Handa Island

Handa Island lies in Eddrachillis Bay off Sutherland’s west coast. The island is thirty hectares across and rises to one hundred and twenty-three metres at its highest point. Its Torridonian red sandstone cliffs drop straight into the sea on the north and west sides. Sandy beaches appear on the south and east shores. Smaller islands lie nearby, including Glas-Leac to the south and Eilean an Aigeach to the north-east. Handa matters because it shelters one of Britain’s largest seabird colonies. Razorbills and guillemots breed here in numbers that make up eleven and nine per cent of the UK total. Great skuas, puffins and kittiwakes also nest in nationally important numbers. Seals and otters frequent Boulder Bay on the southern coast. Dolphins, basking sharks and whales often pass through the surrounding waters. Visitors land by small ferry from Tarbet or join boat trips from Fanagmore. A single warden and volunteers guide summer visitors across the island’s grassy paths. Heather and crowberry carpets the open ground while thrift and sea plantain grow on the exposed cliff tops. The remains of a chapel mark the south-east shore, and the beach there still bears the name Tràigh an Teampaill.