List of outlying islands of Scotland


The outlying islands of Scotland incorporate those that are not part of the larger archipelagos and island groups of Scotland and are thus not listed as being part of the Hebrides, the Northern Isles or the Islands of the Forth and Clyde estuaries. None of these islands is currently inhabited and few of them ever were, although Hirta was occupied from the Neolithic age until 1930 and Stroma was permanently occupied until the 1970s and thereafter by lighthouse keepers and their families until 1996. Several other outlying islands have lighthouses, none of which is still manned.
In this list, an island is defined as "land that is surrounded by seawater on a daily basis, but not necessarily at all stages of the tide, excluding human devices such as bridges and causeways". A complication relating to membership of this list is that there are various descriptions of the scope of the Hebrides, the large group of islands that lie off Scotland's west coast. The Collins Encyclopedia of Scotland describes the Inner Hebrides as lying "east of The Minch", which would include any and all offshore islands. There are various islands that lie in the sea lochs such as Eilean Bàn and Eilean Donan that might not ordinarily be described as "Hebridean" but no formal definitions exist and for simplicity they are included in the List of Inner Hebrides rather than here.

Main islands

There are several small groupings of outlying islands involved. The most significant of these is the St Kilda archipelago which lies west-northwest of North Uist and is now a World Heritage Site. It is one of the few to hold joint status for its natural and cultural qualities. At Stac an Armin is the highest sea stack in the British Isles and in July 1840, the last great auk seen in the British Isles was captured there.
East of St Kilda are the Flannan Isles, where all three lighthouse keepers mysteriously vanished without trace in December 1900. Further north and east are the two outliers of Sula Sgeir and North Rona, which have strong cultural links to the Outer Hebrides. North Rona is north north east of Butt of Lewis and east of Sula Sgeir. It is the remotest island in the British Isles to have ever been inhabited on a long-term basis. It is also closer than any other part of Scotland to the Faroe Islands. Sule Skerry and Sule Stack lie further east and are administratively part of Orkney.
The islands of the north coast are remote from the main centres of population, although they mostly lie close to the mainland. There is a small group of larger islands near Tongue Bay, but the largest on this coast is Stroma in the Pentland Firth, between Caithness and Orkney. Innis Mhòr in the Dornoch Firth is the largest of a handful of small islets off the coast of Easter Ross. Further south are Inchcape off the coast of Angus, and Mugdrum, the only substantial island in the Firth of Tay. There is a cluster of islands in the Solway Firth that marks the south western border of Scotland, including the Islands of Fleet, in Wigtown Bay.
Most of the smaller islets that surround those in the main list are obscure and none have been permanently inhabited in modern times. Nonetheless, some have a degree of historical significance. Castle Mestag off Stroma is the ruins of a once fortified stack accessible only via a drawbridge. Some islets are identified as "storm washed", meaning that although they are partly above mean sea level, large waves wash over the top of them during storms, rendering them uninhabitable.
Finally, there is remote Rockall, which is to the west of North Uist. It is a small rocky islet in the North Atlantic which could be, in James Fisher's words, "the most isolated small rock in the oceans of the world" and which was declared part of Scotland by the Island of Rockall Act 1972. However, the legality of the claim is disputed by the Republic of Ireland, Denmark and Iceland and it is probably unenforceable in international law.
IslandGroupArea Height
Light
Last inhabitedSurrounding islets
Ardwall IsleIslands of Fleet2234NoOld Man of Fleet
Barlocco IsleIslands of Fleet1010NoThe Three Brethren
Big ScareSolway Firth<121NoLittle Scares
BoreraySt Kilda77384NoAn t-Sail, Sgarbhstac
Bròna CleitFlannan Isles1c. 20No
DùnSt Kilda32178NoHamalan, Giasgeir, Sgeir Cul an Rubha, Sgeir Mhòr
Eilean a' GhobhaFlannan Isles857No
Eilean ChoraidhLoch Eriboll2626NoA' chlèit
Eilean HoanLoch Eriboll2825NoA' Ghoil-sgeir, An Cruachan, An Dubh-sgeir, Eilean Clùimhrig, Pocan Smoo
Eilean MòrFlannan Isles88YesDeirc na Sgeir, Làmh à Sgeir Beag, Làmh an Sgeir Mòire
Eilean nan RònTongue Bay13876NoAn Innis, Eilean Iosal, Meall Thailm
Eilean TaigheFlannan Isles1159NoGealtaire Beag, Gealtaire Mòr, Hamasgeir
Hestan IslandSolway Firthc.1154Yes
HirtaSt Kilda670430NoAn Torc, Bradastac, Mina Stac, Sgeir Domhnuill, Sgeir Mhòr, Sgeir nan Sgarbh
InchcapeAngus coast0Yes
Innis MhòrEaster Ross26<5No
Little RossSolway Firth735YesSugarloaf
MugdrumFirth of Tay324No
Murray's IslesIslands of Fleet1c.5NoHorse Mark
Neave IslandTongue Bay3070NoStac an Fhamhair
North RonaNorth west109108NoGealldraig Mhòr, Lòba Sgeir
Rabbit IslandsTongue Bay3245NoDubh Sgeir-Mhòr, Eilean á Chaoil, Eilean Creagach, Sgeir an Òir, Talmine Island
RoaireimFlannan Isles552No
RockallNorth AtlanticNoHasselwood Rock, Helen's Reef
Rough IslandSolway Firth8NoCraig Roan, Spring Stones
Sgeir TomanFlannan Isles443NoSgeir Righinn
SoaySt Kilda99378NoAm Plastair, Sgeir Mac Righ Lochlainn, Stac Biorach, Stac Dona, Stac Soay.
SoraighFlannan Isles641No
Stac an ArminSt Kilda9196No
Stac LeeSt Kilda1172No
Stac LevenishSt Kilda<162NoNa Bodhan
StromaCaithness37553YesCastle Mestag
Sula SgeirNorth west1570YesBogha Córr, Grallsgeir
Sule SkerryOrkney1612Yes
Sule StackOrkney36No

Smaller islets off the mainland

There are various smaller islets and skerries in the seas surrounding the mainland of Scotland that are only exposed at lower stages of the tide. Craiglethy is part of the Fowlsheugh nature reserve. The Three Kings, off the coast of Easter Ross near Balintore, is also known as Creag Harail or Harold's Rock and called The King's Sons in the New Statistical Account of Scotland. According to legend, three sons of a Danish prince, sailing to avenge their sister's wrongs, were wrecked here and gave these rocks their collective name. Their graves were marked by the sculptured stones of Nigg, Shandwick and Hilton of Cadboll. Another story has their burial at Nigg Rocks below the North Sutor.
Other than Mugdrum in the Firth of Tay and the Islands of the Forth there are no genuine islands on the east coast of Scotland south of Buddon Ness.