Belnahua
Gaelic name | Beul na h-Uamha |
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Meaning of name | The mouth of the cave |
Location | |
![]() ![]() Belnahua Belnahua shown within Argyll and Bute | |
OS grid reference | NM713127 |
Physical geography | |
Island group | Slate Islands |
Highest elevation | 22 metres (72 ft) |
Political geography | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Country | Scotland |
Council area | Argyll and Bute |
Demographics | |
Population | 0 |
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References | [1][2][3][4] |
Belnahua is one of the Slate Islands, in the Firth of Lorn in Scotland, known for its slate quarries
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It lies 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north west of Luing west of Argyll, and east of the Garvellachs. Although it once had a population of nearly 200 people, it has been uninhabited since World War I. Famed for its slate, the island has been considerably denuded by its quarrying. Deep water-filled cuttings and the ruined slate workers cottages remain as a testament of this industry.[5]
There was a jetty to the east of the island, but it has been worn away within the last quarter of the twentieth century, and an extensive drying reef to the north west.[3] The Latvian vessel Helena Faulbaums foundered on the reef in 1936, with the loss of 16 lives.[2]
A quiet home for local wildlife, the island is occasionally a stop off for local fisher folk and tourists. It is currently owned by the Carling family.[2]
Footnotes
- ↑ 2001 UK Census per List of islands of Scotland
- 1 2 3 Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate.
- 1 2 Ordnance Survey
- ↑ Iain Mac an Tailleir. "Placenames" (PDF). Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved 28 July 2007.
- ↑ "Overview of Belnahua". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 28 July 2007.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Belnahua. |
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Coordinates: 56°15′N 5°41.3′W / 56.250°N 5.6883°W