2021

NM7317 : Island of Easdale off Seil

taken 3 years ago, near to Ellenabeich, Seil, Argyll And Bute, Scotland

Island of Easdale off Seil
Island of Easdale off Seil
The little island seen in the centre of the image here is Easdale; the main land mass nearer the camera is part of the island of Seil, which is connected to the mainland by an C18th bridge 'over the Atlantic'. The village on the tip of Seil overlooking Easdale is Ellenabeich from where a ferry runs approximately every half an hour to Easdale - see timetable here LinkExternal link

The notable "finger" pointing out to sea is NM7316 : Easdale - Rubha nam Faoileann while the tiny rocks seen at the top of the image are NM7014 : Dubh-fhèith islets from Easdale.
This aerial photograph was taken during a flight from Glasgow to Barra.
Easdale (Eilean Eisdeal)

Easdale island lies in the Firth of Lorn directly opposite the village of Ellenabeich which is located at the southwestern tip of the Isle of Seil (Saoil)
It is one of a group of islands known as the Slate Islands due to their production of that commodity for many years.
Easdale is remarkable for several reasons; it has been quite dramatically excavated for slate giving it a rather moth-eaten appearance - much more so, as a percentage than any of the other Slate Islands with the possible exception of tiny Belnahua.
Despite its small size it has a thriving pub / restaurant, the 'Puffer Bar' - something many larger islands do not possess. Perhaps most remarkably it is the most densely populated of all Scottish islands with 235 people per km² - but this is a quirk of its tiny size as its total population is only about 60. This figure however is a remarkable increase on its lowest ebb when only five people remained on the island in the early 1960s.

Statistics for Easdale:
Area: 25ha (62 acres)
Population: 59
Density: 235/km² (609/mile²)
Highest point: (Unnamed) 38m (125')
Chief (and only) settlement: Easdale Village (100% of population)
Note the area of the island given above is at MHWS (Mean High Water Springs) i.e. land that is always (usually) above sea level. At low tide the island's area increases by almost precisely 50% to 37.6 ha (93 acres)

The whole of Easdale island is a conservation area - see map: LinkExternal link
The former slate workings and quarries are a scheduled monument: LinkExternal link
Almost every cottage is HES Cat 'C' listed - there are 22 separate listings:
No.1 LinkExternal link - Note that this is the most informative listing
Nos.2-5 LinkExternal link
Nos.8,100 & 6 LinkExternal link
The Drill Hall LinkExternal link
No.9 LinkExternal link
Nos. 11,11A & 11B LinkExternal link
Nos. 12 & 12A LinkExternal link
No.13 LinkExternal link
No.15 LinkExternal link
Nos. 32,18 & 19 LinkExternal link
No.29 LinkExternal link
No.23 LinkExternal link
No.24 LinkExternal link
Nos.31,33A & 33 LinkExternal link
Nos.34 & 35 LinkExternal link
Nos. 41-43 LinkExternal link
No.44 LinkExternal link
No.48 LinkExternal link
No.36 LinkExternal link
The Coaley LinkExternal link
No.55 LinkExternal link
Nos.50-54 LinkExternal link

Easdale's own website: LinkExternal link
See also this Guardian article: LinkExternal link

Seil (Saoil) :: NM7618

The Isle of Seil is located on the eastern side of the Firth of Lorn about 8 miles south of Oban. It is one of the so-called 'Slate Islands' due to the extraction of that material from these islands over many years which has left significant quarries that have now become water filled, either by collection of fresh water or due to inundation by the sea.
Seil is a fertile island with agriculture forming a large part of its economy along with tourism and the harvesting of lobsters.
Wikipedia states that the island's largest settlement is Balvicar (on the east coast of the island) but the village of Ellenabeich on the southwestern tip overlooking the island of Easdale (Eilean Eisdeal) is far more lively with a bar/restaurant LinkExternal link and a museum LinkExternal link as well as being the ferry point for Easdale. This is a passenger-only small powered boat which takes less than five minutes to make the trip to Easdale (which has no vehicles, nor roads as such). Confusingly the village of Ellenabeich is sometimes referred to as 'Easdale' too. See the separate Ellenabeich, Seil shared description for more information on this village.
The island's other ferry is at Cuan, this is a vehicle ferry between Seil and Luing (Luinn) (another of the Slate Islands).
Until the end of the C18th there would have been a third ferry to connect Seil to the mainland, but in 1791 the remarkable NM7819 : Seil - Achnahullin - Bridge over the Atlantic was built - see that image for more details.

