Wildlife on Holy Isle

Aside from livestock, like cattle and sheep, there are other large animals you'll occasionally encounter while wandering on the Scottish Isles. I have come across wild goats on Islay, Mull, Cara and Jura, and horses while wandering on Muck and Eriskay. But there is only one island where I've encountered goats and horses at the same time, and that is Holy Island. You can read about the Eriskay ponies and the Saanen Goats that run free on Holy Island here, and below are some photos I took of them in 2002.

Saanen goat and kid meditating on the west coast

Saanen goat grazing above Pillar Rock lighthouse

Ponies grazing on the slopes above the Inner Light

Ponies grazing

The Water Horse of Loch Lomond 2

We will leave Inchtavannach with Rosa. Instead of swimming, this time she's being chauffeured across on a barge. At this link you can see some photos of one of Rosa's fellow islanders, Shosoni, swimming the waters. 

An interesting side note (to me anyway) - my father grew up in Shoshone, Idaho. There they pronounce it "sho-shone", but my father told me the native Americans pronounced it "Sho-shoni". So Shosoni, the  island-horse, living so far from Idaho, has an authentic name.

The Water Horse of Loch Lomond

Meet Rosa, who earns a living pulling a carriage for weddings in and around the village of Luss. She lives on Inchtavannach, an island in Loch Lomond, and here you can see her swimming home. We'll be visiting Rosa's island over the next few days.

Atop Eriskay 3

A great way to descend Beinn Sciathan is to head due east down to Loch Dubhat. Along the way you can get a closer look at Calbhaigh island. I wonder if there is any whisky left to be found in those sands.

As you approach Loch Dubhat with its two small islands, Canna and Rum can be seen on the horizon. The little islet in the sea to the left is Thairteamul. 

From the loch you can either turn north and head to the road at Bun a' Mhuillinn, or turn south to circle around the flank of Beinn Sciathan. Let's do the latter, and make our way down to the harbour of Acairsaid Mhor. When I walked this way I encountered Eriskay ponies grazing on the short grass.