Little Cumbrae

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Little Cumbrae (Scottish Gaelic: Cumaradh Beag) is a small island in the Firth of Clyde, off the coast of Ayrshire, Scotland. It lies just south of its bigger neighbour, Great Cumbrae, and is close to the town of Largs. The island covers about 313 hectares (1.21 square miles). Today it has no permanent residents; its population peaked at 23 in the late 1800s. The main settlement is Little Cumbrae House on the eastern shore.

Geology and landscape: Little Cumbrae is rough and rocky, with many cliffs. It is mainly made of volcanic rocks from the Carboniferous period, with some older sedimentary rock in the east. A raised beach runs along the east coast, where marine deposits and blown sand have gathered. The island shows signs of glaciation from the last ice age. There are several uninhabited islets off the east coast, including Castle Isle, the Broad Islands and Trail Isle.

History and monuments: The Cumbraes get their name from Norse settlers; in Gaelic the island is called Cumaradh Beag. Early monks are said to have lived here. In medieval times Walter Stewart built a castle or hunting lodge on the island, and Robert II is said to have hunted there. Little Cumbrae Castle stood on Castle Island in the 16th century. In the 20th century the island’s owner, Evelyn Stuart Parker, built a new mansion and had the gardens redesigned with help from the famous gardener Gertrude Jekyll. The original castle and improvements were later repaired.

Lighthouses: A lighthouse has stood on the western coast for centuries. The first light on Little Cumbrae, built for James Ewing in 1757, was coal-fired and was Scotland’s second lighthouse. The traditional lighthouse, designed and built in 1793 by Thomas Smith, stood on a raised beach with a foghorn, jetty and boathouse. The 1793 tower is no longer used; since 1997 the light has been provided by a newer tower nearby.

Ownership and current use: In 2003 the island was privately bought with plans to turn it into a memorial park, nature reserve and corporate retreat. It was sold again in 2009 for about £2 million to Sarwan and Sunita Poddar, a Scottish-Indian couple, who opened a yoga and meditation centre on the island with help from a yoga teacher. There were rumours they would rename it “Peace Island,” but this was denied.