Erraid
Encyclopedia
The Isle of Erraid is a tidal island
approximately one mile square in area located in the Inner Hebrides
of Scotland
. It lies west of Mull
(to which it is linked by a beach
at low tide) and southeast of Iona
. The island receives about 100 centimetres (39.4 in) of rain and 1,350 hours of sunshine annually, making it one of the driest and sunniest places on the western seaboard of Scotland. It is attended by numerous uninhabited small islets, the largest being Eilean Dubh (of which there are two), Eilean nam Muc, Eilean Chalmain, Eilean Ghomain and Eilean na Seamair.
The island features a disused signal station for the lighthouse
s on Dubh Artach and Skerryvore
and a row of cottages built for the lighthouse keepers.
Satish Kumar
has also visited the island and his autobiography includes an account of the event.
The island is privately owned and is home to an Intentional community
, part of the Findhorn Foundation
.
There is a well-known anchorage on the western side of the island called 'Tinker's Hole'http://fattie.freehostia.com/KnotPilot/MKAP/index.html#tinkershole. It is a deep but narrow channel between Erraid and the westernmost of the islets called Eilean Dubh.
Erraid is one of the locations featured in the novel Kidnapped
by Robert Louis Stevenson
. David Balfour, the hero of this tale was marooned for a while on the island having been shipwrecked on the Torran Rocks
, which lie to the south. Stevenson's father, Thomas
was involved in the construction of the nearby lighthouses, and the stones for Dhu Heartach were quarried on the island. The young Robert Louis visited the island on several occasions, recalling one such excursion in his book Memories and Portraits
and setting a short story, The Merry Men
there.
Davie Balfour is trapped on the island by his ignorance, and as he says in Kidnapped: Chapter XIV-
Stevenson also includes a description of the island:
Davie Balfour stayed alive during his stay on the island by eating limpets:
Tidal island
A tidal island is a piece of land that is connected to the mainland by a natural or man-made causeway that is exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide. Because of the mystique surrounding tidal islands many of them have been sites of religious worship, such as Mont Saint Michel with its...
approximately one mile square in area located in the Inner Hebrides
Inner Hebrides
The Inner Hebrides is an archipelago off the west coast of Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which enjoy a mild oceanic climate. There are 36 inhabited islands and a further 43 uninhabited Inner Hebrides with an area greater than...
of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It lies west of Mull
Isle of Mull
The Isle of Mull or simply Mull is the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland in the council area of Argyll and Bute....
(to which it is linked by a beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
at low tide) and southeast of Iona
Iona
Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. It was a centre of Irish monasticism for four centuries and is today renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and a place for retreats...
. The island receives about 100 centimetres (39.4 in) of rain and 1,350 hours of sunshine annually, making it one of the driest and sunniest places on the western seaboard of Scotland. It is attended by numerous uninhabited small islets, the largest being Eilean Dubh (of which there are two), Eilean nam Muc, Eilean Chalmain, Eilean Ghomain and Eilean na Seamair.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
s on Dubh Artach and Skerryvore
Skerryvore
Skerryvore is a remote reef that lies off the west coast of Scotland, 12 miles south west of the island of Tiree...
and a row of cottages built for the lighthouse keepers.
Satish Kumar
Satish Kumar
Satish Kumar is an Indian, currently living in England, who has been a Jain monk and a nuclear disarmament advocate, and is the current editor of Resurgence, founder and Director of Programmes of the Schumacher College international centre for ecological studies and of The Small School...
has also visited the island and his autobiography includes an account of the event.
The island is privately owned and is home to an Intentional community
Intentional community
An intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and often follow an alternative lifestyle. They...
, part of the Findhorn Foundation
Findhorn Foundation
The Findhorn Foundation is a Scottish charitable trust registered in 1972, formed by the spiritual community at the Findhorn Ecovillage, one of the largest intentional communities in Britain....
.
There is a well-known anchorage on the western side of the island called 'Tinker's Hole'http://fattie.freehostia.com/KnotPilot/MKAP/index.html#tinkershole. It is a deep but narrow channel between Erraid and the westernmost of the islets called Eilean Dubh.
