Name Games

There's often confusion about island names. The last of the Small Isles, below Skye, is Hyskeir or Oigh-sgeir - maiden or virgin rock in Gaelic - to the south-west of Canna. Some way to the north are the Monach Islands, which are also known by their Old Norse name - Heisker or bright skerry. They lie about five miles west of North Uist.  Then there's Haskeir or wild skerry some eight miles west of the Sound of Harris. It's pictured here by Nigel Winn whose article on this 'reclusive' outpost will be appearing in the September / October 2011 issue. He runs Island Expeditions

Scottish Islands Explorer - where the Hyskeirs, Heiskeirs & Hasgeirs feel at home