Auskerry
Scots nameSoond[1]
Old Norse nameAustrsker
Meaning of nameeast skerry
Location
Auskerry is located in Orkney Islands
Auskerry
Auskerry
Auskerry shown within Orkney
OS grid referenceHY675165
Coordinates59°01′56″N 2°34′11″W / 59.032267°N 2.569761°W / 59.032267; -2.569761
Physical geography
Island groupOrkney
Area85 hectares (0.33 sq mi)
Area rank157= [2]
Highest elevation18 metres (59 ft)
Administration
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryScotland
Council areaOrkney Islands
Demographics
Population2[3]
Population rank77= [2]
Population density4.7 people/km2[3][4]
Lymphad
References[4][5][6][7]
Auskerry Lighthouse
Constructed1866 Edit this on Wikidata
Built byDavid Stevenson, Thomas Stevenson Edit this on Wikidata
Constructionstone Edit this on Wikidata
Automated1961 Edit this on Wikidata
Height34 m (112 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lantern[8][9]
Markingswhite tower, black lantern, ochre trim
Power sourcesolar power Edit this on Wikidata
OperatorNorthern Lighthouse Board Edit this on Wikidata
Heritagecategory B listed building Edit this on Wikidata
Fog signalNone
Focal height34 m (112 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Range20 nmi (37 km; 23 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
CharacteristicFl W 20s Edit this on Wikidata

Auskerry (Scots: Soond; Old Norse: Austrsker, east skerry) is a small island in eastern Orkney, Scotland. It lies in the North Sea south of Stronsay and has a lighthouse, completed in 1866.

Description

Auskerry is a small, flat, red sandstone islet, 3 miles (5 km) south of Stronsay.[10][11] A standing stone and mediaeval chapel are signs of early settlement.[10] The island was uninhabited for a time after the automation of the lighthouse in the 1960s. It was previously a popular location for hunting seals.[10]

Auskerry has been inhabited for nearly 50 years by a family (of the reporter Hamish Auskerry) who keep a flock of rare North Ronaldsay sheep.[12] There are three small wind turbines and four solar panels on the island, which provide most of the power. After a series of expansions and renovations, the single roomed stone bothy is now a modern house with four bedrooms, kitchen, shower room and living room. The chemical toilet is outdoors due to the complication of installing septic tanks. Mail is delivered from Stronsay, once a month, by a fishing boat.[13]

Lighthouse

The Hastings County, a 116-metre Norwegian cargo ship, ran ashore on north west of Auskerry in 1926 during thick fog.[14] The vessel broke in half and wreckage is spread over a wide area, with the engine on the beach.

The lighthouse lights the north entrance to the Stronsay Firth.[15] It was built in 1866 by engineers David and Thomas Stevenson.[16] It is attached to two flats; the lower one is used all year as a store and the top one is used mainly in summer.

Wildlife

Auskerry is designated a Special Protection Area due to its importance as a nesting area for Arctic tern and European storm petrel; 4.2% of the breeding population of European storm petrels in Great Britain nest on the island.[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Map of Scotland in Scots - Guide and gazetteer" (PDF).
  2. 1 2 Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
  3. 1 2 National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  4. 1 2 Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
  5. ↑ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 5 Orkney (Northern Isles) (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2008. ISBN 9780319228111.
  6. ↑ Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). ISBN 0-901824-25-9
  7. ↑ Pedersen, Roy (January 1992) Orkneyjar ok Katanes (map, Inverness, Nevis Print)
  8. ↑ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Scotland: Orkney". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  9. ↑ Auskerry Northern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 24 May 2016
  10. 1 2 3 "Auskerry". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  11. ↑ Express, Britain. "Orkney geography and climate". britainexpress.com. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  12. ↑ "Isle of Auskerry". Archived from the original on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  13. ↑ "Why postage should be cheaper in UK if Scots vote 'Yes'". BBC News. 19 April 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  14. ↑ "Hastings County". North Isles Diving. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  15. ↑ "SS Hastings County Ashore On Auskerry". Scran. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  16. ↑ "Auskerry History". Northern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  17. ↑ "Special Protection Area description: Auskerry". JNCC. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2007.

59°02′03″N 2°34′05″W / 59.03429°N 2.56798°W / 59.03429; -2.56798

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