Vatersay
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Vatersay (Scottish Gaelic: Bhatarsaigh) is the southernmost inhabited island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, with a population of about seventy people. Also, the westernmost permanently inhabited place in Great Britain. It is linked to Barra by a causeway completed in 1991. At low tide, the island is also linked to the islet of Uinessan. Vatersay is also the name of the only village on the island.
Before the construction of the causeway to Barra, Vatersay lived under the law as many very small islands do. A local policeman would visit the island once a year in order for the local residents to see that mainland Scotland and the Western Isles council hadn't forgotten about them.
Wildlife on the island includes otters, seals and herons. Bonnie Prince Charlie's flower (Calystegia soldanella), reputedly originating from French seeds dropped by Bonnie Prince Charlie is, in Scotland, found only on Vatersay and Eriskay. The island also has remains of an Iron Age fort.
External links
- [More information about Vatersay]
- [Panorama of the West Bay on Vatersay] (QuickTime required)
- Grid reference
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