Pabbay and Mingulay are two small islands south of Barra, in the Outer Hebrides. They are only a couple of kilometers across but have a wealth of exhilarating climbing along the western gneiss cliffs, much of it still to be explored. Up until the early 20th century the islands were occupied by a few families who lived off the land and sea. Mingulay was abandoned due to a lack of safe landing places for the fishing boats, while an unimaginable tragedy struck Pabbay in 1897 when five of the menfolk died at sea. It is this air of hardship and remoteness that strikes you when you first see the evocative ruins of churches, school houses, old fields and homes slowly being buried under the encroaching sand. Both islands are stunningly beautiful, from the perfect beaches of soft white sand and turquoise sea in the East to the wind-swept West where the islands abruptly fall into the sea leaving you with real edge of the world feeling.
The Team: |
The Photos: |
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Andy Lowell Blair Fyffe Dan McManus Emily Strong Gaz Marshall Huw Jenkins Rik Higham |
Beginnings: |
Slacklining & Swimming:  |
Pabbay: |
Mingulay: |
Wildlife: |
A selected number of extra photos will also
appear
on my photoblog, the series starts at: www.wintersun.me.uk
click next to view the rest of the photos.
| Index | Beginnings | Slacklining & Swimming |
Pabbay | Mingulay | Wildlife |