QLeft : Walls were covered in the ever colourful jewel anemones
RAbove : Ctenophores , Lampea sp ., a kind of jellyfish feeds on salps . Bright orange
amphipods hitch a ride on this jellyfish
At the edge of the kingdom
North Rona lies about 71km north-north-east of the Butt of Lewis . It is incredibly isolated and landing there is only possible in excellent conditions .
More isolated than St Kilda , it is the most remote island in the UK to have ever been inhabited in the long term . Remains of ancient dwellings exist on the island , as it was inhabited by a small number of people , on and off , until the 1800s .
A tiny early Christian oratory survives virtually complete . The best preserved structure of this type in Scotland , it is possibly linked to Saint Ronan ’ s life there in the eighth century .
Shortly after 1685 , the entire population of 30 died after an infestation of rats , which apparently reached the island from a shipwreck . The rats raided the food stocks and it is possible the inhabitants starved to death .
The island was resettled , but again depopulated by around 1695 , after which it remained home to a succession of shepherds and their families , until the mid-1800s when it was finally deserted . Farmers from Lewis have continued to graze sheep on Rona ever since .
North Rona along with Sula Sgeir , 18km to the west , was declared a National Nature Reserve in 1956 because of its importance as a breeding ground for birds such as guillemot , puffin , kittiwake and fulmar . Now it is designated as a Special Protection Area and a Site of Special Scientific Interest for the bird populations . North Rona is also a Special Area of Conservation with the third largest grey-seal breeding colony in the UK . All managed by Scottish Natural Heritage .
The men from the Ness district of Lewis have sailed to Sula Sgeir each year for centuries to collect the young gannets for food and feathers . Despite the wildness of the island , there is a ruined stone bothy called Taigh Beannaichte ( Blessed House ) on the east headland at Sgeir an Teampaill , and a small lighthouse on the south end at Sròn na Lice .
RAbove : Grey seals were often seen amongst the caves and gullies and occasionally they
became inquisitive and took a closer look
SBelow : Thetys vagina , a pelagic tunicate not often seen round the coast of the UK
79