Ruud Streefkerk

Scourie is located in the Scottish Highlands, opposite the island of Handa. The island (in Gaelic: Eilean Shannda) is located off the west coast of Scotland and is 3 km² in size. The Gaelic name comes from the Norwegian word Sandey, which means sandy island. It consists of Old Red Sandstone and is surrounded by cliffs. In the north is a hill with a height of 123 meters. On the north and west coast are high cliffs up to 100 meters and in the south and east are beaches. In prehistoric times, Handa was used as a cemetery. There are still remains of a chapel called Tràigh an Teampaill which means Temple Beach. At its culminating-point the island had 65 inhabitants and a parliament, the oldest widow was the Queen of the island. But the potato famine of 1846 forced the inhabitants to emigrate. Today the island is part of the Scourie Estate, owned by Dr. Jean Balfour and J.C. Balfour and managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. At low tide, the boulders on the coast are dry and overgrown with seaweed.