Holm of Grimbister

Holm of Grimbister is an inhabited tidal islet in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland. Located in the Bay of Firth near Finstown it is connected to Mainland Orkney by a causeway.

Holm of Grimbister

Meaning of name	Small and rounded islet of Grim's farm
Holm of Grimbister from the east, with Finstown beyond
Location
Holm of Grimbister Holm of Grimbister shown within Orkney
OS grid reference	HY378134
Coordinates	59.0036°N 3.0836°W / 59.0036; -3.0836
Physical geography
Island group	Orkney
Area	16 hectares (40 acres)[1]
Highest elevation	8 m (26 ft)[2]
Administration
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	Scotland
Council area	Orkney Islands Council
Demographics
Population	3[3]
Population rank	80= [4]
Largest settlement	Holm of Grimbister farm[2]

Geography

Bay of Firth is an inlet of the Wide Firth that lies to the North. Within the bay and to the north east of the Holm is the companion islet of Damsay. The causeway from Holm of Grimbister connects to the mainland at Holm Point, just north of the mainland settlement of Grimbister.[2] Haswell-Smith (2004) notes that the islet is farmed.[5]

Habitation

Although it is clear that in 2007 the island was inhabited, as it was the residence of a candidate for the Scottish Parliamentary Elections in 2007,[6] it was not listed as such by the Census in 2001.[7] Press reports in March 2010 confirmed that at that time the population of the island was at least two.[8] The 2011 census recorded the population as three.[3] In 2016 the island was reported as being on sale for £300 000.

Footnotes

1. Rick Livingstone’s Tables of the Islands of Scotland (pdf) Argyll Yacht Charters. Retrieved 12 Dec 2011.
2. Ordnance Survey. OS Maps Online (Map). 1:25,000. Leisure.
3. National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
4. Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
5. Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 360
6. "Scottish Parliamentary Elections 2007: Shetland Islands Constituency" Shetland Islands Council. Retrieved 26 Feb 2012.
7. General Register Office for Scotland (28 Nov 2003) Occasional Paper No 10: Statistics for Inhabited Islands Archived 2011-11-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 Feb 2012.
8. Ross, Calum (3 Mar 2010) "Tory candidate pulls out of race for city seat at general election". Press and Journal. Aberdeen. Retrieved 26 Feb 2012.

References

• Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.