Island 330 - Stangram, North Uist

Stangram is the 2nd of the two small tidal islands you pass by on the way across Vallay Strand at low tide to Vallay.  The island is low lying and mainly covered in grass.  It is about 150 metres from east to west but only 50 metres from north to south.

The island's flora looked to me to be more diverse than that of neighbouring Torogaigh, although it is the smaller of the two islands.  I identified milkwort, thyme, daisies, buttercups, primroses, birds foot trefoil, kidney vetch, thrift, clover and hogweed.  There were some dried up cow pats but no sign of any cows. I presume they sometimes wander over from Vallay.

 Stangram looking south towards North Uist


 Vallay from Stangram


 Torogaigh from Stangram

Island 329 - Torogaigh, North Uist

Torogaigh is a small very low lying uninhabited tidal island, which you pass at low tide on Vallay Strand on your way to the larger island of Vallay.  The route to Vallay passes to the right of Torogaigh, which is about 1 kilometre north of North Uist.  The island is an irregular shape but is about 250 metres by 200 metres at its widest point.

I identified two kinds of orchids in flower, thrift, wild thyme, clover and buttercups, which were all in flower during my short visit in mid June 2016.

 Looking north towards Vallay

I think this plant is hogweed (not the giant variety)

Looking south towards North Uist

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

Island 327 - Orasaigh, South Uist

The name Orasaigh means "tidal island" and this one was easily accessed across a beach of silver sand just over half a mile west of the hamlet of South Boisdale.  The sand was a bit soft in places.  According to the Ordnance Survey map there is a council maintained metalled road almost as far as the shore.  However in practice after leaving the hamlet of North Boisdale, the road deteriorated into a potholed track.  It was driveable with care but I parked my car next to the old burial ground and walked the rest of the way, passing some kind of junk yard on the way to the beach.  On a sunny day it was a pleasant level stroll.  Halfway across to the island there is a rock and a small jetty has been built on to it.

Orasaigh is roughly round in shape and rises to a height of 30 metres.  It is about 450 metres in diameter.  The island is mainly covered in grass.  I spotted two different types of orchids, ragged robin, tormentil, birds foot trefoil, yellow iris and buttercups.  

On my walk back to the car I heard my first ever corncrake, rasping away somewhere in the machair, so my visit will be particularly memorable for this reason.

 Orasaigh from South Uist

 South Uist from Orasaigh

 Looking north east towards the hills of South Uist

 Looking south from Orasaigh towards Garrynamonie

 Orasaigh from jetty

Island 326 - Eilean na Clarsaich, Ardmhor, Barra

Eilean na Clarsaich is an uninhabited tidal island lying half a mile to the south east of the ferry terminal at Ardmhor on Barra.   There was no path that I could see leading from the road near the ferry terminal to the island, although there were faint sheep paths in one or two places.   I picked my way across rough grass, heather and bog (thankfully very dry when I visited in June 2016) and then spotted some sheep on a narrow path, so I followed them and they led me to the island.

The island is low lying and covered in grass and bracken.  It is about 200 metres long by 200 metres wide. There is only a gap of about 10 metres separating the island from Barra.  At one point along the gap there is a rocky ridge, which although covered in seaweed, proved to be easy to cross.  Tormentil was in flower on the island.

Causeway from the island

 

Lamalum in the foreground with Fuidheigh in the background

 

The summit of Eilean na Clarsaich, Ardmhor, Barra

 

Litter

 

Causeway from Barra

Island 325 - Rubha Fada, Ardmhor, Barra

Rubha Fada is a low lying grass covered tidal island located about 250 metres to the north west of the ferry terminal at Ardmhor on the east coast of Barra.  It is separated from Barra by about 10 metres of seaweed covered rocks but there is a narrow manmade rough and ready causeway, which was almost seaweed free.  The island is about 250 metres from north to south by 50 metres from east to west.

The island is obviously grazed by sheep, as their droppings were in evidence.  However there were no sheep present during my short visit.  I watched four seals in the water off the east coast of the island.  The island has some heather and I also saw buttercups, tormentil, bird's foot trefoil, ragged robin, yellow iris, cotton-grass and several orchids. 

Rough causeway giving seaweed free access to the island

Ardmhor Ferry terminal looking south from Rubha Fada

Northern end of Rubha Fada

 I don't know if this pile of stones has any significance

Rubha Fada from Ardmhor Ferry Terminal

Island 324 - Uineasan, Vatersay, Outer Hebrides

Uineasan is a delightful tidal island, which is only separated from Vatersay at high tide.  It is located off the east coast of Vatersay near the settlement of Uidh.  There was room for a few cars to park at the end of the road (but not in the clearly marked bus turning area) near a couple of houses.  It was then a walk of about half a mile across Creag Mhor to the beach separating Uineasan from Vatersay.  There is a smaller unnamed island between Vatersay and Uineasan.  Uineasan is low lying and the highest point is only 19 metres above sea level.  The island is about 300 metres in diameter and is roughly circular in shape.  It was being grazed by sheep when I visited in mid June 2016 and there were lots of buttercups in flower.

