Community says island closed to visitors

● Decision due to vulnerable islanders as well as limited capacity on ferries

Islanders on Eigg have asked visitors to stay away for the time being as tourism opens up across the country.

The community-owned island has closed all selfcatering, hostel and guest house accommodation, as well as its cafe and restaurant, until August 31 to discourage any visits from day trippers, campers or sailors.

The 110-strong community says it has “agonised” over the decision, which was taken to protect vulnerable residents and due to limited capacity on ferries.

A vote showed a large majority of locals in favour of not opening up.

A statement from the community said: “We realise for many people our decision is hard on you.

“It wasn’t an easy decision to take and we’ve all agonised over it collectively, as well as individually.”

Due to physicaldistancing measures, the ferry to Eigg and the other Small Isles of Muck, Rum and Canna has just 40 bookable places, instead of the usual 190.

Residents said while people wish to visit Eigg as lockdown eases, others, including tradespeople, need to get to the island. Islanders also wish to go to the mainland, including for hospital appointments and to see loved ones.

“With only four ferries a week, how should we use those 40 places fairly?

“Prioritise one islander’s return visit to their elderly parents in Glasgow over another’s need to have their boiler fixed?

“A visitor coming to stay for a week in a cottage, over one in a tent for a fortnight, or a day tripper?

“Sadly, for our visitors, the ferry conundrum means it seems much fairer to you and to our Eigg and Small Isles communities to say ‘please don’t come to Eigg for now’.”

Stuart Fergusson, who owns the Galmisdale Bay Cafe and chairs the island’s hospitality group, said: “We are in a fortunate position of being socially isolated anyway, but 30% of our population is in the at risk category.

“We want to protect what we have achieved with Covid not coming here.

“A lot of people here would like to be open, because we’ve lost a season going into lockdown so have lost a lot of money.

“But we can survive, and it’s weighing up safeguarding our community against the small amount of money we could make in what is left of the season.”

Eigg is the only one of the Small Isles to ask visitors to stay away, although others have limited services.

Day visitors are not being encouraged to visit Rum where the campsite, bunkhouse, visitor centre, village hall, Kinloch Castle and mountain bothies and toilets are closed.

A statement from islanders says: “We are a remote community with good but geographically challenging health care provision and so it is important that we mitigate the risks associated with any reintroduction of visitors to the area.

“Everyone must play their part to protect one another.”

Mu ck has some visitors in self-catering accommodation.

One local said: “We’re not going out of our way to get more business and most of those who are here are people who come every year. We’ve gone to extreme lengths to reassure everyone it’s safe.”

“It wasn’t an easy decision to take, we’ve all agonised”

On Canna, owned by the National Trust for Scotland, all overnight accommodation and the island cafe is closed with a review due at the end of July.

Caledonian MacBrayne said due to restricted capacity, places on ferries must be booked but they cannot stop people travelling to the islands.

Meanwhile, the community-owned island of Gigha has reopened businesses, including the hotel.

A local said: “We sent a questionnaire to residents and they said it was up to the Scottish Government to decide (about reopening).”

The ferry to the community-owned island of Ulva is not running and the restaurant, accommodation, church and toilets at the pontoons are not open to the public.

The latest study of the extraordinary contribution tourism makes to parts of the region’s economy makes for thought-provoking reading. It certainly helps to ram home the unimaginable size of the hole that has been blown in so many people’s livelihoods by the pandemic.

For most who make their living from the trade, the chance this week to welcome visitors again will have been a huge relief.

Naturally there is a degree of caution among those in remote communities that have remained relatively unscathed by the virus.

Deciding not to throw open the doors to those from places where it has run a more rampant course is an understandable stance for that reason.

No one would begrudge the people of Eigg the right to have weighed up that tricky balance and come down the other way.

Nor should the downsides that mass tourism has brought be swept under the coronavirus recovery carpet.

As we reopen, every possible opportunity should be taken to do so in a more sustainable way that respects communities and their needs.

But reopen we must, for the consequences of not doing so – carefully and safely – are dire.

So let us send out a clear message: The north and north-east is as appealing as ever and very much open for business.

“The north and northeast is as appealing as ever and very much open for business”

BEAUTIFUL: But Eigg is off-limits for now