Haskeir

Island in Scotland

57°48′N 7°48′W / 57.8°N 7.8°W / 57.8; -7.8Physical geographyIsland groupUist and BarraArea15 ha (37 acres)Highest elevation37.5 m (123 ft)AdministrationSovereign stateUnited KingdomCountryScotlandCouncil areaNa h-Eileanan SiarDemographicsPopulation0

References^[3]^[4]Haskeir Lighthouse

Haskeir Lighthouse, and Haskeir Eagach in the distance

Coordinates57°41′57″N 7°41′19″W / 57.699084°N 7.688555°W / 57.699084; -7.688555Constructed1997Foundationconcrete baseConstructionfiber glass towerHeight9 m (30 ft)Shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lanternPower sourcesolar power

OperatorNorthern Lighthouse Board^[6]Focal height44 m (144 ft)Range29 nmi (54 km) ^[5]CharacteristicFl W 20 s

Haskeir (Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Hasgeir), also known as Great Haskeir (Scottish Gaelic: Hasgeir Mhòr) is a remote, exposed and uninhabited island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It lies 13 kilometres (8 miles) west-northwest of North Uist. 1 km (5⁄8 mi) southwest lie the skerries of Haskeir Eagach, made up of a colonnade of five rock stacks, and 40 km (25 mi) northwest is St Kilda.

Geography, geology and botany

There is no anchorage or shelter and access via the steep rocky cliffs may be difficult, even in calm conditions. There are several natural rock arches and a high cliff on the northern end of the island called Castle Cliff. Various small skerries lie immediately to the north and south. There is very little vegetation save for a few sea-pinks, campion, plantain and orache that can survive the salt spray.^[3]

Much of the bedrock is Lewisian gneiss^[7]

History

Skilðar or Skilðir (meaning shields) may have been the Old Norse name for Haskeir.^[1]^[2] Skildar certainly appears on a map by Nicholas de Nicolay from 1583. There are various theories that somehow the transposition of this name to nearby St Kilda may have created the name for this latter archipelago, whose origins are otherwise obscure.^[8]^[9]

There is an active lighthouse on the island constructed in 1997 and operated by the Northern Lighthouse Board, as well as the remains of a bothy, possibly built by fishermen from the Monach Islands.

Gallery

North east of Haskeir from Griminish, North Uist
Heisgeir Eagach from Rubha Ghriminis, North Uist
Haskeir (on the right) and Haskeir Eagach from Griminish Point, North Uist
1580 Carte of Scotlande showing Hyrth (i.e. Hirta in St Kilda) at left and Skaldar (Haskeir) to the north west

References

^ ^a ^b Maclean, Charles (1977) Island on the Edge of the World: the Story of St. Kilda Canongate. ISBN 0-903937-41-7. Page 33.
^ ^a ^b Fleming, Andrew (2005) St. Kilda and the Wider World: Tales of an Iconic Island. Windgather Press. ISBN 1-905119-00-3. Page 27. Maclean does not state which island caused the confusion, but Fleming equates 'Skilðir' with Haskeir.
^ ^a ^b Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh. Canongate.
^ Ordnance Survey "Get-a-Map"
^ Haskeir Lighthouse World of Lighthouses. Retrieved 19 May 2016
^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Scotland: Western Isles". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
^ "The Lewisian Gneiss of North Castle, Haskeir:: OS grid NF6182 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland - photograph every grid square!". Geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
^ Quine, David (2000) St Kilda. Grantown-on-Spey. Colin Baxter Island Guides. ISBN 1-84107-008-4. Page 21. Quine, for example, suggests that Skildar was transcribed in error by Lucas J. Waghenaer in his 1592 charts without the trailing r and with a period after the S, creating S.Kilda. This was in turn assumed to stand for a saint by others, creating the form that has been used for several centuries, St Kilda.
^ de Nicolay, Nicholas (1583) Vraye & exacte description Hydrographique des costes maritimes d'Escosse & des Isles Orchades Hebrides avec partie d'Angleterre & d'Irlande servant a la navigation.^{[permanent dead link]} Edinburgh. National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 22 December 2007.

External links

Northern Lighthouse Board

Uninhabited islands of the Hebrides

Inner Hebrides

Outer Hebrides

v t e Lighthouses of the Northern Lighthouse Board
Scotland (except principal island groups)	Ailsa Craig Ardnamurchan Bass Rock Bell Rock Buchan Ness Cape Wrath Chanonry Corran Point Corsewall Covesea Skerries Crammag Head Davaar Duncansby Head Dunnet Head Fidra Fife Ness Girdle Ness Holy Island (Outer) Inchkeith Isle of May Kinnaird Head Mull of Galloway Mull of Kintyre North Rona Noss Head Pladda Rattray Head Rubh Re St Abbs Head Sanda Scurdie Ness Stoer Head Strathy Point Stroma Sule Skerry Tarbat Ness Turnberry Minor lights
The Hebrides	Barra Head Butt of Lewis Dubh Artach Eilean Glas Flannan Islands Haskeir Hyskeir Lismore Monach Neist Point Ornsay Rinns of Islay Rubha nan Gall Rona Ruvaal Scarinish Skerryvore Tiumpan Head Ushenish Minor lights
Orkney	Auskerry Brough of Birsay Cantick Head Copinsay Hoy Sound (High) Hoy Sound (Low) North Ronaldsay Noup Head Pentland Skerries Start Point Tor Ness Minor lights
Shetland	Bressay Eshaness Fair Isle North Fair Isle South Firths Voe Foula Hoo Stack Little Holm Muckle Flugga Out Skerries Point of Fethaland Sumburgh Head Ve Skerries Minor lights
Isle of Man	Chicken Rock Douglas Head Langness (minor light) Maughold Head Point of Ayre Thousla Rock (minor light)