Eigg, Rum, Muck & Canna
Richards Mountain Pages

The small isles form a quiet corner of the Inner Hebrides between Mull and Skye. There are four islands - Rum, Eigg, Canna and Muck.

The largest island, Rum is a nature reserve for the study of Red Deer. It is dominated by an 'S' shaped jagged ridge known as the Rum Cuillin. The ridge starts with the daunting stepped pyramid of Hallival, but beyond, the knife edge North ridge of Askival looks fearsome, but is actually just about manageable by experienced hillwalkers. An easier but still exposed scramble leads to Trallval (troll mountain), the summit of which is the pinnacle at the end of the ridge. Turning South, the next peak is Ainshval, with Sgurr Nan Gillean to finish. All this can be done in one very long and tiring day.


Eigg is smaller than Rum, but supports three times the population. Its most obvious feature is the huge overhanging nose of rock known as An Sgurr. Despite its awesome pressence, it can be tackled with little or no scrambling simply by following the path that leads up behind it. Eiggs other peak is a rather dull moorland ramp flanked by cliffs on two sides, but it does give good views down to Cleedale (with its singing sands), and Rum beyond.


Canna is joined to Sanday. It has one significant peak, which rises a little over 200m. The CalMac timetable allows it to be done in a day trip on a summer Saturday, but with eleven hours between the two ferries, you'll be left sitting on the beach for quite some time.

Muck has no significant peak. I've yet to get anywhere near this small isle, and so having nothing more to add.

Geology
Rum was once a volcano. Lava flows reached as far as Eigg, filling a river valley and cooling to form a very hard rock. Glaciation and weathering removed the surrounding rock to leave the distinctive peak of An Sgurr. Back on Rum, the volcano blew itself apart leaving the jagged ridges of the Rum Cuillin. The rock in the Cuillin is mainly a light coloured gabbro. The surrounding area is mainly granite.

Settlements
The inhabitants of Eigg are spread along a strip between the two peaks. Most live in the fertile Cleedale area. There is a shop at the pier, where a some seasonal local produce can be bought (all organic and fresh).

Rum has a much smaller population consisting entirely of Scottish Natural Heritage employees and researchers based around the castle. There is a shop near the castle, but opening hours are very short, and there is very little fresh produce (the fridge mainly stores lager).

You can get eggs hatched on Eigg (often less than a day old - and very tasty too), but unfortunately they make no rum on Rum. As for Muck - well I guess you can make your own whilst you are there!

Transport
You can get to these islands by the CalMac ferry from Mallaig. It calls at different combinations of islands each day, so check the timetable before starting out. There is no public transport on any of the small isles.

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