Eilean Ruairidh Mòr is a forested island in Loch Maree, Wester Ross, Scotland. Its name was formerly anglicised as "Ellan-Rorymore".[5]

Eilean Ruairidh Mòr
Scottish Gaelic nameEilean Ruairidh Mòr
Meaning of nameIsland of Big Rory/Roderick
Location
Eilean Ruairidh Mòr is located in Ross and Cromarty
Eilean Ruairidh Mòr
Eilean Ruairidh Mòr
Eilean Ruairidh Mòr shown within Scotland
OS grid referenceNG897733
Coordinates57°42′N 5°32′W / 57.7°N 5.53°W / 57.7; -5.53
Physical geography
Island groupLoch Maree
Area38 ha[1]
Area rank(Freshwater: 10) [2]
Highest elevation51 m
Administration
Council areaHighland
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Demographics
Population0
Lymphad
References[3][4]

The island is owned by Forestry and Land Scotland, as is the Slattadale Forest on the southern shore of Loch Maree.[4] The islands in Loch Maree are among the least disturbed in Britain and are managed as a national nature reserve.[6]

History

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Eilean Ruairidh Mòr was planted with pines in about 1815. There are remains of a subterranean circular structure,[5] similar to a Scandinavian dùn or burgh. The ancestors of the Mackenzies of Gairloch held it as a place of security from the attacks of the Macleods.[7]

Footnotes

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  1. ^ Rick Livingstone’s Tables of the Islands of Scotland (pdf) Argyll Yacht Charters. Retrieved 12 Dec 2011.
  2. ^ Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
  3. ^ 2001 UK Census per List of islands of Scotland
  4. ^ a b Ordnance Survey. Landranger (1:50000) Series. Sheet 19: Gairloch and Ullapool.
  5. ^ a b Wilson, Rev. John The Gazetteer of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1882) Published by W. & A.K. Johnstone
  6. ^ "Loch Maree Islands National Nature Reserve". NatureScot. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland". Electric Scotland. Retrieved 15 December 2007.

57°42.05′N 5°31.75′W / 57.70083°N 5.52917°W / 57.70083; -5.52917