Erraid

Erraid is a small tidal island in the Inner Hebrides, lying west of Mull and southeast of Iona. It measures about two kilometres square and is surrounded by several uninhabited islets. The island receives less rain and more sunshine than most places on Scotland’s western seaboard. A disused signal station once served the lighthouses at Dubh Artach and Skerryvore. A row of cottages built for lighthouse keepers still stands on the island. The island is privately owned and home to an intentional community linked to the Findhorn Foundation. It appears in Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Kidnapped, where David Balfour is marooned there after a shipwreck. Stevenson’s father worked on nearby lighthouses, and the stones for Dhu Heartach were quarried on Erraid. The author visited the island as a boy and later set parts of his writing there. Visitors find a quiet tidal isle with a mix of granite rocks and heather-covered ground. The western side has a deep anchorage called Tinker’s Hole, a narrow channel between Erraid and Eilean Dubh. The island’s history and Stevenson’s tale add layers of interest. The intentional community offers a glimpse of alternative living. The landscape remains rugged, with few signs of modern development.