The Scottish island of Easdale measures less than 10 hectares and has some 60 inhabitants but for a brief spell in September numbers are boosted by a global competition.
Easdale is recognised as the smallest permanently inhabited island in the Inner Hebrides and is situated in the Firth of Lorn.
There’s no road bridge to the car-free island, but a small ferry travels back and forth between Easdale and the Scottish mainland.
This past weekend the island played host to the World Stone Skimming Championships, which returned last year after three years without competition because of the Covid pandemic.
Under the rules, competitors use stones of Easdale slate no more than three inches in diameter, with at least two bounces on the surface of the water for a valid skim.
The length of the skim is judged at the point where the stone sinks with the longest distance declared the winner.
If there’s a tie, the winner is decided in a three skim “toss off” judged by adding the distances of three throws.
Competitors enter in one of seven categories, including adults, juniors and “Old Tosser”, those aged 60 or more. The World Stone Skimming Cup is presented to the overal winner.
Started in 1983 by Bertie Baker, the championships ceased for a spell before The Easdale Island Community Development Group resurrected them as a fundraising event in 1997.
The competition website says contestants come from around the world and more than 300 participants of any age and skill now take part.
Easdale itself has 27 permanent residents, according to the island’s website. The population is boosted by second home owners, some of whom are from families who have property on the island which has been in their possession for generations.
A slate quarrying hub for hundreds of years, Easdale gave its name to the famous Easdale Slate exported to Glasgow, Ireland and beyond, according to easdale.org.
In 1881 a storm flooded the quarries, sending the industry into decline with the last slate taken in the 1950s.
Nowadays the island relies on tourism for much of its income There is self-catering accommodation on the island itself as well as B&Bs in Ellenabeich on the nearby Isle of Seil.
It’s a three minute ferry ride from Ellenabeich to Easdale where visitors can enjoy the island’s museum, seaweed foraging, nature spotting, kayaking, fishing, sailing and fishing.