The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the country.Slesser (1981) p. 19.Murray (1966) pp. 147–48. Although has been suggested to describe a winged shape, no definitive agreement exists as to the name's origin."Gaelic Culture" . VisitScotland. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
The island has been occupied since the late Upper Palaeolithic period, and over its history has been occupied at various times by Celtic tribes including the Picts and the Gaels, Scandinavian Vikings, and most notably the powerful integrated Norse-Gaels clans of MacLeod and MacDonald. The island was considered to be under Norwegian suzerainty until the 1266 Treaty of Perth, which transferred control over to Scotland.
The 18th-century Jacobite risings led to the breaking-up of the clan system and later clearances that replaced entire communities with sheep farms, some of which involved forced emigrations to distant lands. Resident numbers declined from over 20,000 in the early 19th century to just under 9,000 by the closing decade of the 20th century. Skye's population increased by 4% between 1991 and 2001. About a third of the residents were Gaelic speakers in 2001, and although their numbers are in decline, this aspect of island culture remains important. The main industries are tourism, agriculture, fishing, and forestry. Skye is part of the Highland Council local government area and wholly within the historic county of Inverness-shire. The island's largest settlement is Portree, which is also its capital, known for its picturesque harbour.Murray (1966) p. 155. Links to various nearby islands by ferry are available, and since 1995, to the mainland by the Skye Bridge. The climate is mild, wet, and windy. The abundant wildlife includes the golden eagle, red deer, and Atlantic salmon. The local flora is dominated by heather moor, and nationally important invertebrate populations live on the surrounding sea bed. Skye has provided the locations for various novels and feature films and is celebrated in poetry and song.
Etymology
In the second century AD, Ptolemy mentioned an island named Scetis, not among the Aibudai Islands north of Hivernia (Ireland), as he called the Hebrides,Web Archive: Ptolemy by Müller, Karl, 1818-1899, p.80/81, "Super Hiberniam sitae sunt Æbudæ insulæ" but near the Orcades (Orkney Islands); therefore, Scetis rather seems to be Shetland.Web Archive: Ptolemy by Müller, Karl, 1818-1899, p.104, "Insulæ adiacent Albionis insulæ ad Orcadem promontorium" Ravenna Cosmography, written in the 7th century, refers to Scitis, probably following Ptolemy. Nevertheless, some scholars believe, it was the first mention of Skye by its actual name."Group 34: islands in the Irish Sea and the Western Isles 1" . Kmatthews.org.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2008.Strang, Alistair (1997) "Explaining Ptolemy's Roman Britain". Britannia. 28 pp. 1–30 One possible derivation comes from skitis, an early Celtic word for "winged", which may describe how the island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre.Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 173–79. Subsequent Gaelic-, Norse- and English-speaking peoples have influenced the history of Skye; the relationships between their names for the island are not straightforward. Various etymologies have been proposed, such as the "winged isle" or "the notched isle", p. 105. but no definitive solution has been found to date; the place name may be from an earlier, non-Gaelic language.Gammeltoft, Peder (2007) p. 487.Jennings and Kruse (2009) pp. 79–80.
In the Norse sagas, Skye is called , for example in the . Norwegian translation: P. A. Munch. Saganet.is. Retrieved 3 June 2008. and a skaldic poem in the from around 1230 contains a line that translates as "the hunger battle-birds were filled in Skye with the blood of foemen killed"."Magnus Barefoot's Saga". English translation: Wikisource. Retrieved 4 June 2008. The island was also referred to by the Norse as (misty isle), or (isle of cloud). The traditional Gaelic name is (the island of Skye), being a more recent and less common spelling. In 1549, Donald Munro, High Dean of the Isles, wrote of "Sky": "" The meaning of this Gaelic name is unclear.
, which means "island of the mist" (a translation of the Norse name), is a poetic Gaelic name for the island.
Geography
At , Skye is the second-largest island in Scotland after Lewis and Harris. The coastline of Skye is a series of peninsulas and bays radiating out from a centre dominated by the Cuillin hills (Gaelic: ). Malcolm Slesser suggested that its shape "sticks out of the west coast of northern Scotland like a lobster's claw ready to snap at the fishbone of Harris and Lewis" and W. H. Murray, commenting on its irregular coastline, stated, "Skye is 60 miles [100 km] long, but what might be its breadth is beyond the ingenuity of man to state". Martin Martin, a native of the island, reported on it at length in a 1703 publication. His geological observations included a note that:
The Black Cuillin, which are mainly composed of basalt and gabbro, include 12 Munros and provide some of the most dramatic and challenging mountain terrain in Scotland. The ascent of is one of the longest rock climbs in Britain and the Inaccessible Pinnacle is the only peak in Scotland that requires technical climbing skills to reach the summit." and the In Pinn" . skyewalk.co.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2008. Nearby Sgùrr Alasdair, meanwhile, is the tallest mountain on any Scottish island. These hills make demands of the hill walker that exceed any others found in ScotlandBennet (1986) p. 222. and a full traverse of the Cuillin ridge may take 15–20 hours.Wells, Colin (2007) "Running in Heaven" . Glasgow. Sunday Herald. Retrieved 28 December 2012. The Red Hills (Gaelic: ) to the east are also known as the Red Cuillin. They are mainly composed of granite that has weathered into more rounded hills with many long scree slopes on their flanks. The highest point of these hills is Glamaig, one of only two Corbetts on Skye.Johnstone et al. (1990) pp. 234–40.
