Carna or Càrna is an island in Loch Sunart, an arm of the sea, close to the

Ardnamurchan Ardnamurchan (, gd, Àird nam Murchan: headland of the great seas) is a peninsula in the ward management area of Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, noted for being very unspoiled and undisturbed. Its remoteness is accentuated by the main acces ...

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on al ...

, on the west coast of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

Geography

Carna lies wedged across the mouth of Loch Teacuis in the middle of Loch Sunart, forming two narrow kyles which provide some of the trickiest rock-dodging for yachtsmen anywhere on the west coast. Moine schist bedrock of quartz-feldspar constitution, with mixed schists and mica schists in a west coastal strip. A north–south ridge divides the island in two. From the heather covered rocky peak of Cruachan Chàrna, there are extensive views over Oronsay, Loch Sunart,

Morvern Morvern, historically also spelt Morven, is a peninsula and traditional district in the Highlands, on the west coast of Scotland. It lies south of the districts of Ardgour and Sunart, and is bounded on the north by Loch Sunart and Glen Tarbe ...

Coll Coll (; gd, Cola; sco, Coll)Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 31 is an island located west of the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Coll is known for its sandy beaches, which rise to form large sand dunes, for its corncrakes, and f ...

and Isle of Mull.

Wildlife

Carna contains a wide variety of habitats that support a large range of native wildlife species including

otters Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes ...

sea The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

and golden eagles, orchids, harbour seals,

Arctic tern The Arctic tern (''Sterna paradisaea'') is a tern in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe (as far south as Brittany), Asia, and North America (as far ...

s, foxes,

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of wes ...

, water shrews,

woodpeckers Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar region ...

, cuckoos,

herons The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychu ...

curlews The curlews () are a group of nine species of birds in the genus ''Numenius'', characterised by their long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. The English name is imitative of the Eurasian curlew's call, but may have been ...

and kestrels. The island's habitats include wild flower meadows, native

Atlantic Oakwood Temperate rainforests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rain. Temperate rain forests occur in oceanic moist regions around the world: the Pacific temperate rain forests of North American Pac ...

and Scots Pine woodlands, hill grazing, heather moorland and wetland habitats which is a diverse selection for a small island and helps support a wide biodiversity. Scotland hosts the only populations of

European wildcat The European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') is a small wildcat species native to continental Europe, Scotland, Turkey and the Caucasus. It inhabits forests from the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Central and Eastern Europe to the Caucasus. Its fur i ...

(sub-species ''Felis sylvestris grampia'') in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles (O ...

, with numbers estimated at between 400 and 2,000 animals. In 2013 it was announced that the island of Càrna is to provide a

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a s ...

and breeding station in order to protect the threatened species."Remote island plan to help save Scottish wildcats from extinction"
(23 September 2013) Glasgow. ''The Herald''. Retrieved 25 September 2013. In 2014 Carna Conservation Initiative was formed by the owners with local business Ardnamurchan Marine Centre to enhance and protect the islands wildlife and habitats, improve the islands economic and environmental sustainability and benefit the local community and economy. The initiative includes a range of conservation projects including restoring ancient wild flower meadows, recreating native woodlands, establishing colonies of native dark honeybees, removing

invasive Invasive may refer to: *Invasive (medical) procedure *Invasive species *Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance *Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...

non-native species and taking part in the monitoring of Loch Sunart

Marine Protected Area Marine protected areas (MPA) are protected areas of seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity for a conser ...

(MPA) which surrounds the island.

Economy and history

Carna is thought to be more fertile than its neighbour, Oronsay, and due to its much greater aspect has better water sources. There are signs of terracing by early man and the northern part of the island is named Bac a' Mhathachaidh (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well a ...

: "cultivated bank"). The island has a clear "in-bye" area of around , which has been improved over hundreds of years for farming by drainage into an ancient 'Head dyke' and the cultivation of fields for haymaking and growing crops. This area surrounds the once main township of Dailachreagain (

: "rocky meadow") which once had around 20 dwellings. There is also the remains of a tidal fish trap in one of the bays on the eastern side of the island and at various points around the shore can be seen bait holes where inhabitants would have pounded their fish bait. Originally forming part of the Kingdom of Dal Riata, and later the Lordship of The Isles, the island was a strategic hub and used as a clan gathering site on a number of occasions. The MacDonalds were gathered on Carna by

Donald Balloch Donald Balloch MacDonald ( Scottish Gaelic: ''Dòmhnall Ballach Mac Dhòmhnaill'') Scottish-Gaelic lord, died about 1476. Biography MacDonald was a son of John Mór Tanister and Margery Byset, daughter of MacEoin Bisset, Lord of The Glens. He ...

in 1431 prior to the Battle of Inverlochy where they were on the winning side against the Scottish Crown. Later in 1543 the last remaining claimant to the Lordship of the Isles, Donald Dubh, led his final insurrection from Carna before dying a short time later. With the full decline of the Lordship by 1493 the Island then passed to the

Duke of Argyll Duke of Argyll ( gd, Diùc Earraghàidheil) is a title created in the peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The earls, marquesses, and dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerful ...

until it was sold off in the 19th century. In common with many Scottish islands the population has declined since the 19th century. At one point up to 18 families lived there but by 1881 the population was seven. In 1891 it was recorded as ten but this had dropped to only two in 1961. No permanent population was recorded in 1981, 2001 or 2011. The island has been privately owned by the same family since the 1880s and has three holiday homes with currently no permanent inhabitants. Carna House, rebuilt as a holiday home in 1920s and largely untouched since then, and Carna Cottage are available to rent on a self-catered basis through Carna Conservation Initiative. A graveyard still remains above and behind Carna Cottage, which has headstones marked from 1707 to 2008. The last use occurred there in 2009 when the ashes of Margaret Hewer, a former owner in the family, were scattered there. Her father Dr Earnshaw Hewer was also buried on Carna in 1931."Hewer, Edward Septimus Earnshaw (1875 - 1931)"
Plarr's Lives of the Fellows Online. Retrieved 25 September 2013.

Glencripesdale Estate

Carna once formed part of the neighbouring

Glencripesdale Estate The Glencripesdale Estate is a country estate situated along the south side of Loch Sunart, a sea loch in the west highlands of Scotland. Today, the Isle of Càrna is the last remaining part of a once huge acre deer forest, river and grous ...

stretched for along the entire south side of Loch Sunart, and the entire east side of Loch Teacuis. It comprised the smaller estates of Glencripesdale, Laudale and Rahoy, and measured , and its centre point was the 27-bedroom Glencripesdale Castle. It was purchased in the 1870s by the three Newton brothers (

Canon Horace Newton Horace Newton (1844–1920) was a priest within the Church of England, philanthropist, and country landowner. Life He lived at the country house of Holmwood, Redditch, Worcestershire, which he had built for him in 1892–3 by Temple Lushington ...

, Goodwin Newton & William Newton III). Dr. Earnshaw Hewer, the son in law of Canon Newton, bought the island in 1922 when the rest of the estate was being sold after the Canon's death and thus Carna is the last remaining part still owned by the family.

Footnotes

External links