An England Beyond Skye

If you look to the right soon after crossing the Skye Bridge on the A87 to Broadford, Pabay appears. It is a low-lying island that continues to attract attention in a number of ways. Around 1549, Dean Munro described it as, 'Full of woods, good for fishing and a main shelter for thieves and cut-throats.' The Victorian, Hugh Miller, considered it to be, 'The only piece of flat, level England in the entire landscape.' Now it is known for its own stamps (or 'carriage labels'), ham radio links and historical connections. The house on the island, shown below, looks modern and gives its owners a far different lifestyle from that experienced by the priests who came here in the 13th Century. The contact address given on the Isle of Pabay website is of a house in Martock, Somerset, a far cry from this part of Skye. It is, however, not far from the Somerset Levels, a famously flat area of England. The photographs have been provided by Richard Evans.