Seil statistics
Area: 1,329ha (3,284 acres, 5.13 miles²) [Rank: 42nd]
Population: 551 [Rank: 21]
Density: 41.4/km² (107/mile²)
Highest Point: Meall a Chaise 146m (479') near Ellenabeich
Chief settlement: Balvicar (popn.c.112) - though see comment above.

Ellenabeich, Seil :: NM7417

Ellenabeich is the second largest settlement on the Isle of Seil after Balvicar, but there is considerably more 'going on' in this village. It has a bar/restaurant called the Oyster Bar LinkExternal link and an interesting little museum LinkExternal link
It is also where one catches the little passenger ferry to the Isle of Easdale (which has its own pub too).
The village actually gets its name from a former island 'Eilean nam Beathach' which was quarried extensively for slate and the waste rock was dumped such that it filled the channel between this tiny island and Seil. The reclaimed land then had slate workers' cottages built on it, creating the village that is there now. The original little islet was effectively quarried out of existence, and then the sea inundated the quarry leaving just a ring of rock which can be seen clearly from the terrace at the back of the Oyster Bar.
Immediately behind the village to the north rises the dramatic hill of Dùn Mòr LinkExternal link which attains 106m (348').
The village lies at the eastern end of the B844 which terminates in a car park. There are several guest houses, B&Bs and holiday lets in and around the village.
The parallel rows of whitewashed cottages are all HES Cat 'B' listed LinkExternal link and the entire village is a designated conservation area - see map LinkExternal link
The quay is separately Cat 'B' listed LinkExternal link
An Cala garden on the eastern side of the village is considered 'Outstanding' artistically - see LinkExternal link

The Slate Islands

The group of islands known as The Slate Islands form an archipelago in the Firth of Lorn to the SSW of Oban.
They get their name from the fact that they were extensively quarried for slate, particularly in the C19th. The populations of these islands were then much higher than they are now, with most of the men involved in quarrying the slate.
There are four principal Slate Islands, Easdale, Seil, Luing and Belnahua. Some also include the islands of Torsa (113 ha (280 acres)) and Shuna (451 ha (1,114 acres)) though neither of these islands had slate commercially extracted. These two small islands lie off the eastern coast of Luing, and while Torsa does have slate formations which were never exploited, Shuna is mostly composed of other rocks. See the end of this article for information on yet more 'claimants' to Slate Island status!
The two smallest islands, Easdale and Belnahua were the most extensively quarried, at least as a percentage of their land area.
Belnahua, the smallest island at just 6ha (15 acres) is no longer inhabited and access to it requires organising a trip with a local boatman. At its most active however as many as 200 people lived on this tiny island.
For information on the main four Slate Islands, please see their own shared descriptions, listed below:
Belnahua: Link
Easdale (Eilean Eisdeal): Link
Seil (Saoil): Link
Luing (Luinn): Link

Various other islands and islets are occasionally included within the Slate Islands. Most of these would more accurately be called 'Islands of the Firth of Lorn' as they are included purely for their geographical location rather than any appreciable quarrying of slate (or any at all in many cases). The two largest islands sometimes referred to in this way are Kerrera (1,214 ha (4.69 miles²)) just off the coast from Oban and lofty Scarba (1,474 ha (5.69 miles²) which reaches an altitude of 449m (1,473')) which lies between Luing and Jura.
Some of the smaller islets that are sometimes considered to be Slate Islands are those that cluster to the west of Luing , namely (from roughly south to north)
Lunga (Lorn not Treshnish) (250 ha (1 mile²)),
Eilean Dubh Mor (50 ha (124 acres)) & Beag (15 ha (37 acres)),
Ormsa, Dubh Sgeir, Fladda and also, off the western coast of Seil the substantial Insh Island (33 ha (82 acres)).
I don't think that the Garvellachs were ever considered as Slate Islands however.


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Rob Farrow and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Coastal Islands Island: Easdale Seil Primary Subject: Island
This photo is linked from: Other Photos: · Easdale - Former quarry, northernmost quarry · Dubh-fhèith islets from Easdale ·
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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NM7317, 141 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Rob Farrow   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Friday, 25 June, 2021   (more nearby)
Submitted
Wednesday, 14 July, 2021
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NM 73 17 [1000m precision]
WGS84: 56:17.7409N 5:39.7268W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NM 749 179
View Direction
Southwest (about 225 degrees)
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Image Type (about): cross grid  aerial 
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