Island 328 - Creagorry Island, Benbecula

Creagorry Island is the only named island on the South Ford Causeway between South Uist and Benbecula.  Between Creagorry Island and Benbecula it is actually a bridge rather than a causeway.  The island is about 200 metres long by 100 metres wide. According to the 1:25,000 scale Ordnance Survey map most of the island is a pond.  However there was no water when I visited on a sunny afternoon in mid June 2016 and no sign of a pond at all.  It isn't shown on Google Earth and I cannot find any mention of a pond anywhere.   

Creagorry Island is covered in grass and didn't appear to be grazed by animals.  There were some orchids in flower.  I also saw kidney vetch, cotton-grass, heather, birds foot trefoil, buttercups, butterwort, thrift and yellow iris.  As it was a sunny afternoon there were a few butterflies flying around.

The South Ford Crossing from South Uist to Benbecula was originally constructed as an 82 span concrete bridge, which opened in 1942.  It was built to enable access from the air base on Benbecula to the ferry port at Lochboisdale.  The bridge was 800 metres long and carried only a single lane of road.  However by the early 1980s the condition of the bridge was deteriorating rapidly and the Western Isles Island Council decided to replace it with a causeway and a short bridge from Benbecula to Creagorry.  The new bridge and causeway opened in November 1982.

 Electricity pole on Creagorry Island

 Orchid on Creagorry Island

 South Ford Causeway looking south towards South Uist from Creagorry Island

South Ford Causeway