Eilean Bàn (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

meaning ''White Island'') is a island between

Kyle of Lochalsh Kyle of Lochalsh (from the Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic ''Caol Loch Aillse'', "strait of the foaming loch") is a village in the historic county of Ross-shire on the northwest coast of Scotland, located around west-southwest of Inverness. It is loca ...

and the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

, in the historic county of

Ross and Cromarty Ross and Cromarty ( gd, Ros agus Cromba), sometimes referred to as Ross-shire and Cromartyshire, is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use, the latt ...

in the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

local government area. The

Skye Bridge The Skye Bridge ( gd, Drochaid an Eilein Sgitheanaich) is a road bridge over Loch Alsh, Scotland, connecting the Isle of Skye to the island of Eilean Bàn. The name is also used for the whole Skye Crossing, which further connects Eilean Bàn ...

uses the island as a stepping-stone as it crosses the mouth of

Loch Alsh Loch Alsh (from the Scottish Gaelic ''Loch Aillse'', "foaming lake") is a sea inlet between the isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides and the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The name is also used to describe the surrounding country and the feuda ...

from the mainland to Skye. Eilean Bàn was the last home of the author of ''Ring of Bright Water,''

Gavin Maxwell Gavin Maxwell FRSL FZS FRGS (15 July 19147 September 1969) was a British naturalist and author, best known for his non-fiction writing and his work with otters. He wrote the book ''Ring of Bright Water'' (1960) about how he brought an otter ba ...

. He moved here after his home at Sandaig, which he called in his books, was destroyed by fire in 1968. He invited

John Lister-Kaye Sir John Philip Lister Lister-Kaye, 8th Baronet, (born 8 May 1946) is an English naturalist, conservationist, author who is owner and director of the Aigas Field Centre, among other business interests. He is married with four children and h ...

to join him on the island to help build a zoo and work on a book about British wild animals. Both of these had to be abandoned after Maxwell's death in 1969. Lister-Kaye wrote his account of working with Maxwell in his book, ''The White Island''. Since 1998 the island has been owned by the Eilean Bàn Trust who run it as a nature reserve and holiday lets. Otter_and_bird_watching_hides_on_Eilean_Ban_-_geograph

Otter_and_bird_watching_hides_on_Eilean_Ban_-_geograph

In 2001 the island had a population of two as recorded by the census but in 2011 there were no "usual residents" living there.

Kyleakin Lighthouse

Kyleakin Lighthouse is situated at the south-western end of Eilean Bàn. It was built by

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

and

Thomas Stevenson Thomas Stevenson PRSE MInstCE FRSSA FSAScot (22 July 1818 – 8 May 1887) was a pioneering Scottish civil engineer, lighthouse designer and meteorologist, who designed over thirty lighthouses in and around Scotland, as well as the Stevenson sc ...

in 1857, and is linked to a pair of keepers' houses. The lighthouse was automated and converted to use

acetylene gas Acetylene (systematic name: ethyne) is the chemical compound with the formula and structure . It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in its pure ...

in 1960. Following the start of construction of the Skye Bridge, the lighthouse was decommissioned in 1993. It is a Category B

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

References

External links

Eilean Bàn Trust

Northern Lighthouse Board

Skye and Lochalsh Uninhabited islands of Highland (council area) {{Highland-geo-stub

Kyleakin Lighthouse

See also

References

External links