Berneray (North Uist)
| Scottish Gaelic name | Beàrnaraigh |
|---|---|
| Meaning of name | From Old Norse Bjorn's island |
| Location | |
  Berneray Berneray shown within the Outer Hebrides | |
| OS grid reference | NF912817 |
| Coordinates | 57°43′N 7°11′W / 57.72°N 7.19°W |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Uist and Barra |
| Area | 1,010 ha (2,496 acres) |
| Area rank | 50 [1] |
| Highest elevation | Beinn Shleibhe (Moor Hill), 93 m (305 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | Scotland |
| Council area | Outer Hebrides |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 138[2] |
| Population rank | 41 [1] |
| Population density | 13.6/km2 (35/sq mi)[2][3] |
| Largest settlement | Borve and Rushgarry |
 | |
| References | [3][4][5] |
Berneray (
With an area of 10.1 square kilometres (2,500 acres), Berneray rises to a height of 305 feet (93 m) at Beinn Shlèibhe (Moor Hill) and 278 feet (85 m) at Cnoc Bhuirgh (Borve Hill). It is known for its sandy beaches backed with sand dunes. Tràigh Iar (West Beach), a three-mile stretch of wide, clean and often deserted sand, is widely acclaimed.[8]
There is strong evidence that points to Berneray being inhabited since the
Although Berneray is geographically closer to North Uist, it is part of the Bays of Harris Estate and under the Parish of Harris.
Etymology
The name "Berneray" is from the Old Norse Bjarnar-øy and means either "Bjorn's island" or possibly "bear island".[3] This island is known by Gaelic speakers as Beàrnaraigh na Hearadh, meaning "Berneray of Harris" to distinguish it from Beàrnaraigh Cheann Bharraigh, literally "Berneray of Barra Head ", now usually known in English simply as Barra Head. More recently Gaelic speakers have also used Beàrnaraigh Uibhist, i.e. "Berneray of Uist" to refer to the northern Berneray.[5]
Demographics
In common with most islands in the Outer Hebrides, the population declined during the 19th and 20th centuries. However, the past few years has seen a stabilisation. The island's population was 138 as recorded by the
Commerce and transport
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Key
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
The main industries are fishing, crofting (small-scale individual farming), media/IT and tourism. Broadband internet provision became available in January 2006, giving an incentive to people wishing to relocate to Berneray and helping sustain the population and community.[citation needed]
A key feature of Berneray is its machair. The machair is a coastal plain made up of windblown shell sand. Traditional crofting practice, which involves summer agriculture using seaweed together with dung from winter grazing animals as natural fertiliser, has, over time, bound together and stabilised the land. The machair is ploughed in rotation, giving a patchwork of crops and fallow of different ages which supports a wide range of flowers. Berneray has a particularly fine machair, a result of careful husbandry by the island's crofters, helped by the absence of rabbits.
The youth hostel on Berneray is part of the Gatliff Hebridean Hostels Trust. The hostel consists of two restored black houses and is located at a magnificent setting overlooking the sound of Harris.
Possibly the greatest change in modern times occurred in 1999 when the
Berneray is served by regular local bus services from
.The CalMac ferry MV Loch Bhrusda is named after the largest loch on Berneray. It can occasionally be seen relieving for MV Loch Portain.
Nature
The crofting practices also encourage a wide array of wildlife on Berneray. On early summer evenings you can sometimes hear
Further out, around the shores of Berneray, are
Media and the arts
A documentary entitled Shepherds of Berneray was aired on UK television in 1981.
Berneray was in world news in 1987 when it was found that
In 2007 a DVD called The Old New Year – a living tradition on the Isle of Berneray - was released about the island's Oidhche Challainn ("New Year's Eve", literally "Night of the
In 2009 it was reported that Berneray's west beach had been used to advertise Kae Bae beach in
The traditional Gaelic song 'Fàgail Bheàrnaraigh' (Leaving Berneray) later became the American folk song "O, Waly, Waly' The Water is Wide" with new lyrics added in English.
The English singer Vashti Bunyan wrote much of her debut album Just Another Diamond Day while living in a croft on Berneray. She revisits her old home at the end of Kieran Evans' documentary film about Bunyan's early life, Vashti Bunyan: From Here To Before.[16]
Famous residents
- Berneray is the birthplace of the giant Angus MacAskill.
- Scottish Gaelic, and highly important figure in 20th-century Scottish Gaelic literature, was born and raised on Berneray.
- Donald MacKillop (1926 - 2015), a songwriter, poet, and important figure in Scottish Gaelic literature, was also from Berneray.
- Fish (singer) (1958 -) the Scottish writer, singer & actor owns a crofting smallholding on Berneray and has publicised plans to permanently relocate there in 2024/5 with his partner, as he retires from the music industry.[17]
See also
- List of islands of Scotland
- Burghead - an east coast village that also celebrates the Old New Year.
- Newtonferry - a village on North Uist
References
- ^ 2011 census.
- ^ a b c National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
- ^ Ordnance Survey. OS Maps Online (Map). 1:25,000. Leisure.
- ^ a b Mac an Tàilleir, Iain (2003) Ainmean-àite/Placenames. (pdf) Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved 26 August 2012. p. 19
- ^ "South Lewis, Harris & North Uist NSA 1:50,000 map" (PDF). Scottish Natural Heritage. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ "National Scenic Areas". Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ "In praise of... Scottish islands". The Guardian. 11 November 2006. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
- ^ General Register Office for Scotland (28 November 2003) Scotland's Census 2001 – Occasional Paper No 10: Statistics for Inhabited Islands. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ "Scotland's 2011 census: Island living on the rise". BBC News. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
- ^ "Otternish". Ports and Harbours of the UK. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
- ^ Getting about – VisitOuterHebrides.co.uk
- ^ "Berneray crofter who hosted prince on secret visit dies at 78". The Scotsman. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
- ^ "Oidhche Challuinn DVD now available"[permanent dead link] (21 November 2007) Hi-Arts. Retrieved 25 June 2009.
- ^ "Scots beach in Thai tourist guide". BBC. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
- ^ "From Here To Before And Back Again – Kieran Evans". The Social. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- ^ "Rock star Fish swaps Haddington for quiet life on remote Hebridean island". The Scottish Daily Express. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
External links
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Travel information from Wikivoyage
- Panorama of Berneray Beach (QuickTime required)
- Am Paipear Community Newspaper
- Berneray community website
57°43′10″N 7°11′11″W / 57.71944°N 7.18639°W
Inhabited islands of the Hebrides | ||
|---|---|---|
| Inner Hebrides |  | |
| Outer Hebrides | ||
