Hyskeir

Hyskeir is a low-lying rocky islet in the Inner Hebrides, marking the southern entrance to the Minch. It lies eleven kilometres southwest of Canna and fourteen kilometres west of Rùm, with Garbh Sgeir nearby. The islet is made of hexagonal pitchstone columns and has no permanent residents. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, sheep from Canna grazed here in summer. Its name comes from Old Norse and Gaelic words meaning ‘maiden rock’. The Hyskeir Lighthouse was built in 1904 to warn of nearby hazards. Designed by David and Charles Stevenson, the white tower stands thirty-nine metres high. It was one of the last Scottish lighthouse staffed until 1997, when it was automated. Keepers once became known for a one-hole golf course on the island. Peter Hill’s book *Stargazing* recalls his time as a young keeper here. Visitors find a stark, windswept landscape with nesting Arctic and common terns, kittiwakes and eider ducks. A large seal colony lives around the rocks, and basking sharks are sometimes seen nearby. The lighthouse itself remains a striking landmark against the sea. The only landing place lies in the channel between Hyskeir and Garbh Sgeir.