Vallay Island is one of North Uist’s most treasured islands and is such a beautiful setting with panoramic views out to St Kilda and Griminish point (in what direction) and to the North towards Scarp and the Harris Hills. The island measures 1.5 miles by ½ a mile at its widest point, (and) contains 600 acres of fertile Machair and has numerous stunning beaches and a wide range of flowers and wildlife around its coastline. During the months of May and June the island is filled with acres of yellow primroses.
The waters that surround Vallay Island are of the palest blues, tropical greens and turquoise and at low tide create what is locally known as fords. These are shallow streams and pools left by the ebbing tide which are filled with shrimps, flounder, sandeel, salmon and sea trout at certain times of the year. Not so long ago in the 1980s local boys and girls could be seen wading the fords barefoot with a hay fork in hand out spearing flounders and lemon sole in these rich waters. Today there are fewer flounders and fewer local people with the knowledge to wade these fords. Vallay Island can be accessed at low tide but it is often best to seek out a local guide or tourist information centre for tide times.
Vallay Island has had a colourful history and been occupied since early Neolithic times until the tragic death of George Beveridge in 1945. Beveridge was a man with many interests. He was an enthusiastic photographer, antiquarian and local historian, publishing a number of volumes, including The Churchyard Memorials of Crail (1893), Coll and Tiree (1903), and North Uist (1911). He was Vice-President of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland from 1915 to 1918 and received an honorary degree from St Andrew’s University in recognition of his research and publications.
Beveridge was the owner of Erskine Beveridge and Co. Ltd., the largest linen manufacturer in Dunfermline, founded by his father in 1832. Committed to quality and care of the work force, the company was very successful, particularly in sales of fine linen to America.
Although based in Dunfermline, Beveridge purchased the estate of Vallay in 1901 where he undertook a number of archaeological excavations and bred Highland ponies. He also ran the estate as a farm and shooting lodge. The ruined mansion of George Erskine Beveridge was built over three years from 1902-1905. The house was a splendid example of the Victorian era and was the first house to have central heating and running water on the island, with the water being taken from high on the moor more than 5 miles across on the other side of the strand. All the materials for the house were landed by barges on the beach at the North end of the island below the chapel overlooking Traigh Iar and carted up to the house.
The house had 365 panes of glass in its structure although local opinion states that there were 365 windows making it a calendar house. There were circular windows of stained glass in many rooms with the inscription EB on the glass. Every room had a different coloured fireplace. The house cost £8000 in 1905 to build which is the equivalent of £2,000,000 today.
In order to heat the house large amounts of peat were cut on the Committee road and taken to the Sollas end of the road and dumped in large piles before being taken across the strand by horse and cart. It is recorded that there were more than eighty cartloads of peat required to heat the big house for one winter. Beveridge died in November 1945 following an evening trip to visit neighbours on the other side of Vallay strand. His journey involved taking a rowing boat across the sound and it is recorded that on his return he tragically drowned close to the shore. Following his death there was an auction of all that was in Vallay house and there are still artefacts and books from that sale in local homes across the Uists.
** For those wishing to see an example of how the house looked in 1905 there is a photo in the archive museum in Taigh Chearsabhagh, Lochmaddy.
One of the oldest buildings on the island is the school with its stepped gable dates back to the early 1800’s. A key feature of the school was the outside steps leading up to the classroom. As you climb these you will notice a stone in the wall with a strange carving. It is believed to be part of a cross that was taken from a cemetery and placed in the wall for good luck or a blessing.
Vallay Island had three chapels at one time and was a religious place for monks and nuns. Only one chapel remains intact and is dedicated to St. Mary which is situated on the South side of the island overlooking Vallay strand and Traigh Iar. There is a large stone outside the chapel wall which has two crosses carved on it and is thought to have been a lintel from the second chapel. This chapel was dedicated to St. Ulton but nothing of this chapel remains today although on spring days when the grass is short the outlines of the building can be seen. Beside St. Mary’s chapel is an old cemetery which was still in use until the 1930’s.
The third chapel in Vallay can be found on the island of Oransay and is called Teampull Orain. There is little evidence of this structure now apart from ruined walls. This structure measures 24ft by 17ft and its walls are 4ft thick. Little is known about its dedication yet around it are semi circular enclosures which indicate an important site.
At one time Vallay Island had an oak forest and during a storm in the early 20th century large trees were uprooted and cast ashore. Today remnants of these tree roots can still be found at low tide on the North west side of the island. Those interested in antiquities and archaeology will be able to purchase the reprint of Beveridge’s book ‘North Uist’ which documents his findings on archaeological sites around the Uists. Further mention of Vallay can be found in the humorous book, 'I went a Shepherding’ by Richard Perry.
Today Vallay Island is deserted but for the calling of greylag geese, snipe, mallard and other waders along its shores. Many islanders still remember fondly their times working on the island and are saddened by the demise of this place. The island is now owned by the Macaulay’s of Balelone and is leased out to Angus MacDonald of Kyles who through his organic farming is producing crops similar to Beveridge’s time. Guided walks to the Island are taken by Hebridean Adventures during the summer.
