The Magical Shiant Islands

The welcoming door of the cosy bothy.

As best we could, we tried to replicate the cover of Adam Nicholson’s book ’Sea Room’.

Sentinel puffin viewing its domain.

The scree slopes of Garbh Eilean the home to hundreds of thousands of nesting guillemots and puffins.

 

Eilean an Tighe from Garbh Eilean.

 

 Map of Settlement Patterns on the Shiants, from  ‘Sea Room’, by Adam Nicholson.

 

Bahg, the natural harbour (in settled conditions) on the northern shore of Garbh Eilean.

Note the extensive ‘lazy beds’ developed by 18th century occupants of the Shiants.

To the west of Bagh, a steep valley on Garbh Eilean runs from north to south separating the western third of the island.  

 

 

This valley, Annat, was also well-settled, possibly since Neolithic times, and remains of a rock wall runs from the cliffs at the north to the tiny harbour and sheep pens in the south, still used today. 

The Sound of Shiant

The massive basalt columns of Garbh Eilean.

Remains of Iron Age house on Garbh Eilean.

 

Looking west to the offshore rocks of Galta Mor and Galta Beag. 

With Great Skuas patrolling ….And swooping at us!

Eilean na Tighe from Garbh Eilean. The bothy is clearly visible, our kayak on the beach beyond the bothy not so visible.

From Eilean na Tighe

The precipitous path from the landing beach up onto Garbh Eilean. It is much more precipitous than it looks!

 

Eilean Mhuire from the precipitous route up Garbh Eilean. 

 

Landing beach between Garbh Eilean and Eilean na Tighe.

 

The view west from the landing beach to Galta rocks.

 

The arch, Toll á Roimh, through the eastern peninsular of Garbh Eilean.

Paddling through Toll á Roimh. 

The Blue Green men like us so much that they made an offering of a full jar of peanut butter.

The Shiants far behind us as we cross The Minch back to Skye.