Handa Island - Handa Island

Rock spike with brooding razorbills and guillemots

Handa Island is an island that as Site of Special Scientific Interest to be led. It is quite remote on the northwest coast of Scotland and can only be reached via back roads. Hundreds of thousands of birds breed here, mostly guillemots in number, but also many other species. Due to the relatively strict protection policy of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, the animals are used to people, but see no danger in them. So they can be observed relatively well.

history

Handa was inhabited until the middle of the 19th century and was abandoned due to famine. It is currently owned by Jean Balfour and J.C. Balfour and has been left by them to the Scottish Wildlife Trust, which manages the island.

landscape

Handa is a rocky island off the west coast of Scotland (Sutherland).

Flora and fauna

The wildlife consists mainly of Kittiwakes, Fulmars, large skuas, Lesser black-backed gulls, Puffins, Herring gulls, Razorbill and Guillemots (the largest colony of its kind in Great Britain). The flora consists of grass and low bushes, there are hardly any trees.

  • Birds that breed on Handa Island

  • Cliff with brooding guillemots

  • Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) at brood feeding

  • Puffin (Fratercula arctica) on Handa Island

  • Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) on Handa Island

  • Sign indicating the breeding protection areas

climate

Atlantic rough.

getting there

Handa is very remote on the northwestern end of Scotland between Ullapool and Durness and is about that A834 or A838 reachable. A dead end road leads to Tarbet, from where a rubber dinghy ferry goes to the island. The ferry is run by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, which strictly regulates the number of visitors.

Fees / permits

The ferry ride costs £ 12.50 for adults, £ 5 for children, and free for children under 5 (as of 02/2017), there are no further costs. More information and contact on the Handa-Ferry website

Tourist Attractions

Hundreds of thousands of birds live here and breed here.

activities

There is a circular hiking trail that must not be left; If only because you are otherwise very painfully attacked by skuas who defend their nests as ground-nesters. Other activities are limited to observing and photographing birds and the landscape.

accommodation

It is not allowed to stay overnight on the island. There is only one restaurant nearby in Tarbet, but no hotel. Accommodation is only available a few kilometers away in Scourie or Rhiconich.

literature

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