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Handa Island Scourie Highlands |
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| Habitat: Offshore island with seacliffs. One of the largest seabird colonies in N.W. Europe. |
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| Description: In the north west of the island, magnificent sea cliffs, formed from horizontally stratified Torridonian sandstone, rise vertically from the Atlantic. Each summer they come alive, when nearly 200,000 seabirds gather here to breed. Guillemots, razorbills, and great skuas reach internationally important numbers. There are also kittiwakes, arctic skuas and some puffins. You will find attractive plant-life and archaeological remains of an old village which was inhabited until 1847. |
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| Important for: Birds Best time to visit: April-July: Guillemots, puffins and razorbills. May-September: Great skuas, arctic skuas, fulmars and kittiwakes. June-August: Wild flowers |
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| Points of interest: The Great Stack or Stack an Seabhaig (the hawk’s stack) is the best place to experience the sight, sound and smell of some of Handa’s 180,000 seabirds. The stack is a pillar of sandstone separated from the island by the sea. Over 9,000 guillemots alone breed on ledges on the Stack’s east-face! Razorbills lay their single egg on crevices near the top of the Stack. Kittiwakes build nests made of grass cemented together by droppings. Puffins nest in burrows on top of the Stack, probably because of introduced brown rats. Following the eradication of rats from Handa in 1997, puffins have started to colonise the main island again. Until 1847, up to 60 people inhabited Handa, living on oats and potatoes. Their food crops failed due to potato blight and they were evacuated to Nova Scotia. The ruins of their houses can still be seen. |
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| To help you locate the reserve, click here for the map
website www.streetmap.co.uk
(Search for Landranger grid reference: NC138480 - the zoom button is below map to the right)  print page
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| Getting there: Small ferry boat operates from Tarbet. The service operates April - early September, Monday - Saturday from 9:30am. Ferry costs Ł10.00 (adults), Ł5.00 (children). Crossings are on demand and weather dependent. Last outbound journey approx. 2:00pm. Last return journey at 4:30pm. Tarbet is sign-posted from the A894, 2 miles North of Scourie. Parking and public toilets available in Tarbet ( no toilets on Handa). Public transport: Scourie is the nearest public transport terminus. Bus service via Ullapool. Train and post-bus via Lairg. Post-bus stops on request at junction to Tarbet. From there it is a 2 mile walk to the ferry. Visitors using public transport should check times carefully. On arrival to the island visitors will be met by SWT staff/volunteers. There is a 6km circular path (we recommend stout footwear). Most visitors spend at least 2 1/2 - 3 hours on the island. Visitors are asked to make a small contribution to the cost of managing the island. STAY ON THE PATH OR BOARDWALK AT ALL TIMES FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY AND TO AVOID DISTURBING WILDLIFE. AS YOU APPROACH THE NORTHERN CLIFFS TAKE GREAT CARE. SOME PARTS OF THESE CLIFFS OVERHANG! |
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