Island 459 - Orasaigh, North Uist

Orasaigh is a large uninhabited tidal island used for grazing cattle.  It is one of several tidal islands called Orasaigh or Oronsay, which I have visited, as the name means "tidal island" in Gaelic.  This Orasaigh is located off the north coast of North Uist half a mile north east of the village of Grenitote.  It is very roughly triangular in shape and is about a mile from north to south at its longest point and a mile from east to west at its widest point.  It rises to a height of 25 metres above sea level.  I only visited the south east corner of the island. 

I accessed the island by walking from the A865 at Cleit, north up the beach of Tràigh Athmòr and via the tidal islands of Lingeigh and Greanam.  It is about a mile walk each way.

Orasaigh was once inhabited, as there is a ruined cottage at the south end of the island.  It was also once linked to North Uist by a stone causeway, which was raised a foot or so above the beach level.  However this causeway is now broken in places and is no longer in use: the vehicles that visit Orasaigh take a route over the sand to the east of the old causeway.

When I visited in mid June 2018 orchids, silverweed, daisies, thrift, buttercups and bird's foot trefoil were all in flower.  There were some oystercatchers on the shoreline making their characteristic "peeping" noise and I could see cows grazing in a field in the middle of the island.

Looking south east over Greanam towards North Uist

 

Ruined cottage on Orasaigh

 

Looking north up the east coast of Orasaigh

 

Field entrance, Orasaigh

 

Looking north towards the ruined cottage on Orasaigh

 

Looking north towards Orasaigh from an unnamed island

An old, raised and no longer used causeway can clearly be seen linking this island to Orasaigh

Looking south down the old causeway from the unnamed island towards North Uist

 

Quad bike on its way to Orasaigh

 

Orchid in flower on Orasaigh

(possibly a northern marsh orchid?)