Hestan Island

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Hestan Island is a small coastal island in the Solway Firth, southwest Scotland. This small island measures approximately 460 metres by 270 metres and at its highest elevation sits at just over 50 metres above sea-level.

Hestan island in the Solway

The isle of Hestan lies at the mouth of Auchencairn Bay ^[1] in the region of Dumfries and Galloway in the former county of Kirkcudbrightshire. A lighthouse was built on the eastern side of the island by Alan Stevenson in 1850.

At certain conditions of low tide the island is accessible on foot as there is a natural causeway of shingle and mussels from Almorness Point to the northern tip of Hestan.

Buildings on Hestan Island

At the southern tip of the island is the notably-named "Daft Ann's Steps", a series of pinnacles where, legends say, a girl of lesser intelligence attempted to lay stepping stones ahead of her to reach the Balcary Point and drowned.^[2]

There are ruins of a manor house built for Edward Balliol near the north of the island.

In the 18th century the island was used as a centre of smuggling activity, with goods being stored in the caves on the south west of the island where there was reputed to have been shelves cut into the rock. Samuel Rutherford Crockett made great play with this in his novel The Raiders.^[2]

The island is a popular destination for sea kayakers.^[3]

Hestan Island is one of 43 tidal islands that can be walked to from the mainland of Great Britain and one of 17 that can be walked to from the Scottish mainland.^[4]

References

↑ "Gazetteer for Scotland". Retrieved 2007-11-16.
↑ 2.0 2.1 "A History of Auchencairn and District". www.Auchencairn.org.uk. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
↑ "Daft Anne's Steps, Hestan Island, the Solway Firth". Seakayakphoto.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
↑ Caton, Peter (2011) No Boat Required - Exploring Tidal Islands. Matador.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hestan Island.

v t e Islands of the Solway Firth

The Scares Hestan Island Inch Little Ross Rough Island Islands of Fleet

v t e Lighthouses of the Northern Lighthouse Board

Scotland (except principal island groups)	Ailsa Craig Ardnamurchan Bass rock Bell Rock Buchan Ness Cape Wrath Chanonry Corsewall Covesea Skerries Crammag Head Davaar Duncansby Head Dunnet Head Fidra Fife Ness Girdle Ness Holy Island (Outer) Inchkeith Isle of May Kinnaird Head Mull of Galloway Mull of Kintyre North Rona Noss Head Pladda Rattray Head Rubh Re St Abbs Head Sanda Scurdie Ness Stoer Head Strathy Point Stroma Sule Skerry Tarbat Ness Turnberry Minor lights

The Hebrides	Barra Head Butt of Lewis Dubh Artach Eilean Glas Flannan Islands Haskeir Hyskeir Lismore Monach Neist Point Ornsay Rinns of Islay Rona Ruvaal Scarinish Skerryvore Tiumpan Head Ushenish Minor lights

Orkney	Auskerry Brough of Birsay Cantick Head Copinsay Hoy Sound (High) Hoy Sound (Low) North Ronaldsay Noup Head Pentland Skerries Start Point Tor Ness Minor lights

Shetland	Bressay Eshaness Fair Isle North Fair Isle South Firths Voe Foula Hoo Stack Lighthouse Muckle Flugga Out Skerries Point of Fethaland Sumburgh Head Ve Skerries Minor lights

Isle of Man	Chicken Rock Douglas Head Langness (minor light) Maughold Head Point of Ayre Thousla Rock (minor light)

Coordinates: 54°49′56″N 3°48′33″W / 54.8321°N 3.8092°W / 54.8321; -3.8092

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Hestan Island

See also

References

External links