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Sursaigh

Coordinates: 57°40′25″N 7°6′18″W / 57.67361°N 7.10500°W / 57.67361; -7.10500
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Sursaigh
Scottish Gaelic nameSursaigh
Meaning of namePossibly Old Norse for 'sour island'.[1]
Location
Sursaigh is located in Outer Hebrides
Sursaigh
Sursaigh
Sursaigh shown within the Outer Hebrides
OS grid referenceNF957760
Coordinates57°40′23″N 7°06′18″W / 57.673°N 7.105°W / 57.673; -7.105
Physical geography
Island groupUists and Barra
Area30 ha (74 acres)[2]
Area rank247 [3]
Highest elevation27 m (89 ft)
Administration
Council areaNa h-Eileanan Siar
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Demographics
Population0[4]
Lymphad
References[5]

Sursaigh (Scottish Gaelic: Sursaigh) is an island[6] off North Uist in the Sound of Harris, Scotland. It lies 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) northeast of the village of Lochmaddy[4] and there are numerous nearby islands including Stromay, Sgarabhaigh and Tahay.[5]

The island has "a patchy cover of glacial deposits."[6]

Airigh na h-Aon Oidhche (one-night shieling) is a ruined hut on the south side of the island. It is said that in the late 19th century a shepherd who was staying on the island was awakened by the sound of gulls and his frightened dog. Rushing outside he saw "an enormous cartwheel in the sky making a strange noise". He fled the island and never returned.[7]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ MacCulloch, John (1824) The Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland, Containing Descriptions of Their Scenery and Antiquities, with an Account of the Political History ...: Present Condition of the People, &c.... Founded on a Series of Annual Journeys Between the Years 1811 and 1821... in Letters to Sir Walter Scott, Bart. Volume 3 p. 148. Longman.
  2. ^ Rick Livingstone’s Tables of the Islands of Scotland (pdf) Argyll Yacht Charters. Retrieved 12 Dec 2011.
  3. ^ Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
  4. ^ a b "Sursay". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 12 August 2009.
  5. ^ a b Get-a-map (Map). Ordnance Survey.
  6. ^ a b J.D. Hansom. "Loch Maddy - Sound Of Harris Coastline" (PDF). JNCC. Retrieved 12 August 2009.
  7. ^ Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. p. 260. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.

57°40′25″N 7°6′18″W / 57.67361°N 7.10500°W / 57.67361; -7.10500