The Isle of Staffa which name comes from Old Norse and means Pillar Island can be found six miles west of Mull. It's the vikings who gave the island it's name after seeing the many basalt columns. It was, however, Sir Joseph Banks in the late 18th century who named Staffa's main sea cavern "Fingal's Cave" from the Gaelic name "An Uamh Bhin" which means "the melodious cave". … [Read more...] about Fingals Cave
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Views over the Southern Hebrides from other Islands
As most islands in the Southern Hebrides have hills it will be relatively simple to get good views of the neighbouring islands. But which hill should you climb to see the most islands of the Southern Hebrides? It would be somewhere in the centre and it has to be high so automatically I would assume that one of the Paps of Jura would qualify for the best all around views of the … [Read more...] about Views over the Southern Hebrides from other Islands
Lying Gently on my Mind
The lovely story below was written by Robert Holden and appeared in the Ileach of 16 July. Robert: I have worn several ‘business’ hats in my Islay life. Nothing like as many as my friend Seumas (I always called him Mr) MacSporran who sported fourteen while living on Gigha - and all at the same time! - but my last regular contact with Islay was as skipper of a yacht doing … [Read more...] about Lying Gently on my Mind
Visit to the Isle of Colonsay
I've visited Colonsay for the first time in early May this year with my family when I made a day trip from the Isle of Islay. We arrived around 11 am at Scalasaig with the Hebridean Isles ferry from Calmac. This ferry sails from Kennacraig to Oban via Port Askaig and Colonsay on Wednesday's only. For visitors of Islay a unique opportunity to visit a neighbouring islands and for … [Read more...] about Visit to the Isle of Colonsay
Isle of Coll
I'm happy to announce another new page on the Southern Hebrides website. This new page is about the most north-westerly island in the Southern Hebrides, the Isle of Coll. The islands neighbours to the east are Mull and Ardnamurchan Point, and Gunna and Tiree to the south-west are Coll's closest neighbours. Coll is a relatively flat island compared to Mull and some of the other … [Read more...] about Isle of Coll