The rocky outline of An Sgùrr above houses on the Isle of Eigg, Scotland

Eigg is one of the Small Isles of Scotland’s Inner Hebrides, a green island about 9 km long and 5 km wide, crowned by the dark pitchstone ridge of An Sgùrr. Fewer than a hundred people live here, yet the island is known far beyond the Hebrides: in 1997 its residents bought Eigg from its private owner, and in 2008 they switched on one of the world’s first island electricity grids powered mainly by wind, water and sun.

The Isle of Eigg at a glance

Eigg lies south of Skye and north of the Ardnamurchan peninsula, about 21 km by sea from the fishing port of Mallaig. With roughly 3,000 hectares it is the second-largest of the Small Isles after Rùm; its neighbours are Muck, Canna and Rùm. Most homes are in Cleadale in the north, while the ferry arrives at the jetty in Galmisdale in the south-east.

The island’s signature is An Sgùrr, at 393 m its highest point. The ridge is a plug of pitchstone, a glassy volcanic rock, which flowed into an older lava valley during the Eocene epoch. Its sheer prow is visible from much of the west coast of Scotland and from passing ferries.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust manages Eigg as a nature reserve, and around 130 bird species are recorded each year, including golden eagles and peregrine falcons.

The 1997 community buyout

For much of the 20th century Eigg passed from one private owner to the next. In 1997 the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust bought the island from its last private owner. The buyout ended a long run of private owners and put the island’s future in local hands.

Since then the population has grown, from 65 people in 1997 to 83 at the 2011 census and around 95 more recently.

Eigg Electric: how the island powers itself

Eigg has never been connected to the mainland grid. On 1 February 2008 the community-owned company Eigg Electric, a subsidiary of the Heritage Trust, began supplying power around the clock through about 11 km of underground cable.

According to Eigg Electric, the system today combines:

  • Hydro: about 110 kW, mostly from the main generator at Laig plus two small 5–6 kW schemes;
  • Wind: four 6 kW turbines, 24 kW in total;
  • Solar: a photovoltaic array of around 170 kW;
  • Storage: a battery bank able to run the whole island for up to 24 hours;
  • Backup: two 64 kW diesel generators, which start when the batteries fall to 50% charge.

Renewables have supplied about 95% of the island’s electricity since 2008. To keep the small grid stable, each household may draw up to 5 kW at any moment and each business up to 10 kW, and a simple traffic-light display tells residents when to ease off. The scheme won Best Community Initiative at the 2008 Scottish Green Energy Awards, and the island shared NESTA’s Big Green Challenge prize and an Ashden award in 2010.

Things to see on Eigg

  • An Sgùrr: the classic walk climbs from Galmisdale to the summit ridge, with views to Rùm, Skye and the mainland.
  • The Singing Sands: the quartz beach near the Bay of Laig squeaks underfoot when it is dry, an effect first described by the geologist Hugh Miller in the 19th century.
  • Bay of Laig: a wide sandy bay below the cliffs of Cleadale, facing the mountains of Rùm.
  • Massacre Cave (Uamh Fhraing): on the south coast, tied to a grim local tradition of a 1577 MacLeod raid in which the islanders sheltering inside were said to have been smoked out.
  • Kildonnan: site of the monastery founded by St Donnán around 600 AD; Donnán and his monks were killed in 617.

Getting to Eigg and when to go

Caledonian MacBrayne’s MV Lochnevis sails from Mallaig on a circuit of the Small Isles. From April to late September, Arisaig Marine’s passenger ferry MV Sheerwater also sails from Arisaig. Book accommodation early in summer, when the island’s few beds fill quickly, and leave a spare day in your plans in case wind cancels a sailing. Late spring and early summer bring the longest days and the best chance of settled weather.

Muck, Eigg’s small southern neighbour, makes a good companion trip: see Muck. For more northern island landscapes, visit the Faroe Islands.

Related reading

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