Rabbit Islands, Scotland on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Rabbit Islands ( ) are a group of three uninhabited small islands off the north coast of
or "Eilean nan Gaill".
The Rabbit Islands ( ) are a group of three uninhabited small islands off the north coast of Sutherland
Sutherland () is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. The name dates from the Scandinavian Scotland, Viking era when t ...
, Scotland in Tongue Bay. In Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...
, and occasionally in English, they are known as Eileanan nan Gall, which is sometimes anglicised as "Eilean-na-Gaeilor "Eilean nan Gaill".
Geography and geology
The islands' modern name derives from their sandy soil, which favoursrabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...
burrows and makes their presence particularly obvious, although the rabbit population had been reduced by myxomatosis
Myxomatosis is a disease caused by '' Myxoma virus'', a poxvirus in the genus '' Leporipoxvirus''. The natural hosts are tapeti (''Sylvilagus brasiliensis'') in South and Central America, and brush rabbits (''Sylvilagus bachmani'') in North ...
as of 2016. They are fairly low lying, slender in shape, and along with the surrounding fjard
A fjard (, ) is a large open space of water between groups of islands or mainland in archipelagos. Fjards can be found along sea coasts, in freshwater lakes or in rivers. Fjard and fjord were originally the same word, and they generally meant sa ...
of Tongue Bay, they show the effects of former glaciation
A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate be ...
. They are made up of sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
.
The northernmost of the group is called Sgeir an Òir, and there is a natural arch
A natural arch, natural bridge, or (less commonly) rock arch is a natural landform where an arch has formed with an opening underneath. Natural arches commonly form where inland cliffs, Cliffed coast, coastal cliffs, Fin (geology), fins or Stack ...
at its north end called "Claigeann na Sgeir" (Bell of the Skerry
A skerry ( ) is a small rocky island, or islet, usually too small for human habitation. It may simply be a rocky reef. A skerry can also be called a low stack (geology), sea stack.
A skerry may have vegetative life such as moss and small, ...
). The southwestern island is linked to the central island by a tidal sand spit. A second spit extends to the mainland, but is only exposed at low spring tides.
They are near Coldbackie, Melness
Melness (Gaelic: Taobh Mhealanais) is a locality comprising a group of small remote crofting townships, lying to the west of Tongue Bay opposite Coldbackie, in the north coast of Sutherland, Scottish Highlands. It is in the Scottish council area ...
and Talmine
Talmine () was a town and commune in Charouine District, Adrar Province, in south-central Algeria. In 2019, the redistribution moved the larger Charouine District into the newly-created Timimoun Province. According to the 2008 census it has a po ...
on the mainland, and Eilean nan Ròn is to the north east. They are in the parish of Tongue
The tongue is a Muscle, muscular organ (anatomy), organ in the mouth of a typical tetrapod. It manipulates food for chewing and swallowing as part of the digestive system, digestive process, and is the primary organ of taste. The tongue's upper s ...
.
History
The islands' older name "Eileanan nan Gall", means "islands of the strangers", or "Norsemen
The Norsemen (or Northmen) were a cultural group in the Early Middle Ages, originating among speakers of Old Norse in Scandinavia. During the late eighth century, Scandinavians embarked on a Viking expansion, large-scale expansion in all direc ...
".
Supposedly, a ship carrying gold to Charles Edward Stuart
Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...
was wrecked on the island.(1984) ''AA Illustrated Guide to Britain's Coast''. Drive Publications/Automobile Association The name Sgeir an Òir (skerry of the gold) may be a reference to this.
The islands are popular with scuba divers, and have in the past been used for grazing.
See also
*List of islands of Scotland
This is a list of islands of Scotland, the mainland of which is part of the island of Great Britain. Also included are various other related tables and lists. The definition of an offshore island used in this list is "land that is surrounded by ...
* List of outlying islands of Scotland
The outlying islands of Scotland are not part of the larger archipelagos and island groups of Scotland—the Hebrides, the Northern Isles or the Islands of the Forth and Islands of the Clyde, Clyde estuaries. None of these islands are currentl ...
References