The 1:25,000 scale Explorer Ordnance Survey map marks the ruins of a chapel - Cille Bhrianain at the north west of the island.  All I could see on the ground were a few lumps and bumps.

 

Uineasan from Vatersay

Snuasamul and Maol Domhnaich from Uineasan

Sheep grazing on Uineasan

  
 Barra from Uineasan

 Uineasan from the unnamed island looking north with Heaval in the distance

 This is all I could find of the remains of the chapel - a few lumps and bumps

Island 323 - Orasaigh, Traigh Mor, Barra, Outer Hebrides

Barra and Vatersay have 3 islands called Orasaigh.  The name means "tidal island".  However I only managed to visit the Orasaigh on the north east side of Barra near the airport runway on the beach at Traigh Mhor.  The Orasaigh on the north east side of Vatersay was not accessible at low tide on the day I visited - there was still a stretch of water separating it from Vatersay.   The Orasaigh to the south of Castlebay would have been accessible but I didn't want to risk the scramble over 50 metres of seaweed covered rocks.  That Orasaigh looks as though it was once joined to Barra by a bridge or causeway but the middle section has long since disappeared.

The Orasaigh which I did visit is an oval shaped island about 900 metres from east to west and 500 metres from north to south and which rises to a height of 38 metres above sea level.  It is separated from Barra by a stretch of water known as Caolas Orasaigh at high tide and about 300 metres of silver sand beach at low tide.  The sand is obviously firm, as there were several vehicles out on it and several people cockle picking.  There was a shallow stream to cross.  

The island didn't seem to be grazed when I visited in mid June 2016.  Wildflowers were in abundance: yellow iris, orchids, bog asphodel, milkwort, butterwort, buttercups, kidney vetch, birds foot trefoil, thrift, thyme, cotton-grass  and tormentil.  The top of the island had some heather but the rest of the island is covered in rough grass.
 

Looking north up the west coast

Looking south west towards the airport

Barra from Orasaigh across Caolas Orasaigh

Small cairn on the top of Orasaigh

Natural standing stone on the top of the island looking north west towards Barra

Cockle pickers out on Traigh Mhor

 I presume this beacon is some kind of navigation light for the airport

Island 322 - Seana Bhaile/Fraoch Eilean, Grimsay, Outer Hebrides

I'm not sure if this island is called Seana Bhaile or Fraoch Eilean.  On the 1:25,000 scale Ordnance Survey map Seana Bhaile is written in larger letters than Fraoch Eilean, although the latter sounds like a more likely name for an island.  Fraoch means "heather" in Gaelic.  The island is linked by a short causeway to the island of Grimsay. It is about a mile long roughly east to west but only about 500 metres from north to south at its widest point.  There are about 6 houses on the island and half a mile of council maintained road.  There is a small loch in the middle of it called Loch Nighe. My satnav denied all knowledge of the island's existence and showed me driving over the sea!

 South coast from the end of the road looking west

 Looking south west towards the causeway

 House on the south side of the island near the causeway

 

Island 321 - Gairbh Eilean, North Uist, Outer Hebrides

Gairbh Eilean is a small round uninhabited island, which has the causeway between Grimsay and North Uist running over it.  There is a road, which heads west from the causeway road on the north side of the island and then south to another causeway to the adjacent island of Eilean Leathann where there is a house.  The name Gairbh Eilean means "rough island" in Gaelic.

There is a notice by the side of the lane leading to the house next to a blue wheelie bin, which says "Danger, Stay Out".  It was the kind of notice you get at the edge of a quarry and on Google Earth I can see that there is, or has recently been, a quarry taking up most of the south and west of the island.   I didn't notice any quarry, so maybe it has been closed since the aerial photo was taken?    I can see planning notices about an asphalt quarry on Gairbh Eilean but most of them are over 10 years old and one in 2013 referred to the site being used for one more year and then it being restored.  However it is still showing on Google Street View and it is still mentioned on the Breedon Aggregates' website, so maybe it is still there and I just didn't notice it, although it looks quite hard to miss on Google Street View!

 A865 running across Gairbh Eilean

 Private road heading towards the causeway to Eilean Leathann

 Danger Notice

 Causeway to North Uist from Gairbh Eilean