Staffin
Encyclopedia
Staffin is a village (and district with a different name in Gaelic ), lying at the head of Staffin Bay on the northeast coast of the Trotternish
peninsula of the island of Skye
. It is located on the A855 road about 17 miles (27.4 km) north of Portree
. Nearby is the rock formation of the Quirang and Staffin Island
lies just offshore. The village includes the areas of Ellishadder
, Stenscholl, Garafad and Clachan and Brogaig
lies immediately to the west at the centre of Staffin Bay. Also nearby are the crofting townships
of Duntulm
and Flodigarry
.
The Kilmartin River runs northwards through the village. From where it reaches the sea a rocky shore leads east to a slipway at An Corran. Here a local resident found a slab bearing a dinosaur track, probably made by a small ornithopod
. Experts subsequently found more dinosaur prints of up to 50 cm, the largest found in Scotland, made by a creature sililar to Megalosaurus. At about 160 million years old they are the youngest dinosaur remains to be found in Scotland.
A Mesolithic
hunter-gatherer site dating to the 7th millennium BC at An Corran is one of the oldest archaeological sites in Scotland. Its occupation is probably linked to that of the rock shelter at Sand, Applecross
on the coast of Wester Ross
.
In the modern era this part of Skye retains a strong Gaelic identity with 61 per cent of the local population recorded as speaking the language in 2001. In September 2010, Comunn na Gàidhlig
named Staffin as their "Gaelic Community of the Year", in the first year this competition has ran. Also in September 2010, Highland Council announced the launch of a consultation into a plan to convert the local primary into a Gaelic medium school. This would be the second such conversion in Scotland, after Bun-sgoil Shlèite
. Only 5 out of the school's thirty pupils have English as their only language, with the remainder being bilingual English and Gaelic speakers.
In 2011 it was reported that Staffin Island may be the last in Scotland where the old tradition of having cattle swim between grazings is still carried out. Crofter
Iain MacDonald, who used to swim with the animals, now uses a boat to encourage them to swim from Staffin Island to Skye in early spring and back again in October.
Trotternish
Trotternish or Tròndairnis is the northernmost peninsula of the Isle of Skye, in Scotland.One of its more well-known features is the Trotternish landslip, a massive landslide that runs almost the full length of the peninsula, some...
peninsula of the island of Skye
Skye
Skye or the Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills...
. It is located on the A855 road about 17 miles (27.4 km) north of Portree
Portree
Portree is the largest town on Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It is the location for the only secondary school on the Island, Portree High school. Public transport services are limited to buses....
. Nearby is the rock formation of the Quirang and Staffin Island
Staffin Island
Staffin Island is an islet off the east coast of the Trotternish peninsula of Skye in Scotland....
lies just offshore. The village includes the areas of Ellishadder
Ellishadder
Elishader or Ellishadder is a small crofting township, situated close to the north shore of the freshwater Loch Mealt, on the Trotternish peninsula of the island of Skye, and is in the Scottish council area of Highland....
, Stenscholl, Garafad and Clachan and Brogaig
Brogaig
Brogaig , Norse for Burgh Bay, is a small coastal village, on the northwest coast of the Trotternish peninsula, close to Staffin and Stenscholl, in the Isle of Skye in Scotland and is in the council area of Highland....
lies immediately to the west at the centre of Staffin Bay. Also nearby are the crofting townships
Croft (land)
A croft is a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable with a crofter's dwelling thereon. A crofter is one who has tenure and use of the land, typically as a tenant farmer.- Etymology :...
of Duntulm
Duntulm
Duntulm is a township on the most northerly point of the Trotternish peninsula of the Isle Of Skye made up of Shulista , south Duntulm and Ghlumaig....
and Flodigarry
Flodigarry
Flodigarry is a scattered settlement on the north east side of the Trotternish peninsula on the island of Skye, and is in the Scottish council area of Highland....
.
The Kilmartin River runs northwards through the village. From where it reaches the sea a rocky shore leads east to a slipway at An Corran. Here a local resident found a slab bearing a dinosaur track, probably made by a small ornithopod
Ornithopod
Ornithopods or members of the clade Ornithopoda are a group of ornithischian dinosaurs that started out as small, bipedal running grazers, and grew in size and numbers until they became one of the most successful groups of herbivores in the Cretaceous world, and dominated the North American...
. Experts subsequently found more dinosaur prints of up to 50 cm, the largest found in Scotland, made by a creature sililar to Megalosaurus. At about 160 million years old they are the youngest dinosaur remains to be found in Scotland.
A Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
hunter-gatherer site dating to the 7th millennium BC at An Corran is one of the oldest archaeological sites in Scotland. Its occupation is probably linked to that of the rock shelter at Sand, Applecross
Sand, Applecross
Sand on the Applecross Peninsula in Wester Ross, Scotland is a major archaeological site.Sand is the site of a major archaeological excavation on the Inner Sound coast of the Applecross Peninsula in Western Scotland, to the north of the small town of Applecross.A small number of shell middens were...
on the coast of Wester Ross
Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use...
.
In the modern era this part of Skye retains a strong Gaelic identity with 61 per cent of the local population recorded as speaking the language in 2001. In September 2010, Comunn na Gàidhlig
Comunn na Gàidhlig
Comunn na Gàidhlig abbreviated to "CnaG" is an organisation which seeks to promote Scottish Gaelic language and culture....
named Staffin as their "Gaelic Community of the Year", in the first year this competition has ran. Also in September 2010, Highland Council announced the launch of a consultation into a plan to convert the local primary into a Gaelic medium school. This would be the second such conversion in Scotland, after Bun-sgoil Shlèite
Bun-sgoil Shlèite
Bun-sgoil Shlèite is a primary school on the Sleat peninsula of the island of Skye in Scotland. It is Scotland's only Gaelic Medium School with an English department...
. Only 5 out of the school's thirty pupils have English as their only language, with the remainder being bilingual English and Gaelic speakers.
In 2011 it was reported that Staffin Island may be the last in Scotland where the old tradition of having cattle swim between grazings is still carried out. Crofter
Croft (land)
A croft is a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable with a crofter's dwelling thereon. A crofter is one who has tenure and use of the land, typically as a tenant farmer.- Etymology :...
Iain MacDonald, who used to swim with the animals, now uses a boat to encourage them to swim from Staffin Island to Skye in early spring and back again in October.