Hotel Eilean Iarmain, Sleat – Beginners kayak trip.
The name ‘Eilean Iarmain’ is Gaelic for ‘Isle Ornsay’ and means ‘Ebb Island or tidal Island’. Join our beginners kayak trips where we kayak around the Eilean Iarmain and Isle Ornsay.
Originally an island at high tide, the channel between Eilean Iarmain and Sleat was drained in the early 19th century. In the rentals and on estate maps this area was often called Isle Ornsay, as were the inn and shop that were located here.
The little harbour with the old pier and the sheltered anchorage have always been important as a fishing harbour, a commercial centre and a steamer stop. It was from here that Flora Macdonald was taken captive on the frigate Unicorn in 1746 after rescuing Prince Charles Stuart and was then transported to the Tower of London as a prisoner for her part in his escape.
The mid 1830s were a time of great hardship and food shortage in the Highlands and Islands and the government did little to help. An impassioned plea for help by Caraid nan Gaidheal (Friend of the Gaels), Dr Norman MacLeod, was heard and acted on by Rev Dunmore Lang, a Presbyterian minister based in Australia. He instigated a programme of assisted passages to Australia from the area. The first boat to leave was the William Nicol, which sailed from Eilean Iarmain in July 1837. Of the 322 passengers, 107 came from Sleat. The Edinburgh Courant of July 10 1837 reported that it took three days to complete the embarkation of the emigrants. It also reported that so many people wanted to emigrate that the ship could not accommodate all those who turned up.
The pier was built in the early 19th century. The sheltered anchorage to the north meant that it became an important centre for the herring fleet. The fish were processed here too. Barrels of herring were sent as far afield as Russia.
Hotel Eilean Iarmain was built in 1893 by John MacKenzie and was leased to Eairdsidh Mòr MacNeacail. He ran it with his two sisters until he moved to Mallaig and built the Marine Hotel, leaving them in charge at Eilean Iarmain. Isle Ornsay Stores was one of the largest shops on the west coast. The parish doctor also lived here until the 1920s.
The glass fronted porch along the front of the Hotel was added in 1930 by Norman Macleod of Breakish, who was the tenant at that time.
In 1972 the stone pier, then derelict, was one of the first restorations carried out by Sir Iain Noble and marked the beginning of a programme of restoration of the architectural heritage of Eilean Iarmain and the area. This characterful bar leaked badly and it was said that if a customer needed a drop of water in his dram of Uisge Beatha, he needed only to hold his glass momentarily under the drops of rain leaking through the roof!
Eilean Iarmain was once the busiest port in the south of Skye, with puffers coming in to the old stone pier. The traditional buildings tell the history of the place and its people. The old stables of the original inn are now converted into charming suites.
This hotel is the centre of estate of the late Sir Iain Noble. In his lifetime he was passionate about the Gaelic language and its potential to turn the local economy around. His extreme views were not always popular but in his vision of Gaelic opening the door to economic recovery vision he was unequivocally successful. The presence of Iain Noble’s creation, Sabhal Mor Ostaig Gaelic College in Sleat has been the source of an economic bubble that has protected house-prices and ensured relative affluence. The new village of Kilbeg is further testimony to this success.
Why not come and join us for a beginner’s paddling experience around the area and learn more about its history.
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