Carna

Carna is a small island in Loch Sunart on Scotland’s west coast, wedged across the mouth of Loch Teacuis. It forms two narrow channels called kyles, notorious among yachtsmen for tricky rock-dodging. The island’s highest point, Cruachan Chàrna, rises above heather-covered rocks and offers wide views over Oronsay, Morvern, Coll and the Isle of Mull. Moine schist bedrock underpins the landscape, with mixed schists and mica schists along the western strip. A north–south ridge splits Carna into two halves, each with different habitats. Carna supports a remarkable range of wildlife, from otters and sea eagles to orchids and harbour seals. Golden eagles, Arctic terns, red deer and woodpeckers share the island with water shrews, cuckoos and kestrels. Wild flower meadows, Atlantic oakwoods, Scots pine woodlands and wetland areas create diverse conditions for many species. The island also became a sanctuary for the threatened European wildcat, with a breeding station established in 2013. The Carna Conservation Initiative, set up in 2014, works to restore ancient meadows, recreate native woodlands and remove invasive plants. It also monitors the surrounding Loch Sunart Marine Protected Area. Signs of early farming appear in the terracing and the cultivated bank named Bac a’ Mhathachaidh. The remains of a tidal fish trap and bait holes show how past inhabitants worked the shore. Carna once had a main township called Dailachreagain with about twenty homes, now reduced to holiday cottages. Carna House, rebuilt in the 1920s, and Carna Cottage stand largely unchanged. A graveyard behind Carna Cottage holds headstones from 1707 to 2008, with the last burial in 2009. The island’s history includes clan gatherings led by Donald Balloch in 1431 and Donald Dubh in 1543 before passing to the Duke of Argyll.