The island was formerly inhabited, and unusually for the Scottish islands, is quite well wooded, with some mature trees scattered about. It appears to have been abandoned in the 1880s, but there is ample evidence of human habitation on it, including a number of walls, a sheep pen, and a lime kiln.[6]
A number of wild flowers grow here, though not as many as on nearby Eilean Rìgh.
Geography and geology
The east coast of Island Macaskin
The island is long and narrow, aligned southwest–northeast, parallel to the nearby shore of the mainland. It is basically a ridge, with the west being higher than the east. The western side is dominated by the steep sides to the islands central ridge that reaches a height of 65 metres (213ft). A line of skerries extend from the south of the island into the Sound of Jura.[1]
The geology is metamorphic apidiorite with some Dalriadan quartzite at the south end.[6]
It is surrounded by various smaller islands including Eilean nan Gabhar, Eilean nan Coinean, Garbh Rèisa, Rèisa an t-Sruith, Rèisa MhicPhàidein and Eilean na Cille.
↑Both Haswell-Smith (2004) and the Gazetteer for Scotland state the area is 50 ha. However, estimates from Ordnance Survey maps suggest it may be in the 60-70 ha range.
↑Area and population ranks: there are c.300 islands over 20ha in extent. 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census and 101 such islands in 2022.
