Eilean Tigh (Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Taighe) is a tidal island in the Sound of Raasay of Scotland, that lies between Rona and Raasay.
Scottish Gaelic name | Eilean Taighe |
---|---|
Meaning of name | House Island |
Location | |
OS grid reference | NG603538 |
Coordinates | 57°30′40″N 6°00′11″W / 57.511°N 6.003°W |
Physical geography | |
Island group | Skye |
Area | 54 ha[1] |
Area rank | 195 [3] |
Highest elevation | Meall Mòr, 111 m[2] |
Administration | |
Council area | Highland |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Approximately 54 hectares (130 acres) in extent, the island was once settled and the ruins of various structures are still visible at the south end.[2] "Eilean Tigh" is a Gaelic name that means "house island" or "home island".
It is a rugged island and the coastline is largely cliff-lined and rocky. Eilean Tigh is connected to the northern tip of neighbouring Raasay at low tides by a rocky ledge that crosses Caol Eilean Tigh.[4] Rona lies about one kilometre (1⁄2 nautical mile) away across the straits of Caol Rona at the centre of which is tiny Eilean an Fhraoich (English: heather island). On the Rona side are Garbh Eilean (rough island) and Eilean Seamraig. Eilean Fladday is two kilometres (1 nmi) south and Skye is some six kilometres (3 nmi) west across the Sound.
There are good anchorages nearby off Eilean Fladday and Rona, but the nearest road stops at Arnish on Raasay, from where it is about a two-hour walk to Eilean Tigh.[4] The northwestern tip of the island is Rubha na Cloich' Uaine – the point of the green stone.
Notes
edit- ^ Rick Livingstone’s Tables of the Islands of Scotland (pdf) Argyll Yacht Charters. Retrieved 12 Dec 2011.
- ^ a b "Get-a-Map". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. p. 166. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.