Skye, Holm

Field sketch and photographs.

This large sheep park lies on a coastal terrace below a steep E facing slope, c600m SW of Holm Island. It sits at an altitude of 0-25m and the vegetation within it is rough grazing, grass and rushes. An un-named stream runs through it in an E direction and faint traces of old lazy beds, which appear to run under the park wall, are visible in the SE corner.

The park is enclosed by a substantial turf-topped dry-stone wall and there is a sheepfold in the SW corner (NG 51835 51013). The sheepfold comprises a small dry-stone walled pen, which measures 5m x 9m and stands up to 1.5m high, with two larger pens constructed from wooden batons and corrugated iron sheeting extending to its E. Immediately N of the sheepfold are the grass-covered earth and rubble foundations of two or three earlier buildings or enclosures, which are aligned E-W (NG 51838 51030).

A small corrugated iron building is built against the W wall of the park, mid-way along its length, slightly N of the stream.

The First Edition Ordnance Survey 6-inch map (Inverness-shire, Island of Skye 1878, sheet xviii) shows two small enclosures, or two unroofed buildings, in the SW corner of the park, in approximately the same position as the sheepfold just described. It also shows a footpath running from the shepherd’s house at Armishader (NG55SW 20), c1.7km to the SW, to a point in the NW wall of the park.

A dimensioned sketch and photographs are linked to this site record.

Information from SRP Storr Lochs, April 2011.