Midgarth, also known as the Holm of Midgarth and Linga Holm is an uninhabited Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 island extending to approximately 57 hectare (0.220078230397745 sq mi) situated 700 metre west of Stronsay

Stronsay

Stronsay is an island in Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland. The main village is Whitehall, home to a heritage centre. It is in size, and at its highest point....

 island in the Orkney

Orkney Islands

Orkney also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated north of the coast of Caithness...

 archipelago. The name "Linga Holm" is derived from the Old Norse

Old Norse

Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

 Lyngholm.

History

In common with many other Orkney islands, Midgarth contains numerous archaeological remains. These include pictish

Picts

The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...

 houses and ancient cairn

Cairn

Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...

s.

Although it is currently uninhabited, a household of six was recorded in 1841.

Wildlife

It is thought to be the third largest breeding ground for the Atlantic Grey Seal

Grey Seal

The grey seal is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a large seal of the family Phocidae or "true seals". It is the only species classified in the genus Halichoerus...

 in the world, and is an important nesting site for Greylag geese

Greylag Goose

The Greylag Goose , Anser anser, is a bird with a wide range in the Old World. It is the type species of the genus Anser....

.

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