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Shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards 2018
Islander: A Journey Around Our Archipelago
What you need to know before your trail
The British Isles are an archipelago made up of two large islands and 6,289 smaller ones.
In this evocative and vividly observed book, Patrick Barkham explores some of the most beautiful landscapes in the British Isles as he travels to ever-smaller islands in search of their special magic
Meeting all kinds of islanders, from nuns to puffins, from local legends to rare subspecies of vole, he seeks to discover what it is like to live on a small island, and what it means to be an islander.
Locations
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Islands of the British Isles
Place – size in square metres and – population size
Isle of Man – 221 – 85 000
Tomb of the Eagles – 202 – South Ronaldsay, Orkney – 19 19000 in total
Barra, Outer Hebrides – 23 – 1300
Eigg, Inner Hebrides – 11.8 100
Isle of Seabirds, isle of Stories, Northern Ireland – 5.4 130
Prison Island, Channel Islands – 3 – 2000
St Martins, Isles of Scilly, 0-92 – 120
Hirta, St Kilda – 2.4 – 15 (during the summer)
Ynys Enlli/Bardsey Wales – 0.69 – 6
Osea Island, Essex – 380 acres – 0
Ray Island, Essex – 110 acres – 0
Small Islands
Some, like the Isle of Man, resemble miniature nations, with their own language and tax laws; others, like Ray Island in Essex, are abandoned and mysterious places haunted by myths, ghosts and foxes. There are resurgent islands such as Eigg, which have been liberated from capricious owners to be run by their residents; holy islands like Bardsey, the resting place of 20,000 saints, and still a site of spiritual questing; and deserted islands such as St Kilda, famed for the evacuation of its human population, and now dominated by wild sheep and seabirds.
Our small islands are both places of freedom and imprisonment, party destinations and oases of peace, strangely suburban and deeply wild. They are places where the past is unusually present, but they can also offer a vision of an alternative future.
Booktrailer Review
Susan: @thebooktrailer
There’s something really fascinating about this book. I mean the British Isles is made up of so many islands but Patrick has picked 11 to look at and really get under the skin of. He does this so well and the islands he’s chosen are very unique for so many reasons.
An island can large with many people living on it, or so small only birds can survive – and that’s the fascination of this book. Some islands are more well known than others but each one has a history to share. St. Kilda, in particular is now occupied by military contractors as well as seabirds. Others only have seasonal populations. Some are almost ghost islands and they’re my favourites. Who or what has been spotted there? Gets you thinking.
Two most unique islands I think are Prison Island in Alderney which is the home of the only Nazi concentration camp on British soil and St Martin’s, which is barely 1 square mile in size.
Patrick is a great guide – full of anecdotes, historical snippets, natural history information and personal tales all wrapped up with wit and friendliness. Recommended!
Booktrail Boarding Pass: Islander: A Journey Around Our Archipelago
Destination: UK, Ireland Author/Guide: Patrick Barkham Departure Time: 2000s
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