Ayre (landform)

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The Ness of Galtagarth is connected to Isle of Yell by an ayre, in the sense of tombolo

An ayre is a body of water positioned very near to the ocean and divided from the sea by a narrow bar of land. The term is derived from an Old Norse word used to depict a lake which is only separated by a narrow strip of low lying land from the sea itself. Examples of an ayre include Vasa Loch and Lairo Water on Shapinsay in the Orkney Islands. (Masters, 1840) These ayres have been suggested as food sources for Iron Age man on Shapinsay. (Hogan, 2007) Sometimes, the term ayre is used interchangeably for the sea beach or tombolo associated with the narrow strip of land. (Metcalfe, 1896) Ayres are most commonly associated with the Northern Isles (Orkney Islands & Shetland Islands) of Scotland. The only man-made ayre in the Orkneys is the Ayre of Cara on South Ronaldsay. (South Ronaldsay, 2007)

[edit] See also

• Estuary
• Wetland

[edit] References

• G.T.Masters, Orkney, Approaches to Kirkwall, HMS official survey map, 1840-1843
• C. Michael Hogan, (7 Oct 2007) Burroughston Broch, The Megalithic Portal, ed. Andy Burnham
• William Musham Metcalfe and Ruaraidh Erskine eds. (1896) The Scottish Review, J. H. Jackson, Original from the University of Michigan, v. 27 1896 Jan-Apr
• South Ronaldsay: Profile (2007)

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