List of outlying islands of Scotland
Introduction Topographic map of ScotlandBoreray and the stacks from the heights of Conachair, HirtaThe '''outlying islands of Scotland''' are not part of the larger archipelagos and island groups of Scotland—the Hebrides, the Northern Isles or the Islands of the Forth and Clyde estuaries. None of these islands are currently inhabited and few of them ever were, although Hirta was occupied from the Neolithic age until 1930 and Stroma was permanently occupied until the 1970s and thereafter by lighthouse keepers and their families until 1996.Several other outlying islands have lighthouses, none of which is still staffed.In this list, an island is defined as "land that is surrounded by seawater on a daily basis, but not necessarily at all stages of the tide, excluding human devices such as bridges and causeways". A complication relating to membership of this list is that there are various descriptions of the scope of the Hebrides, the large group of islands that lie off Scotland's west coast. The ''Collins Encyclopedia of Scotland'' describes the Inner Hebrides as lying "east of The Minch", which would include any and all offshore islands. There are various islands that lie in the sea lochs such as Eilean Bàn and Eilean Donan that might not ordinarily be described as "Hebridean" but no formal definitions exist and for simplicity they are included in the List of Inner Hebrides rather than here.
Main islands Mugdrum seen from Newburgh Soay, St Kilda, the westernmost island of Scotland (excluding Rockall, the status of which is a matter of dispute)Winter waves breaking over Rockall in 1943 Sula SgeirThe westernmost of the Flannan Isles: Eilean a' Ghobha and Roareim with Brona Cleit in the distanceRabbit IslandsStac an Armin with Boreray to the left and Stac Lee beyond at right Stac Levenish cliff's face silhouetteStromaStac Biorach (at left) and Stac Soay between Hirta and SoayThere are several small groupings of outlying islands involved. The most significant of these is the St Kilda archipelago which lies  west-northwest of North Uist and is now a World Heritage Site. It is one of the few to hold joint status for its natural and cultural qualities. At  Stac an Armin is the highest sea stack in the British Isles and in July 1840, the last great auk seen in the British Isles was captured there.East of St Kilda are the Flannan Isles, where all three lighthouse keepers mysteriously vanished without trace in December 1900.Further north and east are the two outliers of Sula Sgeir and North Rona, which have strong cultural links to the Outer Hebrides. North Rona is  north north east of Butt of Lewis and  east of Sula Sgeir. It is the remotest island in the British Isles ever to have been inhabited on a long-term basis. It is also closer than any other part of Scotland to the Faroe Islands. Sule Skerry and Sule Stack lie further east and are administratively part of Orkney.The islands of the north coast are remote from the main centres of population, although they mostly lie close to the mainland. There is a small group of larger islands near Tongue Bay, but the largest on this coast is Stroma in the Pentland Firth, between Caithness and Orkney. Innis Mhòr in the Dornoch Firth is the largest of a handful of small islets off the coast of Easter Ross. Further south are Inchcape off the coast of Angus, and Mugdrum, the only substantial island in the Firth of Tay. There is a cluster of islands in the Solway Firth that marks the south western border of Scotland, including the Islands of Fleet, in Wigtown Bay.Most of the smaller islets that surround those in the main list are obscure and none have been permanently inhabited in modern times. Nonetheless, some have a degree of historical significance. Castle Mestag off Stroma is the ruins of a once fortified stack accessible only via a drawbridge. Some islets are identified as "storm washed", meaning that although they are partly above mean sea level, large waves wash over the top of them during storms, rendering them uninhabitable.Finally, there is remote Rockall, which is  to the west of North Uist. It is a small rocky islet in the North Atlantic which could be, in James Fisher's words, "the most isolated small rock in the oceans of the world" and which was declared part of Scotland by the Island of Rockall Act 1972.However, the legality of the claim is disputed by the Republic of Ireland, Denmark and Iceland and it is probably unenforceable in international law. IslandGroupArea (ha)Height (m) LightLast inhabitedSurrounding isletsArdwall IsleIslands of Fleet  NoOld Man of FleetBarlocco IsleIslands of Fleet  NoThe Three BrethrenBig ScareSolway Firth <1  NoLittle Scares (3) Boreray  St Kilda   NoAn t-Sail, Sgarbhstac Bròna Cleit Flannan Islesc. 