View Looking Towards Scarp From The Coast Of Harris

-- Where is it ? --

Scarp is to be found off the west coast of North Harris in the Western Isles. The island has an area of approximately 2500 acres and reaches a highest point of just over 1,000 feet on the top of Sron Romul.

-- History --

From a high of over 200 the population of Scarp was still a relatively healthy 100-150 at the turn of the 20th Century. The island is rocky and the north part is over 300m in height with a steep drop to the sea. The village, which is now in serious disrepair is located in the south-east corner where it is partly sheltered from the Atlantic winds. The only land capable of cultivation is near the village on the east coast. The local economy would have been very basic - potatoes, cabbages, oats, milk, fish. Billingsgate market in London would have been the destination for much of the lobster caught by the Scarp fishermen.

The village on Scarp had no electricity and the only means of illumination would have been oil lamps. There was piped water and the village did have a small shop. The telephone line was installed in 1947. Despite these few basic comforts Scarps population like so many other small islands around Scotland continued to decline. In 1966 the Church of Scotland refused to replace the lay preacher and a year later the village school closed. Two years later it was the Post Offices turn to close its doors for the last time and with it so ended all mail deliveries to and from the island.

As the islands infrastructure continued to deteriorate the next thing to go was the telephone cable. This was severed in a storm and the GPO simply refused to repair it. This was just about the last straw for the remaining islanders and so in 1971 the 7 last residents of Scarp packed up and left their home for the last time.

The people may have left but Scarp still gets mentioned in many a conversation to due the adventures of German rocket scientist Gerhard Zucher. The German boffin attempted to develop a rocket which could 'fire' mail from Scarp to Harris and vica versa. Unfortunately the first launch simply exploded on the spot. A second firing from Harris to Scarp was a success but the project was quickly forgotten....but still very much lingers in the legends and stories of Scarp.

-- Books --

Most books listed will be available from any on-line book seller such as Amazon.

Hebridean Island, Memories Of Scarp - Angus Duncan Angus Duncan, born in South Harris in 1888, was brought up in Scarp, where his grandfather was an influential schoolmaster. His lifelong interest in Scarp and in all matters Celtic led him, in the 1940s and 1950s, to write of his boyhood on the island. Part of this was published in a Gaelic/English magazine in the early 1950s. After retiring, he spent some years working at the School of Scottish Studies at Edinburgh University. He died in 1971. One of his sons has now edited the completed manuscript and added, as an appendix, notes on a number of the chapters, some being contributed by distinguished experts on their own fields. Hebridean Island describes an island community and a way of life now all but forgotten, including the harvests of the land and the sea; children's games and pastimes; long traditional folktales told around the peat-fire; social customs and occasions; and some of the notable characters of the day. It fills a long-felt gap, for the story of Scarp - unlike its westerly neighbour St Kilda - has not been told in this way before. Hebridean Island was published to great acclaim by Tuckwell Press in 1995.

-- DVD's & Videos --

A film called 'The Rocket Post' was made in 2001. The film was of course about Gerhard Zuchers mail rocket experiments. However, currently this film is not available on DVD or video....please contact lonely-isles if you know of any dvd's or videos featuring Scarp and we will of course add them to the site !!

-- Links --

The Rocket Post - Excellent page from the 'Film Hebridies' site giving all the background to the film based on Gerhard Zuchers rocket post experiment. Sadly the film seems to have run into problems over distribution. As far as I know the film is completed but as of yet nobody has picked it up and got it out to the general public. Hopefully one day the film will be available to see and buy. In the meantime this page tells you all you need to know about the film and the story it's based on.

Undiscovered Scotland - The closest point on Harris to Scarp is the tiny village of Huisinis. From here the residents of Scarp would once have arrived and departed on the short trip over to their island home. This page from the always excellent 'Undiscovered Scotland' site tells you all you need to know about this isolated part of Harris.

Article On Gerhard Zucher - Superb piece from the Scotsman about the Zucher rocket post experiment. Features a couple of fascinating original photographs.

Colin Palmer Photography - Without a doubt the best set of Scarp pictures I have found on the Web.