| Old Norse name | Svíney; Swefney |
|---|---|
| Meaning of name | Sweyn's Island; Pig/whale island |
 Swona, viewed from South Ronaldsay | |
| Location | |
  Swona Swona shown within Orkney | |
| OS grid reference | ND387844 |
| Coordinates | 58°44′34″N3°03′29″W / 58.74279°N 3.05815°W /58.74279; -3.05815 |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Orkney |
| Area | 92 ha (230 acres) |
| Area rank | 153 [1] |
| Highest elevation | Warbister Hill 41 m (135 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Council area | Orkney Islands |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0[2] |
 | |
| References | [3][4][5][6] |
Swona Lighthouse   | |
 The beacon on The Tarf, Swona | |
| Coordinates | 58°44′15″N3°04′14″W / 58.737451°N 3.070497°W /58.737451; -3.070497 |
| Constructed | 1906 (first) |
| Foundation | concrete base |
| Construction | concrete tower (current) cast iron tower (first) |
| Automated | 1983 |
| Height | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Shape | quadrangular tower with external ladder, balcony and light |
| Markings | white tower |
| Power source | solar power |
| Operator | Northern Lighthouse Board[8] |
| First lit | 1983 (current)[7] |
| Deactivated | 1983 (first) |
| Focal height | 17 m (56 ft) |
| Range | 9 nmi (17 km; 10 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl W 8s. |
Swona is an uninhabited privately owned island in thePentland Firth off the north coast ofScotland. It has a herd offeral cattle resulting from the abandonment of stock in 1974.
Swona is the more northerly of two islands in thePentland Firth between theOrkney Islands andCaithness on theScottish mainland. It lies in the southern approach toScapa Flow, west ofSouth Ronaldsay.
Situated in the tidal stream of thePentland Firth, atidal race is present at both the north and south ends of the island, being minimal briefly at the turn of the tide. Between the races is a calm eddy which extends down-tide as the tide strengthens. The races are highly visible, with over-falls andwhirlpools. Large swell waves can also be present, especially in bad weather conditions. When entering or leaving the eddies crossing the races, even large powerful vessels can be pushed off course, such is the demarcation between the relatively calm eddy and the fast-moving tide in the races.
Swona is about1+1⁄4 miles (2.0 kilometres) long by about1⁄2 mile (800 m) wide, with a maximum height of approximately 41 m (135 ft) and an area of about 92 hectares (230 acres). It is made up ofOld Red Sandstone with cliffs on the east coast.[9]
It is administered as part of the Orkney Islands, whileStroma, to the south, is part of theHighland Region (although traditionally part of Caithness). There is no regular access to the island, however, thePentland Ferries sailing fromGills Bay, nearJohn o' Groats, toSt Margaret's Hope usually passes close to the island, dependent on the tidal direction at the time.
In 2005 Swona was owned by two Orkney farmers, but not worked due to difficulty of access. It is aSSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest)conservation area[10] with a number of rare plants.
The island takes its name fromOld Norse,Svíney orSwefney, meaning either "Swine Isle" or "Sweyn's Isle".[5][11] There is a similarly named island,Svínoy, in theFaroe Islands.
There are prehistoric, pre-Norse and Norse remains on the island.[9] More recentcrofting settlement remains include a herd offeral cattle. The island was populated from around 500 BC until 1974.
Boats were built on the island for a number of years. The last of these, theHood can be seen pulled well up the shingle beach by the landing stage. It is no longer seaworthy, having a hole in it caused by the feral cows using it as a rubbing post. The landing stage and boat can be seen briefly in passing through a gap in the rocks near the north end of the island on the east side. The last house to be occupied can also be seen in this area.
The island was the site of manyshipwrecks caused by the strong currents in the Pentland Firth. In 1931, a 6,000 ton Danish freighter calledPennsylvania was wrecked on the island. The Orkney newspaper of the time said that it was one of the most richly-laden ships that was ever wrecked in the area. After some salvaging, the wreck was finally bought by a syndicate of Stroma and Swona men.
The Swona Minor light was built in 1906 on the south west tip of Swona. It was originally a cast iron tower but was replaced by a reinforced concrete square tower sometime in the 1980s. The earlier Stroma Lighthouse was built in 1896 and stands at the northern end of the Island of Stroma.
In summer 1973 Arthur Rosie left the island and died shortly afterwards. James and Violet Rosie (brother and sister) left in March 1974.[9] James had Parkinsons Disease and died c. 1976 of a perforated stomach ulcer. Violet died c. 1984 in South Ronaldsay. They returned only periodically to the island. Many of the houses, while in a state of dilapidation, are as they were left, with various possessions still to be seen where they were left.
Swona is one of the locations described inCal Flyn'sIslands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape (2020, William Collins:ISBN 978-0008329761).[12][13]
In July 2022 the Pentland Ferries'MV Alfred, running betweenGills Bay andSt Margaret's Hope, grounded on Swona.[14]Alfred was refloated within one and a half hours.[15]
When the population departed they left a herd of beef cattle – eight cows and one bull (Shorthorn -Aberdeen-Angus cross). Five generations later, in 2004, the herd which had turnedferal was still going strong,[16] and is now classified as a new breed in theWorld Dictionary of Livestock Breeds.[17] It then consisted of ten bulls, four cows and two calves. Two calves are born each spring, although not all live to maturity. The herd gets no additional feed, although it is checked by avet each year. The animals are self-selecting for hardiness, easy calving, and low-maintenance, feeding off the grass andseaweed.
Having been separated from the mainland for so long, they are completely disease-free, and have reverted to wild behaviour. Because of this,DNA samples have been taken, from the ears of some of the cattle that died. In the summer the main herd is usually in the centre of the island. By 2012 the herd had settled to an average of seventeen animals.[18] This appears to be around the maximum number that the island can support. In 2017 The BBC documentary seriesBritain's Ancient Capital: Secrets of Orkney briefly visited Swona;Chris Packham counted twenty cows and calves and three bulls.
The island is part of thePentland Firth IslandsSite of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is home to thousands of breeding seabirds, includingArctic terns, which have a colony on the northern part of the island, andAtlantic puffins, which burrow into the hillside.[19][20] It is also part of the Pentland Firth IslandsImportant Bird Area (IBA), so designated byBirdLife International because it supports significant breeding populations ofseabirds.[21]
| Authority control databases: Swona Lighthouse |
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