A lifetime of Islands: tombolo

Showing posts with label tombolo. Show all posts

Tuesday, 1 August 2023

Island 510 - Fenit Island, County Kerry

Fenit Island (Fenit rhymes with "seen it") is linked to the mainland of County Kerry at the village of Fenit by a sand tombolo. The island encloses and shelters Barrow Harbour, which is a Special Area of Conservation. St Brendan the Navigator was born on Fenit Island c484 AD. In the 16th century a castle was built on the island by the FitzMaurice clan and the ruins of it are still standing today. At the time of the Great Famine in the 1840s, 600 people lived on Fenit Island's 440 acres and there were 2 churches and a graveyard. Vehicle access to the island for the current residents of Fenit Island is via the beach on the east side of the tombolo at low tide.

Land on Fenit Island is currently owned and farmed by 9 different people. Local people and visitors had enjoyed free access to the perimeter path around the island for many years until one of the island's landowners put up high fences preventing access to the path to the castle c2008. Several other landowners subsequently erected similar high fences around other sections of the coastal path. Local people held a protest walk and campaigned for years to get the fences removed. In 2017 Kerry County Council served enforcement notices on the landowners giving them 8 weeks to remove the fences. In January 2022 a judge ruled that the fences should be removed.

Notice about the fragility of Fenit Island tombolo

Erosion control notice

Keep off the dunes notice

Track on Fenit Island

Cattle grazing on Fenit Island

Farm track on Fenit Island

Track up the west side of Fenit Island

Farm track

Beach on the west side of Fenit Island

Birthplace of St Brendan the Navigator

Fenit Island tombolo at the mainland end

Thursday, 15 July 2021

Island 490 - Eilean Mor 2, Lochbuie, Mull

Eilean Mor 2 is a small uninhabited tidal island located between the mainland of Mull at Lochbuie and the larger tidal island of Eilean Mor. It doesn't have a separate name but it is large enough to count as an island and since my last visit in 2009 it has gained a stone cairn on it. The inscription on the cairn is as follows:

To Celebrate
The Coronation 1953
And
The Diamond Jubilee 2012
Of
HM Queen Elizabeth II
Erected by the
Corbett Family and Friends

Eilean Mor 2 is closely grazed by sheep. There were a few daisies, thistles and small gorse bushes on the island, but not much else in the way of wild flowers.

Jubilee cairn on Eilean Mor 2

Ben Buie from Eilean Mor 2

Eilean Mor from Eilean Mor 2

Sheep on the beach in between Eilean Mor and Eilean Mor 2

Lochbuie House from Eilean Mor 2

Wednesday, 28 April 2021

Island 487 - Crow Point, Braunton, Devon

Crow Point is a sand spit, which is also a tidal island at the moment, although it is only cut off at spring tides. It is a comparatively recent island, as a shingle spit, known then as Crow Neck, only started to form across the Taw estuary c1840. The reasons for its formation were probably:

Fish weirs, which were constructed in the intertidal area around Crow Point in the mid 19th century. These obstructed the flow of the tide and caused the deposition of sand and shingle.
Horsey Island was enclosed in 1857, which altered the course of the River Caen. Before this time it flowed along the northern side of the island and probably provided enough water to keep the area where Crow Point now is, clear of excess sand.

By 1900 sand dunes had begun to form on top of the spit. In 1921 the spit was breached and Crow Point became an island. Then for the next 25 years or so sand was gradually deposited on Crow Neck and by 1946 it was c60 metres wide and marram grass had established itself on the island.

The gap between Crow Point and Braunton Burrows is currently protected by a low line of rock armour. A 2013 report commissioned by the Environment Agency and Torridge District Council says that the existing rock armour will fail at some point after 2025 if it is not maintained. Experts disagree what the result of this failure will be on Crow Point.

Crow Point Lighthouse was built by Trinity House in 1954 to guide ships and boats sailing up and down the Taw and Torridge estuaries. It was originally powered by acetylene gas but was converted to electrical operation in 1978 and solar power in 1987. The light is 7.6 metres above mean high water level.

