Eigg

Eigg (pronounced "Egg") is one of the Small Isles, lying 10 miles off the west coast of Scotland, and with a population of just under 100. The name means "notched" and it's a moorland plateau cleaved by a valley, with the dramatic scarp of An Sgurr looming over it. It's been variously farmed and fought over: its brief moment of prosperity was in the early 19th century from kelp farming. Then, as elsewhere in the Highlands, that trade collapsed, and Eigg followed the unhappy pattern of clearances, conversion to sheep farming and sporting estates, and long-running disputes between residents and landowners. Since 1997 it's been owned and cared for by the residents' Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust, who post visitor information.