Risga

Risga is a small, rocky island in Loch Sunart, Highland. It lies between Càrna and Oronsay, about 730 metres from the north shore. The island covers twelve hectares and reaches forty-three metres at its highest point. In 1950, more than fifty pairs of lesser black-backed gulls nested here. Risga belongs to the grounds of Glenborrodale Castle and forms part of the Sunart Site of Special Scientific Interest. A smaller island called Ross Rock sits roughly 180 metres away. Archaeologists found Mesolithic tools during a dig in 1920–21. These artefacts now belong to the Hunterian Museum and Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow. A shell midden, protected as a scheduled monument, stretches at least thirty metres by ten metres. The midden sits on a raised beach similar to those found on nearby Oronsay. Old Norse place-names also point to the island’s Viking past. Visitors find a grassy mound marking the shell midden on the eastern side. The east coast has at least sixty crotagans, small stone fishing huts. The island’s rocky surface and low hills offer open views across the loch. Glenborrodale Castle’s wooded grounds frame the scene on the northern shore. Risga’s quiet shores and archaeological traces make it a calm place to explore.