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Scotland is home to just over 100 inhabited islands. Part of the deal of living on most of those islands is that it’s going to take you hours and hours to get anywhere else. But now, local island authorities are looking into how they could better connect some of the country’s most remote island communities.
As it stands, the only way to get from Barra to Harris in the Western Isles is by two different ferries. First, you’ve got to get the boat from Barra to Eriskay, then drive around an hour and a half to Berneray to get a second ferry to Leverburgh. All in all, that journey takes just over five hours.
The Western Isles local authority, which is called Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, says that the reliance on ferries means that when the vehicles are disrupted or breakdown, the tourism and food and drink industries on the islands suffer. Plus, it says that the Sound of Harris crossings are restricted by daylight-only operations, tidal restrictions, weather cancellations and limited capacity. The solution? Bridges. Or underwater tunnels.
The comhairle has confirmed that it would support the building of bridges or tunnels between its islands. In a submission to the UK parliament’s Scottish Affairs Committee, the authority laid out its vision to create a ‘spinal link’ of infrastructure connecting south Harris to north Uist, and south Uist with Barra. They suggest that building the link could cost up to £280m.
The network would significantly cut the time is takes to get between the two isles and give people the freedom to travel at whatever time suits them. In its proposal, the council suggests that other potential benefits could include improved access to healthcare and extended tourism seasons. However, it specified that it wouldn’t back a tunnel to mainland Scotland.
The Western Isles isn’t the only remote place in the UK looking into creating a road network. Authorities on the Shetland Islands are also discussing potential subsea tunnels to replace ferry crossings. They’re wondering whether it’s possible for Shetland to copy the underwater network that connects the 18 Faroe Islands 200 miles north.
The Shetland’s council leader Emma Macdonald said last summer: ‘Tunnelling in Shetland is, ultimately, about future-proofing our island population. Transport connectivity is central to creating sustainable islands which provide good homes and good jobs for our people, and which can reverse decades of depopulation.
‘The experience of our neighbours in the Faroe Islands is clear - tunnelling from mainland Shetland to our outer islands could increase their population, lower their average age, and increase their economic prospects.’
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