Seil
| Seil |
| Location |
|
|
| Seil shown within Argyll and Bute |
| OS grid reference |
NM742172 |
| Names |
| Gaelic name |
Saoil |
| Area and summit |
| Area |
1,329 hectares (5.13 sq mi) |
| Area rank |
42 |
| Highest elevation |
Meall Chaise 146 metres (479 ft) |
| Population |
| Population |
560 |
| Population rank |
21 out of 99 |
| Main settlement |
Ellenabeich |
| Groupings |
| Island group |
Slate Islands |
| Local Authority |
Argyll and Bute |
|
| References |
[1][2][3][4] |
| If shown, area and population ranks are for all Scottish islands and all inhabited Scottish islands respectively. Population data is from 2001 census. |
One of the Slate Islands, Seil (Scottish Gaelic: Saoil) is a small island on the east side of the Firth of Lorn, 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Oban, in Scotland.
Seil has been linked to the Scottish mainland since 1792 when the Clachan Bridge was built by engineer Robert Mylne. Also known as the Bridge Over the Atlantic, the bridge is still used today and in early summer is covered in fairy foxgloves (Erinus alpinus).
The main settlement on Seil is former slate-mining village Ellenabeich, where parts of Ring of Bright Water were filmed. The Ellenabeich Heritage Centre which opened in 2000, is run by the Scottish Slate Islands Trust. Located in a former slate quarry-worker's cottage, the centre has displays on life in the 19th Century, slate quarrying and the local flora, fauna and geology.[5] Another village is Balvicar. Ferries sail from Ellenabeich to Easdale, and from Cuan on the island to Luing.
Wildlife concerns
According to wildlife experts the entire badger population of the island may have been deliberately exterminated in 2007. Forty of the animals, whose setts were believed to be long established, may have been gassed to death, according to the police. The police also expressed concerns that two Golden Eagles and one White-tailed Sea Eagle have been found poisoned near Seil in recent years, involving use of the banned substance Carbofuran.[6]