The northern peninsula of Trotternish is underlain by basalt, which provides relatively rich soils and a variety of unusual rock features. The Kilt Rock is named after the columnar structure of the ~ cliffs, said to resemble the pleats in a kilt. The Quiraing is a spectacular series of rock pinnacles on the eastern side of the main spine of the peninsula and further south is the rock pillar of the Old Man of Storr.Murray (1966) p. 149. The view of the Quiraing and the Old Man of Storr is one of the most iconic in all of Scotland and is frequently used on calendars and tourism guides and brochures.
Beyond Loch Snizort to the west of Trotternish is the Waternish peninsula, which ends in Ardmore Point's double rock arch. Duirinish peninsula is separated from Waternish by Loch Dunvegan, which contains the island of Isay. It is ringed by sea cliffs that reach on the west at Waterstein Head and on the northwest at Biod an Athair where, a metre from the summit trig pillar, the cliffs drop to the ocean. Oolitic loam provides good arable land in the main valley. Lochs Bracadale and Harport and the island of Wiay lie between Duirinish and Minginish, which includes the narrower defiles of Talisker and Glen Brittle and whose beaches are formed from black basaltic sands.Murray (1966) pp. 156–61. Strathaird is a relatively small peninsula close to the Cuillin hills with only a few crofting communities, Elgol & Torrin Historical Society. (). Retrieved 9 March 2008. the island of Soay lies offshore. The bedrock of Sleat in the south is Torridonian sandstone, which produces poor soils and boggy ground, although its lower elevations and relatively sheltered eastern shores enable a lush growth of hedgerows and crops.Murray (1966) pp. 147, 165. The islands of Raasay, Rona, Scalpay and Pabay all lie to the north and east between Skye and the mainland.
Palaeontology
The Isle of Skye has a rich palaeontological record of Jurassic aged strata. The Trotternish peninsula in northeast Skye is renowned for its Middle Jurassic aged rock (circa 174-166 million years old), which has provided researchers with the opportunity to study dinosaur footprints and bones. The first scientifically described dinosaur footprint was discovered in 1982 and likely impressed by either a large theropod or ornithopod dinosaur. Later discoveries have included further footprints and bones. The first dinosaur bone (a tibia) was found in 1992 in Early Jurassic deposits in southern Skye and most likely belonged to a small Coelophysoid theropod. Subsequent Middle Jurassic aged bones found belonged to large theropods (a middle caudal vertebra and many teeth), sauropods (many vertebra, a couple of teeth, and a humerus), and thyreophorans (partial radius and ulna). Footprints for all these dinosaurs have been recorded in-situ across Trotternish at Brother's Point, An Corran (Staffin Bay), and Duntulm. Evidence of stegosaurs is noted in tracks from Brother's Point. A selection of Skye's palaeontological heritage is exhibited in the Staffin Museum in Ellishadder, Staffin. All dinosaur and vertebrate related fossils on Skye are protected by law by the Skye Nature Conservation Order 2019.
Towns and villages
Portree in the north at the base of Trotternish is the largest settlement (estimated population 2,264 in 2011)"Highland Profile" . The Highland Council (2011 estimate). Retrieved 26 December 2012 and is the main service centre on the island. A December 2018 report recommended the village as "Skye's best home base" for visitors, since it has "a few hotels, hostels and bed-and-breakfasts in town, while more B&Bs line the roads into and out of town". The village also has "banks, churches, cafes and restaurants, a cinema at the Aros Centre, a swimming pool and library ... fuel filling stations and supermarkets".
Broadford, the location of the island's only airstrip, is on the east side of the island, and Dunvegan in the north-west is well known for its castle and the nearby Three Chimneys restaurant. The 18th-century Stein Inn on the Waternish coast is the oldest pub on Skye."Magical places do exist..." . Steininn.co.uk. Retrieved 6 June 2010. Kyleakin is linked to Kyle of Lochalsh on the mainland by the Skye Bridge, which spans the narrows of Loch Alsh. Uig, the port for ferries to the Outer Hebrides, is on the west of the Trotternish peninsula, and Edinbane is between Dunvegan and Portree. Much of the rest of the population lives in crofting townships scattered around the coastline.McGoodwin (2001) p. 250.
Climate The influence of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream create a mild oceanic climate. Temperatures are generally cool, averaging in January and in July at Duntulm in Trotternish. Snow seldom lies at sea level and frosts are less frequent than on the mainland. Winds are a limiting factor for vegetation. South-westerlies are the most common and speeds of have been recorded. High winds are especially likely on the exposed coasts of Trotternish and Waternish.Murray (1966) p. 147. In common with most islands of the west coast of Scotland, rainfall is generally high at per annum and the elevated Cuillin are wetter still. Variations can be considerable, with the north tending to be drier than the south. Broadford, for example, averages more than of rain per annum.Slesser (1981) pp. 27–31. Trotternish typically has 200 hours of bright sunshine in May, the sunniest month.Murray (1973) p. 79. On 28 December 2015, the temperature reached 15 °C, beating the previous December record of 12.9 °C, set in 2013. On 9 May 2016, a temperature of 26.7 °C (80.1 °F) was recorded at Lusa in the southeast of the island.
History
Prehistory