By Selena Barr
Red hind stalking on Taransay
T
here’s something quite magical about hunting on an uninhabited island on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Something that arouses a primeval sense of raw adventure. In Scotland there are around 140 uninhabited islands in total. However, only one of them boasts its own herd of red deer, like Taransay does. The tiny, remote Hebridean island has been uninhabited since 1974, except for holidaymakers, and is the largest island in Scotland that lacks a permanent population. Remarkably, the 3,500-acre island has a population of approximately 50 stags, 100 hinds and 40 calves. In the early 1980s the then owner of the island released 10 hinds and two stags to establish a source of venison for his family. Today’s herd carries good body weights – they’re of average stamp for west coast hill deer – plus there’s a few Royals in the herd as well. Made famous after starring in the
BBC series Castaway 2000, the bleak, treeless island became part of Borve Lodge Estate when it was purchased by pharmaceutical magnate Adam Kelliher in 2011 for a reported £2 million. It sold in just five days. The island is pristine, with picture-perfect beaches, rolling machair meadows, gargantuan rocks and numerous archaeological sites. The island has evidence of inhabitation going back some 10,000 years, and it has a firm place in Celtic pagan folklore. Throughout history it has been the site of fierce battles including the Massacre of Taransay in 1544, when the Morrisons of Lewis invaded. At one time there were three villages on Taransay but the population dwindled, with the last remaining family moving to the mainland in 1974 when the island became principally a place for sheep grazing. When I visited, I stayed at Borve Lodge itself, which is a plush ninebedroom pile on the neighbouring island
Harris, and has recently undergone a complete refurbishment under the direction of swanky London interior designers, Beaumont Interiors. Marbled wetrooms, million-thread count cotton bed linen and views of the Sound of Taransay, all come as standard. This is five-star luxury accommodation where you would not expect it. A member of the Scottish Country Sports Tourism Group, Borve Lodge comes with a private chef and housekeeper and can accommodate up to 14 people. We had the place to ourselves, however. The estate also has four self-catering cottages. Two are traditional island dwellings, but the other two are highly modern architecturally-inspired onebedroom spaces that need be seen to be believed – ideal for romantic getaways. According to a review in The Financial Times, “Borve Lodge Estate takes the self-catering experience to a level of sophistication previously unknown in the Hebrides."
We boarded the estate’s landing craft, a leftover from the Falklands War. Irish Country Sports and Country Life Spring/Summer 2021
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