Scalpay, Outer Hebrides
Encyclopedia
Scalpay is an island
and community
in the Outer Hebrides
of Scotland
.
that replaced the ferry service. The main settlement on the island is at the north, near the bridge, clustered around An Acairseid a Tuath (North Harbour).
The island is peppered with small lochans
. The largest of these is Loch an Duin (Loch of the Fort) which has a tiny island in it, with the remains of a fort still visible.
In 2001, the island had a population of 322 people, whose main employment is fish farming
and prawn
fishing.
The area of Scalpay is 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²).
Eilean Glas
, a tiny peninsula on Scalpay's eastern shore is home to the first lighthouse
to be built in the Outer Hebrides.
The school there will be closing in a few years due to lack of children and also due to all young adults leaving the island for other industrial places like Glasgow.
Scalpay is also home to many great Gaelic singers and psalm presenters and is well known for its use in Gaidhlig.
In 1997 the Scalpay bridge was built and is the most well known bridge in the Western Isles.
Scalpay used to have over 10 shops over 30 years ago but due to lack of people and work, the last remaining shop closed in 2007.
There also used to be a salmon factory which was a major local employer from 2001 until closure in 2005. In the spring of 2009, local newspapers reported that the factory is to reopen as a net washing facility to support the local fish farming industry.
In 2011 the islands owner, Fred Taylor, announced that he proposes handing over the land to the local population. Two ideas have been suggested: one where the island is owned by a local development trust
, and another where it forms part of the larger North Harris Trust, itself community owned.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
and community
Community council
A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain.In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies...
in the Outer Hebrides
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
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...
.
Geography
Scalpay is around 2.5 miles (4 km) long and rises to a height of 341 ft (104 m) at Beinn Scorabhaig. Scalpay's nearest neighbour, Harris is just 330 yds (300 m) away over narrow Caolas Scalpaigh. The two islands were linked in 1997 by a bridgeBridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
that replaced the ferry service. The main settlement on the island is at the north, near the bridge, clustered around An Acairseid a Tuath (North Harbour).
The island is peppered with small lochans
Loch
Loch is the Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for a lake or a sea inlet. It has been anglicised as lough, although this is pronounced the same way as loch. Some lochs could also be called a firth, fjord, estuary, strait or bay...
. The largest of these is Loch an Duin (Loch of the Fort) which has a tiny island in it, with the remains of a fort still visible.
In 2001, the island had a population of 322 people, whose main employment is fish farming
Fish farming
Fish farming is the principal form of aquaculture, while other methods may fall under mariculture. Fish farming involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures, usually for food. A facility that releases young fish into the wild for recreational fishing or to supplement a species'...
and prawn
Prawn
Prawns are decapod crustaceans of the sub-order Dendrobranchiata. There are 540 extant species, in seven families, and a fossil record extending back to the Devonian...
fishing.
The area of Scalpay is 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²).
Eilean Glas
Eilean Glas, Scalpay
This particular Eilean Glas is actually a peninsula of Scalpay in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Eilean Glas is home to a historic lighthouse. Eilean Glas means Grey/Green Island in Gaelic.-Geography:Eilean Glas lies on the west coast of Scalpay at...
, a tiny peninsula on Scalpay's eastern shore is home to the first lighthouse
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....
to be built in the Outer Hebrides.
Religion
Scalpay is very much Protestant and is home to two churches: - Free Church of Scotland and Free Church of Scotland (continuing). The continuing church is currently ministered by Rev. MacDonald as of December 2008.Demographics
The population is slowly going down and mainly elderly remain there.The school there will be closing in a few years due to lack of children and also due to all young adults leaving the island for other industrial places like Glasgow.
Scalpay is also home to many great Gaelic singers and psalm presenters and is well known for its use in Gaidhlig.
In 1997 the Scalpay bridge was built and is the most well known bridge in the Western Isles.
Scalpay used to have over 10 shops over 30 years ago but due to lack of people and work, the last remaining shop closed in 2007.
There also used to be a salmon factory which was a major local employer from 2001 until closure in 2005. In the spring of 2009, local newspapers reported that the factory is to reopen as a net washing facility to support the local fish farming industry.
In 2011 the islands owner, Fred Taylor, announced that he proposes handing over the land to the local population. Two ideas have been suggested: one where the island is owned by a local development trust
Development trust
Development Trusts are organisations which operate in the United Kingdom that are:*community based, owned and led*engaged in the economic, environmental and social regeneration of a defined area or community...
, and another where it forms part of the larger North Harris Trust, itself community owned.