| Scottish Gaelic name | Cumaradh Mòr |
|---|---|
| Location | |
  Great Cumbrae Great Cumbrae shown within North Ayrshire | |
| OS grid reference | NS169566 |
| Coordinates | 55°46′N4°55′W / 55.77°N 4.92°W /55.77; -4.92 |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Firth of Clyde |
| Area | 1,168 ha (4.5 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 45 [1] |
| Highest elevation | The Glaidstane 127 metres (417 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Council area | North Ayrshire |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 1,293[2] |
| Population rank | 10 [1] |
| Population density | 110.7/km2 (287/sq mi)[2][3] |
| Largest settlement | Millport |
 | |
| References | [3][4] |
Great Cumbrae (Scottish Gaelic:Cumaradh Mòr) is the larger of the two islands known asThe Cumbraes in the lowerFirth of Clyde in westernScotland. The island is sometimes calledMillport, after its main town.
Home to theCathedral of The Isles and theFSC Millport field study centre, the island has a resident population of circa 1,300 residents.
The island is roughly 4 kilometres (2+1⁄2 mi) long by2 kilometres (1+1⁄4 mi) wide, rising to a height of 127 metres (417 ft) above sea level at The Glaid Stone, which is a large, naturally occurring rock perched on the highest summit on the island.[4] There is a triangulation pillar nearby, as well as an orientation point which indicates the locations of surrounding landmarks.
In clear conditions, views extend north over the upper Clyde estuary toBen Lomond and theArrochar Alps. To the west, the larger islands ofBute andArran can be seen, while on the other side ofKnapdale thePaps of Jura may be visible. Looking south,Ailsa Craig is visible, around 40 mi (60 km) distant beyondLittle Cumbrae. Ailsa Craig roughly marks the halfway point toNorthern Ireland, which itself may be glimpsed if visibility is good. To the east, the views are not so extensive, being restricted by the higher ground of the Renfrew Hills only a few miles distant, however the town ofLargs and village ofFairlie and the deep-water coal terminal and power station atHunterston can be seen.
Millport, the island's only town, is spread around a bay which makes up the entire south coast of the island.
The land on the island is primarily owned by the farmers, with the other major land owner being the Millport Golf Club.
The Cumbraes take their name from theOld NorseKumreyjar, meaning "islands of theCymry" (referring to theCumbric-speaking inhabitants of southern Scotland). They are referred to under this name in the NorseSaga of Haakon Haakonarson.[5][6]
In the 16th century the island was known as Cumbray and its neighbour Little Cumbrae is recorded as Cumbray of the Dais.[7]Johan Blaeu's 17th-centuryAtlas Maior refers to the Cumbraes as "Kumbra Moir" and "Kumbra Beg",[8] which is evidently anglicised Gaelic for Great and Little Cumbrae. Later in that centuryMartin Martin refers to "Cumbrae the greater, and the lesser".[9]
In modern Gaelic these two islands are known asCumaradh Mòr andCumaradh Beag.[10]
The island is formed largely fromsandstones andmudstones of lateDevonian and earlyCarboniferous age. Thissedimentary bedrock is cut by numerous northeast–southwest alignedigneous dykes intruded during the Carboniferous period. Further dykes were intruded during thePalaeogene period, cutting across the earlier ones in a north–south to NNW-SSE in orientation. One of the latter is responsible for the 10m high roadside rock formation known as Lion Rock in the southeast of the island.[11] Severalgeological faults cut both thecountry rock and the dykes, the most significant being the north–south aligned Kames Bay Fault which extends from White Bay in the north to the bay from which it derives its name in the south.
The youngest sedimentary rocks are the sandstones forming 'The Eileans' in Millport Bay whilst the Kelly Burn Sandstone is the oldest. Instratigraphical order (i.e. youngest at the top), the sequence is:
The Doughend Sandstone (named from the westernmost reach of the island)unconformably overlies the Kelly Burn Sandstone; both are of late Devonian age whilst the rest of the sequence is of Carboniferous age.
Various of the rock formations have become popular with tourists, including Crocodile Rock, Indian's Face, Lion Rock and Queen Victoria's Face. Several have been enhanced with colourful paint.
Araised beach is developed around almost the whole of the island at about 8 metres (26 ft) above current sea level. Vegetated spreads of sand, shingle and boulders occur locally across this platform. Wider in the west, it has been exploited by the B896 coastal road. The island's highest waterfall, Horse Falls, plunges over the old sea cliffs at Bell Bay. A higher raised beach is covered by marine deposits inland of Millport Bay and in the northeast of the island. Inland are traces oftill deposited by the glacial ice which over-ran the island during the last ice age. Small areas ofpeat,alluvium and blown sand are also present in places.[12]
The island has been inhabited since the end of thelast ice age.
Legend has it thatSt Mirin, on his return to Scotland from Ireland around AD 710, arrived in Cumbrae and, following the example ofSt Patrick, rid the island of snakes. The Cathedral of the Isles is reputed to have been built on the site where St Mirin preached. Cumbrae to this day remains snake-free. St Mirin then founded a community inPaisley.
