| Eilean Choraidh | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
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Eilean Choraidh
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| Eilean Choraidh shown within Highland Scotland | |
| OS grid reference | NC421580 |
| Names | |
| Gaelic name | Eilean Choraidh |
| Area and summit | |
| Area | 20 ha |
| Highest elevation | 26 m[1] |
| Population | |
| Population rank | n/a out of 99 |
| Groupings | |
| Island group | Outlier |
| Local Authority | Highland |
| If shown, area and population ranks are for all Scottish islands and all inhabited Scottish islands respectively. Population data is from 2001 census. | |
Eilean Choraidh, also known as Horse Island[2] is an island in Loch Eriboll in Sutherland on the north coast of Scotland. It is about 20 hectares (49 acres) in extent and the highest point is 26 metres (85 ft) above sea level.
During the 19th century the Reay estate quarried lime from Eilean Choraidh, treated it in kilns on the nearby peninsula of Ard Neakie, and exported it by ship.[3]
The census of 1931 records a single male inhabitant, and there has been no indication of any permanent residents since then. This may be partly because Eilean Choraidh was used as a representation of the German battleship Tirpitz for target practice by Mosquito bombers of the Royal Air Force during World War II.[2] The Ordnance Survey indicate the presence of two ruined buildings, one in the centre of the island north of a long wall that runs east to west and another at the north end.[1] Today, the island is used for grazing sheep.[4]
A variety of wild mammals are present including Otters, Grey Seals and cetaceans. Beds of maerl, a corraline algae that has been identified as a priority habitat in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, has been recorded in the channels on either side of Eilean Choraidh. The sea pen, Virgularia mirabilis is also present in the inner loch.[5]
Further north, at the entrance to the loch, is Eilean Hoan.
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