Dunglass Island

Dunglass Island is an uninhabited island of around 99 acres in the River Conon, south-west of the village of Conon Bridge in Easter Ross. It is one of the largest freshwater islands in Scotland, and it holds the site of an Iron Age fort.

Landscape

Dunglass Island lies between two channels of the River Conon, a broad, fast-flowing salmon river running down from the hills of Strathconon to the Cromarty Firth. The island can be reached by a wooden road bridge from the farm of Dunglass on the west side of the river, or by a footbridge across a weir at its south-western tip. Much of it was farmland, and alder woods line its channels.

History

The name Dunglass contains the Gaelic dùn, a fort, and the island has the site of an Iron Age fort. In 1892 a great flood broke the river’s embankment, covering more than twenty acres of the island’s farmland with a thick layer of gravel and making it unfit for crops. A gravel bank thrown across the river above the islands diverted most of the water through the Dunglass channel, leaving salmon spawning beds dry, and around a million salmon eggs were lost.

Dense plantation woodland was removed, and 400 tonnes of cobblestones were repositioned to help salmon spawn, which also helped lampreys and other river life.

More about Dunglass Island

In 2004 a £38,000 project brought together Scottish Natural Heritage, the Conon District Salmon Fishery Board, Brahan Estates, the Highland Council and Ross and Cromarty Enterprise to restore the island’s habitats. Dense plantation woodland was removed, and 400 tonnes of cobblestones were repositioned to help salmon spawn, which also helped lampreys and other river life. The work restored an alder-lined channel through the island that had stopped flowing.

Visiting

Dunglass Island is on private farmland, so please ask permission and respect livestock and anglers if you visit. It can be seen from riverside paths near Conon Bridge, a few miles north of Inverness. You can collect Dunglass Island as a landing or a sighting in your Island Passport.

Wildlife and area

The River Conon is a famous salmon river, and you may see Eurasian Otter, Kingfisher, Grey Heron and Goosander along its banks. In winter, the nearby Cromarty Firth holds large numbers of pink-footed geese, Wigeon and waders. Look out too for Osprey and Red Kite, which were reintroduced to the Black Isle. Other islands nearby include Contin Island and the Ness Islands.