Linga Sound (Orkney)
Linga Sound is the strait between the islands of Linga Holm and Stronsay in the Orkney islands of Scotland. It leads into St. Catherines Bay from the north.
The sound is 4 fathoms (24 ft; 7.3 m) deep. The northern entrance is very narrow. Linga Sound and St. Catherines Bay form a safe harbor, but it is difficult to enter. The land on both sides of Linga sound is low and sloping, so the entrance is hard to pick out at night.[1] There are reports of the long-finned pilot whale being shot with a rifle in the sound around 1880.[2] An 1891 account said that Linga Holm was no longer inhabited, and was used only for sheep. There was abundant bird life.[3] Today, grey seals haul out on Linga Holm in large number in October. About 2,000 pups are born on the Holm each year. The coarse grass also provides grazing for greylag geese.[4]
References
Citations
- Great Britain Hydrographic Dept 1887, p. 152.
- Tudor et al. 1883, p. 210-211.
- Buckley & Harvie-Brown 1891, p. 14.
- Smith & Jex 2007, p. 119.
Sources
- Buckley, Thomas E.; Harvie-Brown, John Alexander (1891). A vertebrate fauna of the Orkney Islands. D. Douglas. p. 14. Retrieved 2013-02-06.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Great Britain Hydrographic Dept (1887). North Sea Pilot. Sold by J. D. Potter. p. 152. Retrieved 6 February 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Smith, Tom; Jex, Chris (2007-03-15). The Northern Isles: Orkney and Shetland Sea Kayaking. Pesda Press. ISBN 978-1-906095-00-0. Retrieved 2013-02-06.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Tudor, J.R.; Horne, John; Fortescue, William Irvine; Peach, Benjamin Nieve; Peter White (1883). The Orkneys and Shetland: their past and present state. Edward Stanford. Retrieved 2013-02-06.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
External links
- "Map of Linga Sound in Orkney Islands". Streetmap.co. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2013-01-06.