Island 440 - Sgeir Ghlas Ceann an Loch, Balallan, Lewis

Sgeir Ghlas Ceann an Loch is a small, low lying, uninhabited tidal island located at the far western end of Loch Eireasort, 400 metres to the south of the long thin village of Balallan (Baile Ailein) on the island of Lewis. The island is about 75 metres from east to west by 50 metres from north to south.

I parked in a small layby with an information board on the B8060, 300 metres to the west of the island and crossed a field of grazing sheep and lambs to reach the crossing point to the island, which is a narrow natural rocky causeway partially covered in seaweed.  Once again I followed the path used by the local sheep. 

The island is covered in grass, which when I visited in early June 2018, was fringed at the shoreline by carpets of pink thrift in flower.  A snipe was busy drumming away, a cuckoo was very vocal and there were a couple terns squealing away in the sky nearby.  There were goose droppings in various places around the island but no geese were present during my brief visit.

Looking east from Sgeir Ghlas Ceann an Loch

 

Looking south west - carpets of thrift

 

Looking south east across the causeway towards Sgeir Ghlas Ceann an Loch