Erraid facts for kids
| Gaelic name | Eilean Earraid |
|---|---|
| Meaning of name | Tidal island (Old Gaelic name: Arthraigh) |
 Rock near the summit of Cnoc Mor |
|
| OS grid reference | NM298199 |
| Coordinates | 56°17′N 6°22′W / 56.29°N 6.36°W |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Mull |
| Area | 187 ha (0.72 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 112 |
| Highest elevation | Cnoc Mòr, 75 m (246 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | Scotland |
| Council area | Argyll and Bute |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 6 |
| Population density | 3.2/km2 (8.3/sq mi) |
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Erraid (Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Earraid) is a special island in Scotland. It is called a tidal island. This means you can walk to it from the larger island of Mull when the tide is low. It's about 1 square mile (2.6 square kilometers) in size. Erraid is located west of Mull and southeast of Iona.
The island gets about 1,000 mm (39 inches) of rain each year. It also enjoys 1,350 hours of sunshine. This makes it one of the driest and sunniest places on Scotland's western coast. Many small, uninhabited islets surround Erraid. The biggest ones are Eilean Dubh (there are two of these), Eilean nam Muc, Eilean Chalmain, Eilean Ghomain, and Eilean na Seamair.
Life on Erraid
The island has some interesting old buildings. There is a disused signal station. This station was once used to send signals to the lighthouses on Dubh Artach and Skerryvore. You can also see a row of cottages. These were built for the people who worked as lighthouse keepers.
Today, Erraid is privately owned. It is home to an intentional community. This is a group of people who choose to live together. They share common values and goals. This community is part of the Findhorn Foundation.
A famous author and activist named Satish Kumar has visited the island. He wrote about his visit in his autobiography.
There is a well-known spot on the western side of the island called 'Tinker's Hole'. It is a deep but narrow channel. This channel runs between Erraid and one of the small islets called Eilean Dubh.
Erraid in "Kidnapped"
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Erraid is one of the places featured in the famous novel Kidnapped. This book was written by Robert Louis Stevenson. The hero of the story, David Balfour, gets stuck on the island for a while. His ship had crashed on the Torran Rocks, which are to the south of Erraid.
Stevenson's father, Thomas Stevenson, helped build the nearby lighthouses. The stones for the Dubh Artach lighthouse were taken from Erraid. Young Robert Louis visited the island many times. He even wrote about one of his trips in his book Memories and Portraits. Later, he based a fictional island called Aros on Erraid. This island is the setting for his short story "The Merry Men".
David Balfour's Island Stay
In Kidnapped, David Balfour is trapped on Erraid. He doesn't know that it's a tidal island. He thinks he's stuck there forever. Here's what he says in the book:
A boy who knew about the sea would not have stayed a day on Earraid. It is only what they call a tidal islet. Except when the tide is very high, you can walk onto and off the island twice a day. You can either walk with dry feet or just wade a little. Even I, who saw the tide going in and out, and watched for low tide to get shellfish, should have guessed the secret. If I had just stopped to think instead of being angry, I would have been free quickly.
David explains that the local fishermen understood his problem. They knew he didn't realize it was a tidal island. He was very hungry and cold during his time there. He says he might have died on the island if the fishermen hadn't come back for him. He was dressed like a beggar and was in pain from a sore throat.
Stevenson also describes the island in his book:
It was still the roughest kind of walking. Indeed, all of Erraid, and the nearby part of Mull (called the Ross), is just a mix of granite rocks with heather growing among them.
While stuck on the island, David Balfour stayed alive by eating shellfish. He found many limpets among the rocks. He also found small shells called buckies, which are also known as periwinkles. He ate them cold and raw. He was so hungry that at first, they tasted delicious to him.
