Haskeir

Not to be confused with Hyskeir or Heskeir

Haskeir (Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Hasgeir), also known as Great Haskeir (Scottish Gaelic: Hasgeir Mhòr) is a remote, exposed and uninhabited island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It lies 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) west north west of North Uist. 1-kilometre (0.62 mi) to the south west lie the skerries of Haskeir Eagach made up of a colonnade of five rock stacks. 40 kilometres (25 mi) to the north west is the St Kilda archipelago.

Geography, geology and botany

There is no anchorage or shelter and access via the steep rocky cliffs may be difficult, even in calm conditions. There are several natural rock arches and a high cliff on the northern end of the island called Castle Cliff. Various small skerries lie immediately to the north and south. There is very little vegetation save for a few sea-pinks, campion, plantain and orache that can survive the salt spray.

Much of the bedrock is Lewisian gneiss

History

Skilðar or Skilðir (meaning shields) may have been the Old Norse name for Haskeir.Skildar certainly appears on a map by Nicholas de Nicolay from 1583. There are various theories that somehow the transposition of this name to nearby St Kilda may have created the name for this latter archipelago, whose origins are otherwise obscure.