Bernera Island () or simply Bernera is a

tidal island A tidal island is a raised area of land within a waterbody, which is connected to the larger mainland by a natural isthmus or man-made causeway that is exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide, causing the land to switch between being ...

off Lismore, in

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle; , ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county of western Scotland. The county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975 and most of the area ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

History

In the 6th century, Bernera was settled by monks of the Irish

Culdee The Culdees (; ) were members of ascetic Christian monastic and eremitical communities of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England in the Middle Ages. Appearing first in Ireland and then in Scotland, subsequently attached to cathedral or collegiate ...

church under the leadership of St. Moluag.

St. Columba Columba () or Colmcille (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is today Scotland at the start of the Hiberno-Scottish mission. He founded the important abbey ...

used the island as a private place for retreat, meditation and prayer, and may have preached under (and possibly planted) a vast

yew Yew is a common name given to various species of trees. It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus '' Taxus'': * European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'') * Pacific yew or western yew ('' Taxus ...

tree. It is reported that the wood was turned into a staircase for

Lochnell Castle Lochnell Castle (also known as ''Lochnell House'') is a 16th Century Castle that sits on Ardmucknish Bay near Benderloch, in Scotland. History Before the Castle The earliest recorded occupation on the current site dates back to around the 6th c ...

at Ardmenhuis and survived at least two fires, which burned down the rest of the building. The island has the remains of an ancient chapel and burial ground.

Natural history

The island is limestone and this reflected in the diversity of species found on the island. Bernera Island is designated a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

on the basis of its feature of limestone maritime cliffs along with the presence of the nationally scarce rock whitebeam. The

common seal The harbor (or harbour) seal (''Phoca vitulina''), also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinniped (walruses, eared sea ...

is a regular visitor to the coastal strip between the high and low water marks. This

littoral The littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely i ...

zone forms part of the ''Eileanan agus Sgeirean Lios mòr''

Special Area of Conservation A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

along with the nearby islets of Eilean na Cloich and Eilean Dubh in the Lynn of Lorn to the east and Dubh Sgeir and Eilean Gainimh in the Lynn of Morvern to the west.''Eileanan agus Sgeiran Lios mór Special Area of Conservation: Advice under Regulation 33(2)'' (2006)

Scottish Natural Heritage NatureScot () is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for Scotland’s natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity. It advises the Scottish Government on nature conservati ...

References

Uninhabited islands of Argyll and Bute Lismore, Scotland Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Lorne Tidal islands of Scotland {{Argyll-geo-stub