Fladda-chùain

Fladda-chùain is a small flat island in the Inner Hebrides, lying north of Skye’s Trotternish peninsula between the mainland and the Outer Hebrides. It belongs to the Fladda-chùain group and is the largest of its cluster of islets. The name comes from Old Norse for ‘flat island’ combined with the Gaelic word for ocean, reflecting its low profile on the Minch. The Minch itself is called An Cuan Sgìth by Gaelic speakers, linking the island to the wider seaway. Other islands share similar names, so the extra Gaelic word helps to tell them apart. Legends surround Fladda-chùain. Ruins of a chapel stand on the island, said to have been founded by a figure called O’ Gorgon in the time of St Columba. Another tale claims the MacDonalds of the Isles hid important papers here before the Jacobite rising of 1715. The last known resident was nicknamed Am Muileach Mòr, a name that hints at links with Mull or the headland. In 2002 a nuclear submarine struck the island while moving at 27.2 km/h, damaging the hull and injuring three crew before sailing on to Faslane. A short distance south lie three smaller islets: Gaeilavore, Gearran and Am Bord, also known as Lord Macdonald’s Table. The chapel ruins, the scattered stones of old homes and the open grassy slopes give the place a quiet, windswept feel. Visitors walk over low turf and low cliffs, seeing seabirds and distant views of Skye’s northern peaks. The Minch stretches away to the west, its tides shaping the island’s edges.