Shillay and the Seals

by Robert Atkinson

Along with his puppy Shilly (named after the island), Robert Atkinson spent about a month on Shillay. His struggles against the elements, while watching the seals, makes absorbing reading. In addition to Shillay, the book describes trips to the Monachs, Heisker, and many of the smaller islands at the east end of the Sound of Harris.

167 pages, Hardcover

First published July 14, 1980

About the author

Robert Atkinson (d. 1995) first came to the Hebrides in 1936 when he was twenty-one and was immediately smitten by the islands and their people, returning every summer up to the outbreak of WW2. In those years he travelled throughout the islands, reaching even the remotest of the uninhabited outliers. As an escape from the stresses of wartime he wrote both Island Going and A Stag from Rum while on active service in the RNVR. The former became a travel classic and is still in print while A Stag from Rum lay unknown and unread until just before his death.

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some Hebridean wind cleared the cobwebs. Ooopins of black and white pictures, both of seals, natch, and breathtaking landscapes