Mingulay

At the southern tip of the island chain of the Outer Hebrides sits the Isle of Mingulay – abandoned by its last inhabitants 100 year ago. Now owned by the National Trust of Scotland, Mingulay can be accessed in the right conditions by boat tours and charters from neighbouring islands including Barra and Uist.

The history of the island stretches over seven millennia, and the final families cast off for neighbouring Vatersay in 1912, leaving behind their village homes whose foundations still stand as a reminder of a way of life lost to the unceasing onslaught of the Atlantic elements.

While no longer a permanent home to Hebridean islanders, Mingulay still provides a rich habitat for birdlife, with the towering 250 metre Carnan cliffs providing protected breeding grounds for fulmars, guillemots, kittiwakes, oystercatchers, puffins, razor bills and terns.

A day trip to this island of desolate beauty offers an exciting contrast to the thriving fishing and crofting communities on neighbouring islands.