Sula Sgeir

Sula Sgeir (Scottish Gaelic based on the Old Norse: súla, "gannet" and sker, "skerry") is a small, uninhabited Scottish island in the North Atlantic, 18 kilometres (11 mi) west of North Rona. One of the most remote islands of the British Isles, it lies more than forty miles north of Lewis and is best known for its population of gannets.

Although seemingly very inhospitable to humans, there is a ruined stone bothy called Taigh Beannaichte (Blessed House) on the east headland Sgeir an Teampaill. The hard gneiss rock of which the island is made splits into long pieces, which are excellent for building bothies and cairns, but the hard rough boulders and sharp rocks make for difficult walking.

The sea has burrowed right through the southern part of the island in a series of interconnected and spectacular caves which can be explored in calm weather by inflatable. The small lighthouse on the south end at Sròn na Lice is regularly damaged by the huge seas which break right over the rock during Atlantic storms.

Despite this there is a surprising amount of vegetation, and the thrift is especially colourful in June, which is probably the best month to visit.