Arctic Centre

Funding will certainly be needed to create an Arctic Centre at the Hall of Clestrain, the former home in Orkney of John Rae, the explorer associated with the North-West Passage. The endeavours of the John Rae Society have been successful. Read more in The Press and Journal.

Scottish Islands Explorer - tends to look northwards
Digital Edition: cruises passages throughout the world

Barra Bank Goes On

The branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland on Barra will not be closed following a review by the company. The Press and Journal gives the details. Will more islanders use the facilities now?

Scottish Islands Explorer - looks to cards rather than cash
Digital Edition: part of the technology that by-passes retailers

Resourceful Strontian

Strontian is on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula at the head of Loch Sunart. There is something about the place that brings out the resourcefulness of people. It gave its name to strontium, a soft, silvery metal; is currently where a consortium of parents and interested parties has built a new primary school; it was, in 1846, where a floating church that could hold 700 people was moored, having been built on the Clyde and towed there. The metal has several significant uses; the school will serve generations to come; the recovery of parts of the church which was used until 1869 is the subject of an interesting charitable appeal.

Scottish Islands Explorer - investigates even man-made islands
Digital Edition: gives old news a new impact

Mystery of the Stranded

During the past six weeks some 25 marine creatures have become stranded on Outer Hebridean beaches. An item in the Stornoway Gazette attempts to unravel the mystery of this matter.

Scottish Islands Explorer - sometimes gets stranded on shelves in shops
Digital Edition: there's a constant flow of information and images online 

Take the Long View(s)

Location, views and price are the keys to property-purchasing. Take a look at two Stromness sites that are featured in The Orcadian through J E P Robertson & Son. One is Ocean View, which speaks for itself, and the other is South Wardhill (above) with an uninterrupted vista across the Stromness Loons. The translation of 'loons' in this case is 'marshland'.

Scottish Islands Explorer - likes looking at locations

Digital Edition: views given worldwide coverage in an instant

Trillion Cubic Feet

The equipment needed is vast, but so are the reserves estimated. Total Gas has announced a major discovery - a trillion cubic feet of gas to the west of Shetland. Explore the facts and implications about it on the BBC website.

Scottish Islands Explorer - would more people discover the magazine
Digital Edition: takes satellite routes to worldwide destinations

Scotland for Courtship

Apparently some members of the basking shark family, the world's second largest fish, come to Scotland , in general, and the small islands off Mull and Skye, in particular, to use the seas for courtship. Then they migrate to warmer waters around Madeira and the Canary Islands. The BBC website provides some background details of the location for foreplay and leaping above the surface.

Scottish Islands Explorer - another form of exploration in the vicinity

Digital Edition: travels from the west of Scotland to west of Africa quickly

Sky to Skye to Sell

Meteorite material reached Skye, then displaying volcanic activity, some 60 million years ago. It has been identified quite recently and some of it has featured on ebay … for sale. Read about this criminal activity in The Skye Times.

Scottish Islands Explorer - copies and / or content to be discovered?

Digital Edition: appears to reach computers from outer space

Ulva for Initiatives

This image of Ulva, Mull, comes from the archives of the now defunct Schools Hebridean Society - so it must be dated. It was, in fact, taken in 1970 since when any island developments have been rare. Now matters have changed and the community buyout has meant that initiatives are being considered. House-building is one of them and that's featured in an article from The Press and Journal.

Scottish Islands Explorer - intrigued by island infra-structures

Digital Edition: was once in the planning stage

The Gloup Claims a Victim

It's quite a contrast between the concealed opening The Gloup at Deerness, Orkney, photographed here by Chris Downer for geograph, and the expansiveness of the cliffs of the Mull of Deerness. Yesterday there was a fatality involving the former, reported in The Press and Journal.

Scottish Islands Explorer - watches for the hidden traps
Digital Edition: arrives on an expansive route in an inexpensive way