Where is Handa Island?

Handa Island is in the Scottish Highlands, United Kingdom.

How do I get to Handa Island?

Its coordinates are 58.3808°, -5.1864°.

Who runs Handa Island?

Handa Island is operated by Scottish Wildlife Trust.

Is Handa Island free to visit?

Yes, Handa Island is free to enter.

Are dogs allowed at Handa Island?

Most wildlife reserves allow dogs on lead only, with restrictions during ground-nesting bird season (March-July). Check signage at the reserve.

Wildlife reserves · Scottish Highlands

Handa Island

Scottish Wildlife TrustFree admission♿ Wheelchair: limited🐾 Dog-friendly👪 Family-friendly★ 4.8 · 98 Google reviews

Handa Island — island off the west coast of Sutherland, Scotland.

Handa Island, wildlife reserves in Scottish Highlands — Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit: 2 h–4 h
Best time of year: Autumn & winter (migration & wildfowl)

Free entry
Family-friendly
Dog-friendly
Limited wheelchair access

Getting there & planning your visit

Handa Island is a wildlife reserve located in the Scottish Highlands, and it does not have a nearby railway station or postcode. Admission is free, but accessibility is limited for wheelchair users.

Directions on Google Maps →

Handa Island is a wildlife reserve in the United Kingdom. It covers approximately 309 km². Managed by Scottish Wildlife Trust. Part of Inner Hebrides. Wikidata describes it as: "island off the west coast of Sutherland, Scotland". Coordinates: 58.3808°, -5.1864°.

Photo gallery

From the Wikipedia article

Handa Island (Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Shannda) or usually Handa, is an island in Eddrachillis Bay off the west coast of Sutherland, Scotland. It is 309 hectares (760 acres) and 123 metres (404 ft) at its highest point. The island is of national importance for its birdlife and maritime vegetation, and is a Scottish Wildlife Trust nature reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and a Special Protection Area (SPA). Notable seabirds include guillemots, great skuas, puffins and razorbills. Handa also forms part of the North-West Sutherland national scenic area, one of 40 such areas in Scotland. A small ferry sails to Handa from Tarbet on the mainland and boat trips operate to it from Fanagmore. The island receives five thousand visitors per annum.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

In the past the island was used as a burial place, and there are still the remains of a chapel in the south east, commemorated in the name Tràigh an Teampaill (Beach of the Temple). The use of Handa as burial place is thought to be due to the fact that wolves would dig up graves on the mainland so frequently that the inhabitants of Eddrachillis resorted to burying their dead on the island: It had a population of 65 in 1841 but following the 1847 Highland Potato Famine the inhabitants emigrated to Nova Scotia. In some ways this is surprising, since it is recorded that the islanders had a fairly varied diet including oats, fish and seabirds, rather than depending heavily on a potato crop. The…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates: 58.3808, -5.1864

Sources

wikidata: Q1574348 (CC0)
wikipedia: Handa Island (CC BY-SA 4.0)
commons: Handastack.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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