Island of Stroma On Visit Off The North Coast Of Mainland Scotland

Tour Scotland travel video clip, with Scottish music, of the Island of Stroma on visit off the North Coast of the Scottish mainland. It is the most southerly of the islands in the Pentland Firth between the Orkney islands and Caithness. The name is from the Old Norse Straumr-øy meaning " island in the tidal stream. " the savage weather and ferociously strong tides of the Pentland Firth meant that the island's inhabitants were very isolated, causing them to be largely self sufficient, trading agricultural produce and fish with the mainlanders. Most of the islanders were fishermen and crofters; some also worked as maritime pilots to guide vessels through the treacherous waters of the Pentland Firth. The tides and currents meant that shipwrecks were frequent. Stroma is now abandoned, with the houses of its former inhabitants unoccupied and falling into ruin. Its population fell gradually through the first half of the 20th century as inhabitants drifted away to seek opportunities elsewhere, as economic problems and Stroma's isolation made life on the island increasingly unsupportable. From an peak of 375 people in 1901, the population fell to just 12 by 1961 and the last islanders left at the end of the following year. Stroma's final abandonment came in 1997 when the lighthouse keepers and their families departed. The island is now owned by one of its former inhabitants, who uses it to graze sheep. All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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