turns in the road in the this photo, I suspect it was taken a bit nearer the jetty than the first one - but I wouldn't swear to that.

 

 

 

The photo above was taken on the Prince's Strand - on a much sunnier day than the previous one. I don't know the exact year I took this but I figure it was somewhere around 1975. 

 

 

The photo above is (I think) a photo of one of the beaches near to Balla (on the north western corner of Eriskay) taken around 1975. The hill in the background is (I'm almost certain) Ben Easaval (or Easabhal) at the southern end of South Uist (797 feet or 243 metres). Alternatively, it might be another shot of the Prince's Strand (I didn't exactly keep notes of my pictures in those days and there was no GPS to help me later) but I don't think it is.

 

 

  The above photo is (I think) of the road approaching Balla from the jetty. I think it's looking north.

 

 

The photo above was taken (I think) on the north coast of Eriskay but I'm not sure exactly where - but it gives an idea of the spread of homes in Eriskay's densest urban area.

 

 

 

The photo above is of the township and harbour known as the Haun on the north coast of Eriskay, just to the west of where the causeway from South Uist arrives. The inlet is where the passenger ferry (or very large rowing boat, at times) used to arrive. As before, this shot gives an idea of what Eriskay looks like, along with the spread of it's homes and other buildings.

 

 

 

The above photo is of the causeway between Eriskay and South Uist. I'm not certain which way I was looking when I took this - but I think I was on South Uist looking across to Eriskay (and the geography in the picture would tend to confirm this).

 

 

The photo above was taken from the south coast of South Uist looking towards Eriskay and the causeway. Way back, years and years ago, MacBrayne's (probably - before it became CalMac) had a billboard/hoarding advert looking along this same direction (but with more of the Sound of Eriskay included). It was a gorgeous picture showing a view that no longer exists as the causeway has ruined it. At the same time, life has been made a lot easier for Eriskay's inhabitants - so complaints will be ignored.