Seil
Encyclopedia
One of the Slate Islands
, Seil is a small island on the east side of the Firth of Lorn, 7 miles (11.3 km) southwest of Oban
, in Scotland
.
Seil has been linked to the Scottish mainland since 1792 when the Clachan Bridge
was built by engineer Robert Mylne
. Also known as the Bridge Over the Atlantic, the bridge is still used today and in early summer is covered in fairy foxgloves (Erinus alpinus
).
The main settlement on Seil is former slate-mining village Ellenabeich
, where parts of Ring of Bright Water
were filmed. The Ellenabeich Heritage Centre which opened in 2000, is run by the Scottish Slate Islands Trust. Located in a former slate quarry-worker's cottage, the centre has displays on life in the 19th Century, slate quarrying and the local flora, fauna and geology. Another village is Balvicar
. Ferries sail from Ellenabeich to Easdale
, and from Cuan
on the island to Luing
.
s and one White-tailed Sea Eagle have been found poisoned near Seil in recent years, involving use of the banned substance Carbofuran
.
Slate Islands
The Slate Islands are an island group in the Inner Hebrides, lying immediately off the west coast of Scotland, north of Jura and southwest of Oban. The main islands are Seil, Easdale, Luing, Lunga, Shuna, Torsa and Belnahua...
, Seil is a small island on the east side of the Firth of Lorn, 7 miles (11.3 km) southwest of Oban
Oban
Oban Oban Oban ( is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. It has a total resident population of 8,120. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William and during the tourist season the town can be crowded by up to 25,000 people. Oban...
, in 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...
.
Clachan Bridge
The Clachan Bridge is a simple, single-arched, hump-backed masonry bridge spanning the Clachan Sound, miles southwest of Oban in Argyll, Scotland....
was built by engineer Robert Mylne
Robert Mylne
Robert Mylne was a Scottish architect and civil engineer, particularly remembered for his design for Blackfriars Bridge in London. Born and raised in Edinburgh, he travelled to Europe as a young man, studying architecture in Rome under Piranesi...
. Also known as the Bridge Over the Atlantic, the bridge is still used today and in early summer is covered in fairy foxgloves (Erinus alpinus
Erinus alpinus
Erinus alpinus is a perennial plant of the family Plantaginaceae, native to Central and Southern Europe...
).
The main settlement on Seil is former slate-mining village Ellenabeich
Ellenabeich
Ellenabeich is a small village on the isle of Seil - an island on the east side of the Firth of Lorn, 7 miles southwest of Oban, in Scotland. It is a former slate-mining village and is where parts of Ring of Bright Water were filmed....
, where parts of Ring of Bright Water
Ring of Bright Water
Ring of Bright Water is a British feature film starring Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna in a story about a Londoner and an otter living on the Scottish coast. The film was based upon a 1960 autobiographical book of the same name by Gavin Maxwell, featuring the stars of Born Free, another movie...
were filmed. The Ellenabeich Heritage Centre which opened in 2000, is run by the Scottish Slate Islands Trust. Located in a former slate quarry-worker's cottage, the centre has displays on life in the 19th Century, slate quarrying and the local flora, fauna and geology. Another village is Balvicar
Balvicar
Balvicar is a village on the island of Seil, a small island southwest of Oban, Scotland. It is one of three villages on the island along with Ellenabeich and Clachan-Seil. It was a former slate-mining village beginning in the 16th century, and eventually ceased mining after sporadic operation...
. Ferries sail from Ellenabeich to Easdale
Easdale
Easdale is one of the Slate Islands, in the Firth of Lorn, Scotland. Once the centre of the British slate industry, there has been some recent island regeneration....
, and from Cuan
Cúán
Cúan, Irish abbot, died 752. Little is known about him but he is mentioned in the Annals of Inisfallen as the abbot Liath Mo-Chaemóc. He was the founder of many churches and monasteries in Ireland, and lived to nearly 100 years. Saint Cúan is commemorated on January 1 by Western Rite Orthodox...
on the island to Luing
Luing
Luing is one of the Slate Islands, Firth of Lorn, in the west of Argyll in Scotland, about 16 miles south of Oban. It has a population of around 200 people, mostly living in Cullipool, Toberonochy , and Blackmillbay...
.
Wildlife concerns
According to wildlife experts the entire badger population of the island may have been deliberately exterminated in 2007. Forty of the animals, whose setts were believed to be long established, may have been gassed to death, according to the police. The police also expressed concerns that two Golden EagleGolden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
s and one White-tailed Sea Eagle have been found poisoned near Seil in recent years, involving use of the banned substance Carbofuran
Carbofuran
Carbofuran is one of the most toxic carbamate pesticides. It is marketed under the trade names Furadan, by FMC Corporation and Curater, among several others. It is used to control insects in a wide variety of field crops, including potatoes, corn and soybeans...
.