Staffin Island (possibly also known as Stenscholl Island) is an uninhabited islet off the east coast of the
Trotternish
Trotternish () is the northernmost peninsula of the Isle of Skye in Scotland, spanning in length from Portree to Rubha Hunish. The Trotternish escarpment runs almost the full length of the peninsula, some ,Ordnance Survey ''Landranger'' 1:50000 ...
peninsula of
Skye
The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some o ...
in Scotland.
The Norse name may have been ''Fladdaidh'' meaning "flat island". The Gaelic name ''Eilean Stafainn'' has the same meaning as the modern English name which is taken from the nearby settlement of
Staffin
Staffin () is a township with the Gaelic name ''An Taobh Sear'', which translates as "the East Side", on the northeast coast of the Trotternish peninsula on the Isle of Skye. It is located on the A855 road about north of Portree and is over ...
.
In 2011 it was reported that the island may be the last in Scotland where the old tradition of having cattle swim between grazings is still carried out.
Crofter Iain MacDonald, who used to swim with the animals, now uses a boat to encourage them to swim from Staffin Island to Skye in early spring and back again in October.
"The Hut on Staffin Island" is a tune composed by Phil Cunningham."The Hut on Staffin Island" nigelgatherer.com. Retrieved 12 February 2011.