Another of the small isles which is well worth a visit is the Isle of Eigg. A boat trips to Eigg can be a great experience for the whole family as Eigg is an island which is rich with all sorts of history. Leaving from Elgol pier it will take Skye Boat Trips boat “The Islander” about just over an hour to get you across. This may change depending on whether or not there is any wildlife about on the day however as the skipper of the boat, Oliver, will try to take you to see as much wildlife as possible.
A boat trips to Eigg is a great family day out.Eigg is such a beautiful island with a big white sandy beach so it is the perfect place to visit and relax if the weather is nice. The beach is a quartz beach known as the “Singing Sands” because when it is dry and you walk along it, it makes a squeaking noise.
Eigg is now the most populated of the small isles with around 87 people living on the island however numbers used to be much higher. During the 16th century there were around 400 MacDonalds of Clanranald living on the island however after a lengthy feud with the MacLeods of Dunvegan and Harris the whole Island was massacred in what is known as Massacure cave. The MacDonalds took refuge in a cave which is on the south west of the island but were all suffocated after a party of MacLeod entered the island and lit a fire at the entrance of the cave. The MacDonalds had no choice but to stay in the cave as it was either that or be killed by the MacLeods. The story states that 395 MacDonalds were killed which was the entire population of the island bar 1 old lady who had decided not to take refuge in the cave. If you wish to visit the cave it is about a two hour walk but the cave can only be entered at low tide and a torch is needed.
A boat trip to Eigg will take you to see the worlds first wind, water and sun powered electricity grid. During the 20th century Eigg had a lot of problems with absentee landlords so in 1997 the residents of Eigg took over the island for themselves. Eigg’s electricity was not supplied by the main grid but instead the individual houses were powered by different types of generators. Because of this when the island was then owned by its inhabitants they grouped together to create a mains electricity grid which is powered by renewable sources.
Although Eigg is only a small island being only 9 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide with only 85 residents, it is an island that is rich with history and history that is still being made to this day. If you wish to book a boat trip to Eigg then please get in touch with us at Skye Boat Trips.
A boat trips to Eigg is a great family day out.Eigg is such a beautiful island with a big white sandy beach so it is the perfect place to visit and relax if the weather is nice. The beach is a quartz beach known as the “Singing Sands” because when it is dry and you walk along it, it makes a squeaking noise.
Eigg is now the most populated of the small isles with around 87 people living on the island however numbers used to be much higher. During the 16th century there were around 400 MacDonalds of Clanranald living on the island however after a lengthy feud with the MacLeods of Dunvegan and Harris the whole Island was massacred in what is known as Massacure cave. The MacDonalds took refuge in a cave which is on the south west of the island but were all suffocated after a party of MacLeod entered the island and lit a fire at the entrance of the cave. The MacDonalds had no choice but to stay in the cave as it was either that or be killed by the MacLeods. The story states that 395 MacDonalds were killed which was the entire population of the island bar 1 old lady who had decided not to take refuge in the cave. If you wish to visit the cave it is about a two hour walk but the cave can only be entered at low tide and a torch is needed.
A boat trip to Eigg will take you to see the worlds first wind, water and sun powered electricity grid. During the 20th century Eigg had a lot of problems with absentee landlords so in 1997 the residents of Eigg took over the island for themselves. Eigg’s electricity was not supplied by the main grid but instead the individual houses were powered by different types of generators. Because of this when the island was then owned by its inhabitants they grouped together to create a mains electricity grid which is powered by renewable sources.
Although Eigg is only a small island being only 9 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide with only 85 residents, it is an island that is rich with history and history that is still being made to this day. If you wish to book a boat trip to Eigg then please get in touch with us at Skye Boat Trips.
No comments:
Post a Comment