Inchfad facts for kids
| Gaelic name | Innis Fada |
|---|---|
| Meaning of name | long island |
| OS grid reference | NS400910 |
| Coordinates | 56°05′06″N 4°34′19″W / 56.085°N 4.572°W |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Loch Lomond |
| Area | 35 ha |
| Area rank | (Freshwater: 11) |
| Highest elevation | 24 m |
| Administration | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | Scotland |
| Council area | Stirling |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 1 |
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Inchfad (which means "long island" in Scottish Gaelic, Innis Fada) is a beautiful island located in the southeast part of Loch Lomond in Scotland. It's a peaceful place, known for its natural beauty.
This island is about 1.35 square kilometers in size, which is around 40 hectares. Its highest point is 25 meters above the water. Inchfad is part of the area managed by Stirling Council.
Inchfad has some lovely wooded areas. There are two houses on the island. One is a modern bungalow that used to be a farmhouse. The other is a wooden house used for holidays. Just off the southwestern tip of Inchfad, you can spot a very small island called Ellanderroch. There's also a short canal on the island, which is about a quarter of a mile long.
Island History
Inchfad has an interesting past, especially with making spirits. After many small, unlicensed places making whisky around the loch closed, Inchfad became home to a legal distillery. You can still see the old ruins of this distillery today. A canal was built to make it easier to move the materials needed for making whisky.
Early Owners
In the early 1700s, the MacFarlane family took over Inchfad. They operated a government-approved distillery until the mid-1800s. Today, their family members still run a boatyard nearby in Balmaha and even handle the island's mail! Other important owners of Inchfad included the Dukes of Montrose and Charles Collins, who started a famous publishing company.
The Davison Family
In 1944, an English couple named Frank and Ann Davison bought the island. They worked hard to bring the farm back to life. They even brought livestock and other supplies by train all the way from Wirral, England. After their success, they sold the island.
Ann Davison later wrote a book called Home was an Island. It tells the story of their life on Inchfad and a nearby island called Inchmurrin. Ann Davison became very famous in 1953. She was the first woman to sail across the Atlantic Ocean all by herself! She spent her later years living in the United States.