In 1263,Haakon IV, King of Norway, may have used the eastern coast of the island as an anchorage for his fleet, before the inconclusiveBattle of Largs.Ballochmartin Bay andPortrye (derived from Gaelic elements meaning "king's harbour") are suggested locations for the Norwegian-anchorage.[13]
Cumbrae has long been linked toChristianity in Scotland. At one time the island had manystanding stones. TheAberdeen Breviary of 1509, printed inEdinburgh, tells of two of the island's early female missionaries, Saints Baya and Maura. In 1549Dean Monro wrote of "Cumbra" that it was "inhabit and manurit, three myle in lenth and ane myle in breadthe, with ane kirk callit Sanct Colmis kirke".[14]
For many centuries the island was under shared ownership, with theMarquess of Bute in the west and theEarl of Glasgow in the east. In 1999 the finalfeudal landowner,Le Mans winnerJohnny Dumfries, now Bute, ofMount Stuart House, put the island up for general sale, with first refusal given to his farmer tenants.
Tourism grew in the 20th century, and Millport became a popular stop for Clyde steamers and families going 'Doon the Watter for the Fair' (Glasgow Fair holidays). It is possible to experience a traditional day out on thePS Waverley which operates from bothGlasgow andAyr during the summer.
TheUniversity Marine Biological Station Millport (UMBSM) was run by theUniversities of Glasgow andLondon. Founded in 1885 by SirJohn Murray andDavid Robertson and originally called Millport Marine Biological Station, its buildings near Keppel Pier were opened in 1897. It attracted UK and foreign students throughout the academic year. In May 2003, in the presence of Princess Anne, the station took delivery of theMacduff-built, 22-metre (72-foot) marine Research VesselAora. UMBSM also functioned as aMet Office Weather Station andAdmiralty Tide Monitor.[15][16] The station closed in October 2013 and the site, just outside town, has been refurbished and run by theField Studies Council since 2014.[17]
The island was home to the National Watersports Centre which closed in 2020.[18]
The island also has its own Coastguard Rescue Team whose station is on the South East of the island, adjacent to theFSC Millport and which forms part ofHis Majesty's Coastguard, one of around 350 such teams based around the coast of the UK.[19]
The usual island population of 1,376[20] as recorded by the2011 census was a slight fall from the 2001 figure of 1,434. By 2022 the population had fallen a little further to 1,293.[2] The population increases substantially during the summer tourist season.
The island has an active and engaged community[21] with a wide range of interest groups represented in the many clubs and associations on the island.The Guardian reported that Cumbrae was number 8 in British online property searches in 2021, attributing this to the effect of theCOVID-19 lockdown then in force.[22]
It is estimated that the 2018 economic output of the island was £10.2 million, of which 30% came from the health sector. Total employment was estimated at 400, of which a third worked in the health sector and a quarter in tourism-related sectors.[citation needed]
The local authority responsible for both the Cumbrae islands isNorth Ayrshire Council.
The local community is represented by The CumbraeCommunity Council. Community Council members are elected by the residents, and all groups and individuals on the island are invited to its monthly meetings.[23] The community council's members are formal members of Locality Planning Partnerships.[24]
During the summer, the population grows by several thousand every weekend. Hiring a bike and cycling around the island's 11-mile (18-kilometre) encircling coastal road is a popular activity for visitors, as the roads are quiet compared to the mainland. There are informal walks all over the island. Fintry Bay, around 3 mi (5 km) from Millport on the west coast, has a small cafe.
Millport Bay, with visitor moorings, is a popular destination for sailors in the summer. The most dived site on the Clyde is just south of the ferry slip; a Second World WarCatalina flying boat.
There is acurling pond near the highest point on the island, in January 2010 it hosted the Dumfries Cup for the first time in 14 years, and in December of the same year it was also available for public use.
Other attractions include:
ACaledonian MacBraynecar ferry connects the island withLargs,North Ayrshire on the Scottish mainland. Millport pier dates from 1833 and that at Largs from 1845.[27][28]
Millport was served byClyde steamers until the 1960s. Largs is now a regular calling point forPS Waverley.[28] For nearly 20 years from 1967, passenger ferry,MV Keppel crossed to Millport pier. In early April 1977, car ferryMV Isle of Cumbrae took up the crossing to Cumbrae Slip and continued until the sistersMV Loch Striven andMV Loch Linnhe arrived in the summer of 1986.[29] A larger ferry,MV Loch Shira, built atFerguson Shipbuilders inPort Glasgow,[30] entered service on 2 June 2007. At peak times, she is partnered by one of the original Loch class vessels.
| Preceding station | Ferry | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Caledonian MacBrayne Ferry | Largs |
As of August 2024, there is a regular bus-service on the island operated byMillport Motors as Route№320, which runs from the ferry terminal toMillport,[31] which has been continuously operated since at least 1950.[31]
Cumbrae has a marine climate and can experience gale-force winds from theAtlantic Ocean at any time of year; these westerly or south-westerly gales can be severe and destructive. However, while the west of the island might experience gales up to 70 mph (110 km/h), the weather on the sheltered east side facing Largs can remain tranquil.
Local wildlife includesowls,polecats,rabbits,common kestrels and the occasionalgolden eagle andsea eagle, as well as a large seabird population:northern fulmars,great cormorants,Eurasian oystercatchers and many more.[32] Other marine life includesseals,basking sharks,porbeagle sharks anddolphins.
The Commonwealth Torch used in theQueen's Baton Relay for the2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow was crafted using locally sourcedelm wood from the garrison grounds in Millport.
The island was featured in theBBC Radio 4 comedy series,Millport, written by and starringLynn Ferguson.
The island was the focus of aBBC documentary calledSeaside Stories which featured many local businesses and residents.
The island also featured in children's TV programmeMy Story shown onCBeebies in 2012, and in an episode of the TV programmeAntiques Road Trip (series 19 episode 24).
|  | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
55°46′05″N4°55′13″W / 55.76798°N 4.92029°W /55.76798; -4.92029
| International | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
