Monach Isles
One of the joys of a sailing break in the Outer Hebrides is being able to visit uninhabited outlying islands such as the Monach Isles (Heisker) – a National Nature Reserve.
This low-lying group of islands with undisturbed machair, rare carpet flowers and a large breeding grey seal population offer several noted wild anchorages.
The islands, however, should only be visited in settled weather and great care is needed as rocks (above water and submerged) are scattered in this area.
Several companies provide boat trips to the Monachs and it is possible to book accommodation in the school house through the Grimsay Boatshed Trust.
Ceann Ear, Ceann Iar and Shivinish - the three main islands - are linked at low tide.
Wildlife on the Monach Isles
About 10,000 grey seals come ashore here each autumn to have their pups and mate, making the Monach Isles one of the largest such colonies in the world.
There are also a large number of nesting seabirds and a rich flora. Grey herons nest in some of the abandoned buildings as there are no trees on the islands.
It is, however, a threatened habitat as rising sea levels caused by global warming risks damaging these low-lying coastal areas and their wildlife.
Monach Isles Maritime History
The Monach Isles have long played an important role in Hebrides sailing tradition. In the 13th century a chapel with links to Iona was established at Cladh na Beide on Ceann Ear and the monks maintained a beacon fire on the nearby island of Shillay, one of the smaller islands in the group.
A red brick lighthouse was built in 1864 by the Stevensons and a newer light was installed in 1997.
Hebridean Tales of the Monach Isles
With their amazing isolation and exposure to the elements, it is no surprise that the Monachs take a leading role in Hebridean lore.
The islands were reputedly home to an exiled Lady Grange, who had been kidnapped by her Jacobite sympathizing husband, for two years before she was taken on to Hirta and finally to Skye where she died after a failed rescue attempt.
The islands also play a starring role in a short film of the traditional story Blue Bonnets. In the clip storyteller Ian Stephen perches on the cliffs of the Monachs to tell a tale of local men risking their lives to hunt the sea birds as was once common practice.
