Say hello to Canna! This small island to the south-west of Skye is bursting with human history. Canna is thought to have been inhabited since 5000BC, and now supports a small crofting community.
The island was donated to the Trust by Gaelic scholar John Lorne Campbell and his wife Margaret Fay Shaw, who together amassed and researched a huge collection of Gaelic and Celtic songs, stories, poetry and a unique collection of butterflies and moths.
Aside from people, Canna is also home to scores of wild creatures, from porpoises and whales to puffins and eagles.
Things to do –
- Take your binoculars – Canna is a bird sanctuary and the island’s coastline supports over 20,000 breeding seabirds.
- Seek out the Punishment Stone, where unruly islanders had their thumbs wedged into the hole.
- Discover the amazingly rich archaeological landscape – from prehistoric fortifications to early 19th-century abandoned settlements.
- Step through a beautiful tunnel of escallonia in the walled garden at Canna House into a bee-friendly sanctuary of lush lawns, flower-filled borders and fruit trees.
