Shared description

The Island of Swona

Swona is the more northerly of two islands in the Pentland Firth between the Orkney Islands and Caithness on the Scottish mainland. It lies in the southern approach to Scapa Flow, west of South Ronaldsay. It is administered as part of the Orkney Islands, while Stroma, to the south, is part of the Highland Region (although traditionally part of Caithness). There is no regular access to the island, however, the Pentland Ferries sailing between Gills Bay, near John o' Groats, and St Margaret's Hope usually passes close to the island, dependent on the tidal direction at the time.

Swona is about 1¼ miles long by about ½ mile wide. It is made up of Old Red Sandstone with cliffs on the east coast. There are prehistoric, pre-Norse and Norse remains on the island but it has been uninhabited since 1975. The island is part of the Pentland Firth Islands Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is home to thousands of breeding seabirds, including a colony of Arctic tern on the northern part of the island, and Atlantic puffin which burrow into the hillside.
by David Dixon

Created: Tue, 5 Oct 2021, Updated: Tue, 5 Oct 2021


7 images use this description:

ND3884 : Abandoned Croft on Swona by David Dixon
ND3783 : Tails of the Tarf by David Dixon
ND3883 : Swona Lighthouse by David Dixon
ND3885 : The Clump o' The Ness, Swona by David Dixon
ND3984 : Ruined Building on Swona by David Dixon
ND3783 : Swona, The Tails of the Tarf by David Dixon
ND3883 : Navigation Beacon on Swona by David Dixon


Shared descriptions

This shared description

The 'Shared Description' text on this page is © copyright 2021 David Dixon.

Shared descriptions are specifically licensed so that contributors can reuse them on their own images, without restriction.

About shared descriptions

These Shared Descriptions are common to multiple images.

For example, you can create a generic description for an object shown in a photo, and reuse the description on all photos of the object. All descriptions are public and shared between contributors, i.e. you can reuse a description created by others, just as they can use yours.

Other shared descriptions

Descriptions nearby

Related descriptions

The above selections are automatic and approximate, it might not always select closely matching descriptions


You are not logged in login | register