Crow Point Lighthouse

The gap between Crow Point and Braunton Burrows

Looking NW up the landward side of Crow Point

Looking SE down Crow Point

Crow Point Lighthouse from the top of Crow Point

Crow Point Lighthouse

Common restharrow

Crow Point Lighthouse from the top of Crow Point

Memorial? on the top of Crow Point

Six-spot burnet moth on viper's bugloss

Appledore from Crow Point

Friday, 1 November 2019

Island 483 - Skeo Ness 1, Lunna, Shetland

Skeo Ness is a narrow tidal island linked to Shetland Mainland on the western side of West Lunna Voe near the village of Lunna. It is a half mile walk from the road junction near Lunna House. The first part of the walk is on a metalled track, which leads to a house and then there are two fields and a couple of ditches to cross. The pebble tombolo, which links Skeo Ness to Mainland, is probably only covered at times of high spring tides.

The island, which is 200m from north to south by 50m from east to west, is closely grazed by sheep, although there were none present when I visited in early September 2019. I spotted daisies, thrift and hawkweed on the island. I also found the empty shells of sea urchins, crabs and mussels close to the shore - possibly the remains of an otter's breakfast?

At the northern end of Skeo Ness there is a stone walled compound. I saw a Shetland wren hopping around in the wall. The compound is marked as a sheepfold on the 1880 6" scale Ordnance Survey map.

Looking north up Skeo Ness towards Shetland Mainland

Tombolo from Skeo Ness

Sheepfold at the northern end of Skeo Ness

Sheepfold

Skeo Ness from Mainalnd

Skeo Ness from Shetland Mainland

Monday, 30 September 2019

Island 476 - Isle of Fethaland, Shetland

Isle of Fethaland is located at the far north of Shetland Mainland. It is linked to Shetland Mainland at Fethaland by a storm boulder beach. I think that it would only be cut off from Mainland in storm conditions but there is a section of the beach that has no vegetation on it, so I think it counts as an island. Fethaland means fat land or rich pasture in Old Norse. The Isle of Fethaland is 1km from north to south by 500m from east to west at its widest point.

To reach the Isle of Fethaland it is a 2.5 mile walk north up a track from the end of the A970 road at Isbister. There is a small parking area at the end of the road. Alternative parking is available at Sandvoe Cemetery. There is signposted more scenic alternative route to Fethaland, which heads east from Isbister out to the coast at Wick of Virdibreck and then north up the coast. There is a defined path but it is not easy to spot in places and there aren't many signposts. However, having reached the coast all you really need to do is head north keeping the sea on your right and being careful not to fall off the cliff! When I did the walk in late August 2019 the coastal route was a bit boggy in places. On a clear day it is well worth walking the extra distance to do the coastal route, as the cliffs are spectacular, with several stacks and natural arches to see.

A fishing station was established at Fethaland during the 15th or 16th century. At first this was subsistence fishing done inshore from small boats, with the catch being consumed by the fishermen and their families. By the mid 18th century tenants were required by their landlords (merchant-lairds) to go out fishing for them, in order to keep their crofts. This was haaf (deep sea) fishing. Two trips were made each week in open six oared boats called sixareens. The fishermen sailed or rowed out up to 40 miles from the shore to the fishing grounds in order to fish for cod and ling using long-lines. They often stayed at sea for 2-3 days.

Haaf fishing stations were established at various locations across Shetland, including Fethaland, Stenness, Gloup (Yell) and Hillswick. At one time the Fethaland haaf fishing station was the busiest in Shetland, with 60 boats operating from it during the summer season (June to August). Seasonal workers were housed in up to 36 lodges. Fish were cured and dried on the pebble beach, before being packed and exported. The lodges were stone huts with roofs of wood and turf. The roofs were removed at the end of the fishing season to avoid damage during the winter storms. The remains of about 20 lodges dating from the 18th and 19th centuries can still be seen on both the Fethaland and Isle of Fethaland sides of the storm beach.

The haaf fishing industry came to an end in Shetland in the late 19th century, due to disasters in 1881 and 1900, the rise of the herring industry, the introduction of large steam trawlers and the Crofters' Holdings Act of 1886, which gave crofters security of tenure and other rights.

Point of Fethaland Lighthouse was built on the highest point on the island in 1977, to guide oil tankers sailing to and from the oil terminal at Sullom Voe.

On the north side of the haaf fishing station there are the remains of an oval shaped chambered prehistoric house (possibly dating from the Iron Age). The site was excavated in 1904 by Abercromby and pottery was found.

In Viking times soapstone (known as Kleber in Shetland) was quarried on the east side of the Isle of Fethaland to the north of Cleber Geos. The oval shapes of the bowls they carved out of the soft stone can still be seen on the cliffs.

When I visited the Isle of Fethaland in late August 2019, hawkweed and tormentil were in flower on the island and I could see the dried remains of lots of thrift flowers from earlier in the year.