Kidnapped
| Pronunciation | |
|---|---|
| Scots Gaelic: | Arthraigh |
| Pronunciation: |ˈaɾhɾaj |
|
| Scots Gaelic: | Eilean Chalmain |
| Pronunciation: |ˈelan ˈxalˠ̪amɛɲ |
|
| Scots Gaelic: | Eilean Dubh |
| Pronunciation: |ˈelan ˈt̪uh |
|
| Scots Gaelic: | Eilean Earraid |
| Pronunciation: |ˈelan ˈɛrˠətʲ |
|
| Scots Gaelic: | Eilean Ghomain |
| Pronunciation: |ˈelan ˈɣomɛɲ |
|
| Scots Gaelic: | Eilean nam Muc |
| Pronunciation: |ˈelan nə ˈmuxk |
|
| Scots Gaelic: | Eilean na Seamair |
| Pronunciation: |ˈela nə ˈʃɛməɾʲ |
|
Erraid is one of the locations featured in the novel Kidnapped
Kidnapped (novel)
Kidnapped is a historical fiction adventure novel by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. Written as a "boys' novel" and first published in the magazine Young Folks from May to July 1886, the novel has attracted the praise and admiration of writers as diverse as Henry James, Jorge Luis...
by Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
. David Balfour, the hero of this tale was marooned for a while on the island having been shipwrecked on the Torran Rocks
Torran Rocks
The Torran Rocks are a group of small islands and skerries located between the islands of Mull and Colonsay in Scotland.-Geography:The main rocks are Dearg Sgeir, MacPhail's Anvil, Na Torrain, Torran Sgoilte and Torr an t-Saothaid although there are numerous others including the southernmost of...
, which lie to the south. Stevenson's father, Thomas
Thomas Stevenson
Thomas Stevenson PRSE MInstCE FRSSA FSAScot was a pioneering Scottish lighthouse designer and meteorologist, who designed over thirty lighthouses in and around Scotland, as well as the Stevenson screen used in meteorology...
was involved in the construction of the nearby lighthouses, and the stones for Dhu Heartach were quarried on the island. The young Robert Louis visited the island on several occasions, recalling one such excursion in his book Memories and Portraits
Memories and Portraits
Memories and Portraits is a collection of essays by Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1887.-Contents:*I. The Foreigner at Home*II. Some College Memories*III. Old Morality*IV. A College Magazine*V. An Old Scotch Gardener...
and setting a short story, The Merry Men
The Merry Men and Other Tales and Fables
The Merry Men and Other Tales and Fables is a collection of short stories by Robert Louis Stevenson.-Contents:* "The Merry Men"* "Will O' the Mill"* "Markheim"* "Thrawn Janet"* "Olalla"* "The Treasure of Franchard"-External links:*...
there.
Davie Balfour is trapped on the island by his ignorance, and as he says in Kidnapped: Chapter XIV-
A sea-bred boy would not have stayed a day on Earraid; which is only what they call a tidal islet, and except in the bottom of the neaps, can be entered and left twice in every twenty-four hours, either dry-shod, or at the most by wading. Even I, who had the tide going out and in before me in the bay, and even watched for the ebbs, the better to get my shellfish—even I (I say) if I had sat down to think, instead of raging at my fate, must have soon guessed the secret, and got free. It was no wonder the fishers had not understood me. The wonder was rather that they had ever guessed my pitiful illusion, and taken the trouble to come back. I had starved with cold and hunger on that island for close upon one hundred hours. But for the fishers, I might have left my bones there, in pure folly. And even as it was, I had paid for it pretty dear, not only in past sufferings, but in my present case; being clothed like a beggar-man, scarce able to walk, and in great pain of my sore throat.
Stevenson also includes a description of the island:
It was still the roughest kind of walking; indeed the whole, not only of Earraid, but of the neighbouring part of Mull (which they call the Ross) is nothing but a jumble of granite rocks with heather in among.
Davie Balfour stayed alive during his stay on the island by eating limpets:
I knew indeed that shell-fish were counted good to eat; and among the rocks of the isle I found a great plenty of limpets, which at first I could scarcely strike from their places, not knowing quickness to be needful. There were, besides, some of the little shells that we call buckies; I think periwinkle is the English name. Of these two I made my whole diet, devouring them cold and raw as I found them; and so hungry was I, that at first they seemed to me delicious.
See also
- Dubh ArtachDubh ArtachDubh Artach is a remote skerry of basalt rock off the west coast of Scotland lying west of Colonsay and south-west of the Ross of Mull.A lighthouse designed by Thomas Stevenson with a tower height of was erected between 1867 and 1872 with a shore station constructed on the isle of Erraid...
- SkerryvoreSkerryvoreSkerryvore is a remote reef that lies off the west coast of Scotland, 12 miles south west of the island of Tiree...
- Camas TuathCamas TuathCamas Tuath is an inlet bay on the Ross of Mull.The bay has two small tidal islands and two Quarrymans' Cottages which the Iona Community lease as an adventure camp. It is accessible by a walk down a moorland track and by boat...