Isle of Skye

St Columba's Isle

A river island at Skeabost, reached by footbridge, with the ruins of the medieval church of the Bishops of the Isles.

Welcome

At Skeabost, a few miles west of Portree, a red wooden footbridge crosses the river to a low, wooded island.

It is quiet now, a place of old gravestones, carved memorials and broken walls under the trees, but for centuries this was one of the holiest places on Skye, and it has been a burial ground since ancient times.

Cross the bridge and wander slowly. Among the graves are the walls of a small early chapel, still standing to head height in places, and the grassy outline of a much larger church. Look out, too, for a tall column topped by a carved eagle, and for the family burial grounds walled off among the older graves. The river runs past on both sides. Go gently: this is still a burial ground, and every stone on it is protected.

Before you go

The island is a burial ground and a scheduled monument.

Walk quietly, keep to the paths and leave the stones as they are.

Where: At Skeabost, in the parish of Snizort, on a river island reached over a wooden footbridge.
Protected: A scheduled monument since 1936.

Did you know

A stone plaque reading St Columba's Island stands in long grass before a red wooden footbridge, marking the site's ancient burial ground and cathedral church ruins.

Did you know

The seat of the Bishops of the Isles.

The stone at the entrance calls the island the site of the cathedral church of the Bishops of the Isles from 1079 to 1498, an ancient burial ground older still.

A lichen-covered stone ruin stands beside a bare shrub at St Columba's Island, its rubble walls patched with moss.

Did you know

A habitation of monks and priests.

In 1795 the parish minister wrote that the island was once a habitation of monks and priests, and in all likelihood the chief church of the whole of Skye.

A weathered gravestone with worn carving and a small metal plaque at its base stands in rough grass at St Columba's Island, hills visible beyond.

Did you know

A church 79 feet long, under the grass.

The larger church was about 79 feet long and almost 27 wide. Today it is only grassy mounds, crowded by walled family burial grounds.

A weathered gravestone with a pointed Gothic top stands in rough grass at St Columba's Island, its inscription worn by lichen.

Did you know

Twenty-eight chiefs, by tradition.

The small mortuary chapel, the Nicolson Aisle, is where tradition says 28 chiefs of the Clan Nicolson are buried.

A tall carved memorial column stands among autumn scrub and grass at St Columba's Island.

Did you know

Maybe not Columba's at all.

The small chapel is dedicated to St Columba, but the historian W. D. Simpson argued in 1927 that it probably was not his: Columba's real foundations always bore the name Columkille.

The red-railed footbridge at St Columba's Island curves through bare and golden-leaved trees toward the path ahead.

Did you know

Hit by the flood of 1999.

On 4 and 5 November 1999 the river flooded the island and damaged the site, and repairs had to follow.

Graeme Johncock

The tiny St Columba’s Isle in the middle of the River Snizort was once home to the primary church for the Bishop of the Isles, known as Snizort Cathedral.