20 No Dùn St Kilda NoHamalan, Giasgeir, Sgeir Cul an Rubha, Sgeir Mhòr Eilean a' Ghobha Flannan Isles No Eilean Choraidh Loch EribollNoA' chlèit Eilean Hoan Loch EribollNoA' Ghoil-sgeir, An Cruachan, An Dubh-sgeir, Eilean Clùimhrig, Pocan Smoo Eilean Mòr Flannan IslesYesDeirc na Sgeir, Làmh à Sgeir Beag, Làmh an Sgeir Mòire Eilean nan Ròn Tongue BayNoAn Innis, Eilean Iosal, Meall Thailm Eilean Taighe Flannan Isles NoGealtaire Beag, Gealtaire Mòr, HamasgeirHestan IslandSolway Firth c.11 Yes  Hirta St Kilda  No An Torc, Bradastac, Mina Stac, Sgeir Domhnuill, Sgeir Mhòr, Sgeir nan SgarbhInchcapeAngus coast   Yes Innis MhòrEaster Ross  <5 No Little RossSolway Firth   YesSugarloafMugdrumFirth of Tay   NoMurray's IslesIslands of Fleet  c.5 No Horse Mark Neave Island Tongue BayNoStac an Fhamhair North Rona North west   No Gealldraig Mhòr, Lòba SgeirRabbit Islands Tongue BayNoDubh Sgeir-Mhòr, Eilean á Chaoil, Eilean Creagach, Sgeir an Òir, Talmine Island Roaireim Flannan Isles NoRockallNorth Atlantic  NoHasselwood Rock, Helen's ReefRough IslandSolway Firth NoCraig Roan, Spring Stones Sgeir TomanFlannan Isles No Sgeir Righinn Soay St Kilda No Am Plastair, Sgeir Mac Righ Lochlainn, Stac Biorach, Stac Dona, Stac Soay. Soraigh Flannan Isles No Stac an Armin St Kilda No Stac LeeSt Kilda No Stac LevenishSt Kilda   No Na BodhanStromaCaithness   YesCastle MestagSula Sgeir North west  Yes Bogha Córr, GrallsgeirSule Skerry Orkney   Yes Sule Stack Orkney   No
Smaller islets off the mainland An Garbh-eilean off the north coast near DurnessBow Fiddle RockThe skerry of Craiglethy – one of the few east coast islands*'''Solway Firth''': Inch*'''North coast''' (from west to east): Stac an Dunain, Duslic, Stack Clò Kearvaig, An Garbh-eilean, Na Glas Leacan, Eilean Dubh, Clach Bheag na Faraid, Clach Mhòr na Faraid, Àigeach, Eilean Polsain, Boursa Island, Glas-eilean Mòr, Garbh-eilean, Wester Clett, Middle Clett, Easter Clett, Little Clett, Clett. *'''East coast''':** North Moray Firth (from north to south): The Knee, Stacks of Duncansby, Stack o' Brough, South Stack, The Stacks, Eilean na h-Aibhne, Three Kings. ** South Moray Firth (from west to east): Covesea Skerries, Halliman Skerries, Boar's Head Rock, West Muck, East Muck, Craigenroan, Bow Fiddle Rock, Collie Rocks, Craigandargity. ** Kinnaird Head to the Bullers of Buchan: The Ron, The Skerry, Miekle Mackie, Miekle Donnon, Little Donnon, Craig Snow, Meikle Dumeath, Little Dumeath. ** Bullers of Buchan to Girdle Ness: Dunbuy, The Donnons, Skellyis of Harrol. ** Girdle Ness to Buddon Ness: Craiglethy, Craigmaroinn, May Craig.Other than Mugdrum in the Firth of Tay and the Islands of the Forth there are no genuine islands on the east coast of Scotland south of Buddon Ness.
Tidally exposed islets and skerries There are various smaller islets and skerries in the seas surrounding the mainland of Scotland that are only exposed at lower stages of the tide. Craiglethy is part of the Fowlsheugh nature reserve. The Three Kings, off the coast of Easter Ross near Balintore, is also known as ''Creag Harail'' or Harold's Rock and called The King's Sons in the New Statistical Account of Scotland. According to legend, three sons of a Danish prince, sailing to avenge their sister's wrongs, were wrecked here and gave these rocks their collective name. Their graves were marked by the sculptured stones of Nigg, Shandwick and Hilton of Cadboll. Another story has their burial at Nigg Rocks below the North Sutor.
See also *List of Outer Hebrides*Inner Hebrides* List of Orkney islands* List of Shetland islands* Islands of the Clyde* Islands of the Forth* List of islands of Scotland* Scottish island names* List of islands of the British Isles* Fair Isle in Shetland, the most remote inhabited island in the United Kingdom, which lies  south-west of the Mainland. * Foula in Shetland, which lies  west of  the Mainland.
References and footnotes ;General references* * Fisher, James (1956) ''Rockall''. London. Geoffrey Bles. * Fleming, Andrew (2005) ''St Kilda and the Wider World: Tales of an Iconic Island.'' Windgather Press. * Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) ''The Scottish Islands''. Edinburgh. Canongate. * Keay, J. & Keay, J. (1994) ''Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland''. London. HarperCollins. * * Maclean, Charles (1977) ''Island on the Edge of the World: the Story of St. Kilda''. Edinburgh. Canongate. * Nicholson, Christopher. (1995) ''Rock Lighthouses of Britain: The End of an Era?'' Caithness. Whittles. * Ordnance Survey (2009)  "Get-a-map". Retrieved 6–10 February 2010. * Quine, David (2000) ''St Kilda''. Grantown-on-Spey. Colin Baxter Island Guides. * Rackwitz, Martin (2007) ''Travels to Terra Incognita: The Scottish Highlands and Hebrides in Early Modern Travellers' Accounts C. 1600 to 1800''. Waxmann Verlag. * Watson, William John (1976)  "Place Names of Ross and Cromarty" Ross & Cromarty Heritage Society. ;Notes;Citations