Sanday, Inner Hebrides
Encyclopedia
Sanday is one of the Small Isles
, in the Scottish
Inner Hebrides
. It is a tidal island
linked to its larger neighbor, Canna
, via sandbanks at low tide, and also connected to the larger island by a bridge. Canna and Sanday form a single community, and are usually described as Canna.
Like its neighbour, Canna, the whole island is owned by the National Trust for Scotland
(NTS), and is part of the Lochaber
committee area of Highland Council.
Whereas Canna is run by the NTS as a single farm, parts of Sanday are used for crofting
.
A small primary school
on Sanday serves the communities of both islands, and currently (2009) has four pupils, of whom two are the children of the teacher. A footbridge to the island was built in 1905 to allow pupils from Canna to reach the school regardless of the state of the tide
. This bridge was destroyed by storms in 2005, and has been replaced by a road bridge which was completed in April 2006. This new bridge allows vehicular access at all tide levels between the two islands, although the road on Sanday is still covered by water during high tides.
From the mainland the island can be reached by the Caledonian MacBrayne
ferry system from the port of Mallaig
. Sanday includes rocks that are geologically
part of the Paleocene
and Eocene
British Tertiary Volcanic Province
, among some of the youngest rocks found in Scotland.
The largest and most conspicuous building on Sanday is the deconsecrated Catholic church of St Edward, which stands alone on an elevated part of the island, away from the cottages which, together with the school, cluster around the bay facing Canna. The church now belongs to the Hebridean Trust, which converted it into a hostel and study centre, linked to the archive of Gaelic culture and folklore created by the former owner of Canna and Sanday, the late John Lorne Campbell
. The centre was opened by the Princess Royal
in 2001, but since then has remained locked and unused.
Small Isles
The Small Isles are a small archipelago of islands in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. They lie south of Skye and north of Mull and Ardnamurchan – the most westerly point of mainland Scotland.The four main islands are Canna, Rùm, Eigg and Muck...
, in the 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...
Inner Hebrides
Inner Hebrides
The Inner Hebrides is an archipelago off the west coast of Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which enjoy a mild oceanic climate. There are 36 inhabited islands and a further 43 uninhabited Inner Hebrides with an area greater than...
. It is a tidal island
Tidal island
A tidal island is a piece of land that is connected to the mainland by a natural or man-made causeway that is exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide. Because of the mystique surrounding tidal islands many of them have been sites of religious worship, such as Mont Saint Michel with its...
linked to its larger neighbor, Canna
Canna, Scotland
Canna is the westernmost of the Small Isles archipelago, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It is linked to the neighbouring island of Sanday by a road and sandbanks at low tide. The island is long and wide...
, via sandbanks at low tide, and also connected to the larger island by a bridge. Canna and Sanday form a single community, and are usually described as Canna.
National Trust for Scotland
The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland describes itself as the conservation charity that protects and promotes Scotland's natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations to...
(NTS), and is part of the Lochaber
Lochaber
District of Lochaber 1975 to 1996Highland council area shown as one of the council areas of ScotlandLochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region...
committee area of Highland Council.
Whereas Canna is run by the NTS as a single farm, parts of Sanday are used for crofting
Crofting
Crofting is a form of land tenure and small-scale food production unique to the Scottish Highlands, the Islands of Scotland, and formerly on the Isle of Man....
.
A small primary school
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
on Sanday serves the communities of both islands, and currently (2009) has four pupils, of whom two are the children of the teacher. A footbridge to the island was built in 1905 to allow pupils from Canna to reach the school regardless of the state of the tide
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
. This bridge was destroyed by storms in 2005, and has been replaced by a road bridge which was completed in April 2006. This new bridge allows vehicular access at all tide levels between the two islands, although the road on Sanday is still covered by water during high tides.
From the mainland the island can be reached by the Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast...
ferry system from the port of Mallaig
Mallaig
Mallaig ; is a port in Lochaber, on the west coast of the Highlands of Scotland. The local railway station, Mallaig, is the terminus of the West Highland railway line , completed in 1901, and the town is linked to Fort William by the A830 road – the "Road to the Isles".The village of Mallaig...
. Sanday includes rocks that are geologically
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
part of the Paleocene
Paleocene
The Paleocene or Palaeocene, the "early recent", is a geologic epoch that lasted from about . It is the first epoch of the Palaeogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era...
and Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
British Tertiary Volcanic Province
British Tertiary Volcanic Province
The British Tertiary Volcanic Province was created 60-50 million years ago during the formation of the North Atlantic. As the Earth's crust stretched, volcanoes and lava flows erupted along a line from Ireland to the Hebrides. The Giant's Causeway and Staffa are the most famous natural monuments...
, among some of the youngest rocks found in Scotland.
The largest and most conspicuous building on Sanday is the deconsecrated Catholic church of St Edward, which stands alone on an elevated part of the island, away from the cottages which, together with the school, cluster around the bay facing Canna. The church now belongs to the Hebridean Trust, which converted it into a hostel and study centre, linked to the archive of Gaelic culture and folklore created by the former owner of Canna and Sanday, the late John Lorne Campbell
John Lorne Campbell
John Lorne Campbell was a Scottish historian, farmer, environmentalist and folklore scholar.-Biography:In the 1930s Campbell was living on the Hebridean island of Barra where, with the author Compton Mackenzie, he founded the Sea League to fight for the rights of local fisherman and organised a...
. The centre was opened by the Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
in 2001, but since then has remained locked and unused.