Island 453 - Eilean Dubh Ceann a' Chlachain 7, Benbecula

This is a tidal island, which lies to the north of Island 6 and is linked to it at low tide. It was an easy walk across some rocks and a bit of seaweed from Island 6 to Island 7.

There are a few faint paths on the island, so presumably it is occasionally visited by other people - fishermen perhaps?  There was a very dead and very smelly sheep lying close to one of the paths.  The island is mainly covered in rough grass, bracken and heather but there were a few harebells and some thrift and tormentil in flower.

Looking east towards Eilean na Cille from a small bay on Island 7

Looking north west

Looking south towards the causeway between Islands 5 and 6

The way up on to Island 7

Looking north west towards Island 7

Island 452 - Eilean Dubh Ceann a' Chlachain 6, Benbecula

This is the 5th and last island in the road chain between Grimsay and Eilean na Cille and it is joined to Eilean na Cille by a causeway.  This island has a small concrete slipway.   It has a few areas of exposed rock, some of which is covered in green and gold lichen.  Bird's foot trefoil, tormentil, clover, thrift and a white bedstraw were in flower. 

Eilean na Cille from Island 6

Looking south east across the causeway to Eilean na Cille

The small concrete slipway is on the left hand side of the causeway

Looking west along the causeway to Island 5

Interesting strata in these rocks

Looking north from Island 6

Island 451 - Eilean Dubh Ceann a' Chlachain 5, Benbecula

This is the 4th island in the road link between Grimsay and Eilean na Cille.  It has a small concrete slipway.  The island is covered in heather and bracken with patches of thrift and silverweed.

Slipway covered in decaying seaweed

Island 5

Island 450 - Eilean Dubh Ceann a' Chlachain 4, Benbecula

This is the 3rd island in the road link between Grimsay and Eilean na Cille. There were lots of cottongrass plants covering this island with a few patches of heather.  Thrift, silverweed and tormentil were in flower.

Cottongrass - looking west to Island 3

Looking south east to Island 4

Island 449 - Eilean Dubh Ceann a' Chlachain 3, Benbecula

This is the second island in the road link between Grimsay and Eilean na Cille. It is linked to its two neighbouring islands by causeways.  It has a few stunted trees growing on it, areas of exposed rock and some patches of heather and thistles.  Lousewort, bird's foot trefoil, thrift and cottongrass were in flower.

Looking west towards Island 1

Cottongrass and bird's foot trefoil - looking east to Island 3

Island 448 - Eilean Dubh Ceann a' Chlachain 2, Benbecula

This is the first island in the road link between Grimsay and Eilean na Cille.  It has areas of bare rock with patches of heather and bracken.  Tormentil, thrift and silverweed were in flower.

Rocky outcrops, heather and bracken

Causeway and bridge to Grimsay from Island 2

Island 447 - Eilean Dubh Ceann a' Chlachain 1, Benbecula

A chain of five small islands has been used to join the larger islands of Eilean na Cille and Grimsay to each other by road.  Grimsay is in turn linked to Benbecula by a causeway/bridge at its north western end.  The gaps between the islands in the middle of the chain have been filled in with causeways but there is a bridge at the north west end of the chain.  The name Eilean Dubh Ceann a' Chlachain apparently means "black island of the stony head".

The first island I visited is actually a tidal island, which is not part of the causeway. This small round island was covered in bracken and heather.  Tormentil, thrift and bluebells were in flower.

Causeway and bridge to Grimsay from Island 1

Looking south from the island

Crossing point

Island 1 from Island 2

Island 446 - Eilean an Dùnain, Berneray

Eilean an Dùnain is a small, low lying, uninhabited tidal island located about 75 metres off the south coast of Berneray.  It takes its name from the barely discernible remains of a dùn or fort, which is located on the island.  The island is only about 50 metres from north to south by 30 metres from east to west and is easily accessed across a beach of silver sand at low tide.  

Lots of plants were in flower when I visited in early June 2018: bird's foot trefoil, bedstraw, silverweed, thrift, daisies, kidney vetch, buttercups.  Judging by their droppings, the local sheep sometimes graze on the island but they weren't there on the day I visited.  There was a plastic box hidden under a pile of stones in the middle of the island with a visitors' book inside, so I signed it.  Shame it wasn't a geocache!

The coast of Berneray close to the island contains the remains of a submerged prehistoric forest in the peat layer.   It is thought to date from 4 to 5,000 years ago when sea levels rose and the climate cooled and became wetter.  However this site is eroding rapidly.

Cairn on Eilean an Dùnain

Looking north east towards Berneray

Not a geocache

The south coast of Berneray from Eilean an Dùnain

Bird's foot trefoil in flower on Eilean an Dùnain

Looking south to North Uist from Eilean an Dùnain

I think the stones on the top of the bank may be part of the dùn.

Eilean an Dùnain from Berneray with North Uist in the distance

Island 445 - Stuaidh, Rodel, Harris

Stuaidh is a small rocky tidal island located in the south east corner of the island of Harris 500 metres west of the village of Rodel. 

There is a track from Rodel to Borrisdale but in order to access Stuaidh from this track, you need to climb down a steep slope to get to sea level.  Then it is an easy walk across a rocky but seaweed free causeway to the island.  The remains of Dùn Stuaidh, an ancient fort, can be seen on the top of the island.  Some sheep were grazing on the island when I arrived but as usual they all ran back to the mainland when they saw me.

Stuaidh from Harris

 

Sheep on the summit of Stuaidh

 

Walls of the fort

Looking towards St Clement's Church, Rodel from the top of Stuaidh

 

Looking north from Stuaidh to Harris

 

Discarded buoy on the causeway - looking east towards Rodel

 

Pile of stones on Stuaidh

 

Looking south to Stuaidh

Island 444 - Eileanan Direcleit 1, Harris

Eileanan Direcleit are a string of six tidal islands located 400 metres to the east of the hamlet of Direcleit on the east coast of Harris.   I only visited the first island in the chain, which I thought was called Eilean a' Ghuail.  However I now realise that this name refers to an island to the east of the one I visited, which is not tidal.  I don't think the island I visited has an individual name but it is big enough to count as an island.  It is roughly round in shape and about 50 metres in diameter.  The grass looked like it had been grazed by sheep recently, although none were present during my visit. There is an old bath on the island, which is presumably sometimes used as a water trough.  I crossed to the island via another even smaller and also unnamed island following a path made by visiting sheep.

Looking north towards Tarbert

 

Looking south west towards Direcleit

 

Old bath

 

Looking south east to Eilean Mor

 

Looking south west to Direcleit

 

Harris from the island

 

Island from the smaller unnamed island