Special Sub-Topic: British Isles: Islands Click Here To Play: British Isles: Islands

This Channel Island is a mile and a half long and half a mile wide. The island was once famed for its granite.

Herm. Herm is reached by boat from Guernsey. It is a haven for birdlife and wild flowers. The scenery is very diverse, even though the island is small. The island still has great granite deposits.

This island is 23 miles long and 13 miles wide and is famed for its tourist industry. More recently it became known as 'Dinosaur Island'.

Isle of Wight. The island got its nickname 'Dinosaur Island' when the bones of a Brachiosaurus were discovered in 1992. The Isle of Wight is still a great haven for tourists and over half the island is designated as an 'Area of Outstanding Beauty'.

This island is three and a half miles long and half a mile wide and lies off the coast of North Devon.

Lundy Island. The island is famous for its puffins and Lundy actually means 'Puffin Island' in Norse. Mammals that can be seen on the island are Sika Deer, Lundy Ponies, and Soay Sheep.

This Channel Island is the nearest to the Normandy coast and is home to the first airport built on the Channel Islands.

Alderney. Alderney is the third largest Channel Island and its capital is St. Anne. The island is a great place for bird watching and is most famous for its colonies of gannets. Many other seabirds visit throughout the seasons too.

This island lies between Shetland and Orkney and is famous for knitwear.

Fair Isle. The island has a thriving arts and crafts reputation, not least the knitting of colourful Fair Isle sweaters. More recently silverwear and furniture making companies have recieved success and acclaim.

This island is one of the Isles of Scilly and is famous for its flowers and sub tropical gardens.

Tresco. There are no cars on Tresco and most visitors arrive by boat or helicopter and are transferred to their accomodation via tractor and trailer - the only way to travel! The Scilly Islands' microclimate and close proximity to the Gulf Stream mean that gardens thrive. The Abbey Gardens on Tresco are famed for their successful rearing of subtropical plants.

This is the largest of the Channel Islands.

Jersey. The capital of Jersey is St. Helier. In World War II Jersey (and the rest of the Channel Islands) was the only British soil occupied by German forces and it was an extremely hard time for the Islanders. A legacy of the occupation is the German Underground Hospital and it was a great engineering feat at the time.

This island is the largest of the Inner Hebrides and is known as 'The Misty Isle'.

Skye. Skye was the island that Bonnie Prince Charlie fled to after the Battle of Culloden in 1746. He dressed as a woman and travelled by boat with a young woman called Flora MacDonald. The first verse of the 'Skye Boat Song' goes: 'Speed bonnie boat like a bird on the wing, onward the sailors cry, carry the lad that was born to be king, over the sea to Skye'.

This is the largest of the Scilly Isles.

St. Mary's. The capital of St. Mary's is Hugh Town. One of the most famous buildings on the island is Star Castle which is a 16th century fort built in the shape of an 8 pointed star. The castle was built to protect against the Spanish invaders at that time.

This island is the most southerly of the Outer Hebrides and is the home of Kismul Castle.

Barra. The isle of Barra was the last resting place of Compton Mackenzie who was the author of 'Whiskey Galore'. The story was based upon events in 1941 when the 'SS Politician' ran aground in the islands and 20,000 cases of whiskey were lost.