Monach Islands

The Monach Islands, also known by the Scottish Gaelic name Heisker, are a low-lying, sandy archipelago about five miles west of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, comprising the three main islands of Ceann Ear, Ceann Iar, and Shivinish along with smaller islands including Shillay, Deasker, and Stocaigh. The three main islands connect to one another at low tide, and evidence suggests they were once a single landmass that broke apart over the centuries through overgrazing, sea inundation, and wind erosion, similar to the Isles of Scilly. Covering about 598 hectares, the islands have been uninhabited since 1942 despite housing up to 100 people in earlier centuries, and a lighthouse built in 1864 still stands on Shillay. The islands now protect one of the world's largest grey seal colonies, with about 10,000 seals coming ashore each autumn, along with significant seabird colonies and rare machair grassland habitat.