Rinns of Islay
Encyclopedia
The Rinns of Islay is an area on the west of the island of Islay
in the Inner Hebrides
of Scotland
.
It is a peninsula
that is attached to the main body of the island at its northern end. The main population centres are Port Charlotte
and Portnahaven
, based on the A847
that runs along its eastern coast.
It is designated a Special Protection Area
due to its importance for a number of breeding and wintering birds, particularly Greenland White-fronted Goose
and Chough
. The significance of the area owes much to its wide variety of habitats including bog, moorland, dune grassland, maritime grassland, marsh and extensively-farmed agricultural land.
The Rinns of Islay lighthouse
is located on the island of Orsay
.
Islay
-Prehistory:The earliest settlers on Islay were nomadic hunter-gatherers who arrived during the Mesolithic period after the retreat of the Pleistocene ice caps. In 1993 a flint arrowhead was found in a field near Bridgend dating from 10,800 BC, the earliest evidence of a human presence found so far...
in the Inner Hebrides
Inner Hebrides
The Inner Hebrides is an archipelago off the west coast of Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which enjoy a mild oceanic climate. There are 36 inhabited islands and a further 43 uninhabited Inner Hebrides with an area greater than...
of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
It is a peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
that is attached to the main body of the island at its northern end. The main population centres are Port Charlotte
Port Charlotte, Islay
Port Charlotte is a village on the island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland. It was founded in 1828.Port Charlotte was named after Lord Frederick Campbell's wife, and it was set up mainly to provide housing facilities for the Lochindaal Distillery work force. Parts of the former distillery...
and Portnahaven
Portnahaven
Portnahaven is a village on Islay in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland.It is located at the southern tip of the Rinns at the southern end of the A847 road. Its harbour is sheltered by the island of Orsay and its smaller neighbour Eilean Mhic Coinnich. The Rinns of Islay lighthouse, built by Stevenson...
, based on the A847
A847 road
The A847 road is one of the two principal roads of Islay in the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of mainland Scotland.It connects Bridgend, at a junction with the A846 road, with Portnahaven at the southern end of the Rinns of Islay peninsula...
that runs along its eastern coast.
It is designated a Special Protection Area
Special Protection Area
A Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds.Together with Special...
due to its importance for a number of breeding and wintering birds, particularly Greenland White-fronted Goose
White-fronted Goose
The Greater White-fronted Goose is a species of goose. The Greater White-fronted Goose is more closely related to the smaller Lesser White-fronted Goose...
and Chough
Chough
The Red-billed Chough or Chough , Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, is a bird in the crow family; it is one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax...
. The significance of the area owes much to its wide variety of habitats including bog, moorland, dune grassland, maritime grassland, marsh and extensively-farmed agricultural land.
The Rinns of Islay lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
is located on the island of Orsay
Orsay, Inner Hebrides
Orsay is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It lies a short distance off the west coast of the island of Islay and shelters the harbour of the village of Portnahaven....
.