Scottish Gaelic name | Griomasaigh |
---|---|
Old Norse name | Grímsey |
Meaning of name | ON: Grim's Island |
Location | |
OS grid reference | NF855572 |
Coordinates | 57°29′N 7°14′W / 57.49°N 7.24°W |
Physical geography | |
Island group | Uist and Barra |
Area | 833 ha (3+1⁄4 sq mi) |
Area rank | 58 [1] |
Highest elevation | 22 m (72 ft) |
Administration | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Country | Scotland |
Council area | Outer Hebrides |
Demographics | |
Population | 169 [2] |
Population rank | 36 [1] |
Population density | 20/km2 (52/sq mi) [2] [3] |
Largest settlement | Bàgh Mòr and Ceallan |
References | [3] [4] [5] |
Grimsay ( Scottish Gaelic: Griomasaigh) is a tidal island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
Grimsay is the largest of the low-lying stepping-stones which convey the Oitir Mhòr (North Ford) causeway, a 5-mile (8-kilometre) arc of single track road linking North Uist and Benbecula via the western tip of Grimsay. [6] Until it opened in 1960, [7] a ferry linked Carinish (on North Uist) with Gramsdale (on Benbecula), but could only operate at high tide. [8] There was also a ford which could only be crossed close to low water, usually only with a guide. [8] For significant parts of each day the North Ford was too wet to ford and not wet enough to cross by ferry. [8] East of Grimsay lie several smaller islands including Ronay which was inhabited until 1931. [3]
The island's population was 169 as recorded by the 2011 census [2] a drop of over 15% since 2001 when there were 201 usual residents. [9] During the same period Scottish island populations as a whole grew by 4% to 103,702. [10] The main settlements are Baymore (Bàgh Mòr) and Kallin (Ceallan) at the eastern end of the island. Grimsay has a harbour at Kallin, which is the base to a sizeable shellfish industry, [6] the island's main industry, mostly for lobster, prawns and scallops. Also in Kallin is The Boatshed, a marine repair facility which promotes traditional skills, and employs a full-time boatbuilder and trainee. [11] Three generations of Stewart family built as many as 1,000 boats from three sheds on Grimsay. [11] Grimsay is encircled by a single-track road that links most of the island's small croft and fishing settlements together.
There is a fine example of an Iron-Age wheelhouse on the northeast coast of the island at Bagh nam Feadag. [12] It is one of the best examples of a wheelhouse on North Uist but does not appear on Ordnance Survey maps. [13]
Scottish Gaelic name | Griomasaigh |
---|---|
Old Norse name | Grímsey |
Meaning of name | ON: Grim's Island |
Location | |
OS grid reference | NF855572 |
Coordinates | 57°29′N 7°14′W / 57.49°N 7.24°W |
Physical geography | |
Island group | Uist and Barra |
Area | 833 ha (3+1⁄4 sq mi) |
Area rank | 58 [1] |
Highest elevation | 22 m (72 ft) |
Administration | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Country | Scotland |
Council area | Outer Hebrides |
Demographics | |
Population | 169 [2] |
Population rank | 36 [1] |
Population density | 20/km2 (52/sq mi) [2] [3] |
Largest settlement | Bàgh Mòr and Ceallan |
References | [3] [4] [5] |
Grimsay ( Scottish Gaelic: Griomasaigh) is a tidal island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
Grimsay is the largest of the low-lying stepping-stones which convey the Oitir Mhòr (North Ford) causeway, a 5-mile (8-kilometre) arc of single track road linking North Uist and Benbecula via the western tip of Grimsay. [6] Until it opened in 1960, [7] a ferry linked Carinish (on North Uist) with Gramsdale (on Benbecula), but could only operate at high tide. [8] There was also a ford which could only be crossed close to low water, usually only with a guide. [8] For significant parts of each day the North Ford was too wet to ford and not wet enough to cross by ferry. [8] East of Grimsay lie several smaller islands including Ronay which was inhabited until 1931. [3]
The island's population was 169 as recorded by the 2011 census [2] a drop of over 15% since 2001 when there were 201 usual residents. [9] During the same period Scottish island populations as a whole grew by 4% to 103,702. [10] The main settlements are Baymore (Bàgh Mòr) and Kallin (Ceallan) at the eastern end of the island. Grimsay has a harbour at Kallin, which is the base to a sizeable shellfish industry, [6] the island's main industry, mostly for lobster, prawns and scallops. Also in Kallin is The Boatshed, a marine repair facility which promotes traditional skills, and employs a full-time boatbuilder and trainee. [11] Three generations of Stewart family built as many as 1,000 boats from three sheds on Grimsay. [11] Grimsay is encircled by a single-track road that links most of the island's small croft and fishing settlements together.
There is a fine example of an Iron-Age wheelhouse on the northeast coast of the island at Bagh nam Feadag. [12] It is one of the best examples of a wheelhouse on North Uist but does not appear on Ordnance Survey maps. [13]