#Skye amorous guide series#

His geological observations included a note that: Martin Martin, a native of the island, reported on it at length in a 1703 publication. Murray, commenting on its irregular coastline, stated that 'Skye is sixty miles long, but what might be its breadth is beyond the ingenuity of man to state'. Malcolm Slesser suggested that its shape 'sticks out of the west coast of northern Scotland like a lobster's claw ready to snap at the fish bone of Harris and Lewis' and W.

#Skye amorous guide series#

The coastline of Skye is a series of peninsulas and bays radiating out from a centre dominated by the Cuillin hills (Gaelic: An Cuiltheann). The vertical west face of the Bastier Tooth (a top next to Am Basteir) in the Cuillin, with SgГ№rr nan Gillean in the backgroundДЄt 1,656 square kilometres (639В sqВ mi), Skye is the second-largest island in Scotland after Lewis and Harris. Д®ilean a' CheГІ, which means island of the mist (a translation of the Norse name), is a poetic Gaelic name for the island. In 1549 Donald Munro, High Dean of the Isles, wrote of 'Sky': ' This Ile is callit Ellan Skiannach in Irish, that is to say in Inglish the wyngit Ile, be reason it has mony wyngis and pointis lyand furth fra it, throw the dividing of thir foirsaid Lochis.' but the meaning of this Gaelic name is unclear. The traditional Gaelic name is An t-Eilean Sgitheanach (the island of Skye), An t-Eilean Sgiathanach being a more recent and less common spelling. The island was also referred to by the Norse as Skuy (misty isle), SkГЅey or SkuyГ¶ (isle of cloud). 1230 contains a line that translates as 'the hunger battle-birds were filled in Skye with blood of foemen killed'. In the Norse sagas Skye is called SkГГ°, for example in the HГЎkonar saga HГЎkonarsonar and a skaldic poem in the Heimskringla from c. Various etymologies have been proposed, such as the 'winged isle' or 'the notched isle' but no definitive solution has been found to date the place name may be from an earlier, non-Gaelic language. Subsequent Gaelic-, Norse- and English-speaking peoples have influenced the history of Skye the relationships between their names for the island are not straightforward. One possible derivation comes from skitis, an early Celtic word for winged, which may describe how the island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre. The first written references to the island are Roman sources such as the Ravenna Cosmography, which refers to Scitis and Scetis, which can be found on a map by Ptolemy. Skye has provided the locations for various novels and feature films and is celebrated in poetry and song. The local flora are dominated by heather moor, and there are nationally important invertebrate populations on the surrounding sea bed. The abundant wildlife includes the golden eagle, red deer and Atlantic salmon. There are links to various nearby islands by ferry and, since 1995, to the mainland by a road bridge. The island's largest settlement is Portree, which is also its capital, known for its picturesque harbour. Skye is part of the Highland Council local government area. The main industries are tourism, agriculture, fishing and forestry. About a third of the residents were Gaelic speakers in 2001, and although their numbers are in decline, this aspect of island culture remains important. Skye's population increased by 4 per cent between 19. Resident numbers declined from over 20,000 in the early 19th century to just under 9,000 by the closing decade of the 20th century. The 18th-century Jacobite risings led to the breaking-up of the clan system and later clearances that replaced entire communities with sheep farms, some of which involved forced emigrations to distant lands. The island was considered to be under Norwegian suzerainty until the 1266 Treaty of Perth which transferred control over to Scotland. The island has been occupied since the Mesolithic period, and its history includes a time of Pictish, Celtic and Norse rule and a long period of domination by Clan MacLeod and Clan Donald. Although it has been suggested that Sgitheanach describes a winged shape there is no definitive agreement as to the name's origins. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the country. The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye ( / s k aЙЄ/ Scottish Gaelic: An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or Eilean a' CheГІ Scots: Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.