"Round the Britain Isles", a definition sought

Tobermory Fill

Tobermory Phil must take his name from the measures of malt he pours at the distillery which is only 100m. from the harbour. Just pop in during the day, its good stuff.
 
British Isles - According to Wikipedia (so it must be true) -
"The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include Great Britain, Ireland and over six-thousand smaller islands. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Ireland. The British Isles also include the Crown Dependencies of the Isle of Man and, by tradition, the Channel Islands, although the latter are not physically a part of the island group.

The term British Isles is controversial in relation to Ireland, where there are objections to its usage due to the association of the word "British" with Ireland. The Government of Ireland discourages its use, and in relations with the United Kingdom the words "these islands" are used. Although still used as a geographic term, the controversy means that alternative terms such as "Britain and Ireland" are increasingly preferred."

On Rockall - also wikipedia - again, has to be true.
"The ownership of Rockall is disputed, as are the exploration and fishing rights on the Rockall Bank. Exchanges continue between the countries involved - Ireland, Denmark (for the Faroe Islands), the United Kingdom and Iceland. Iceland, Ireland and the United Kingdom have all made submissions to the commission set up under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Denmark will make a submission before 2014, delaying a resolution until then."


Tobermory and Iona still fresh in my mind- made it there last September. Tobermory has the most well stocked hardware shop I've ever seen
(next to the chandlers). And I've been in a few! Unfortunately, I can't recall the name.
 
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I have no problem with including Out Stack, Sula Sgeir, St Kilda, Ireland and the Sicily Isles in what I understand as the British Isles. I'm not sure about the Channel Islands and Rockall, I don't quite see them as part of the British archipelago.

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I notice in your original post you say you have no problem going via Sicily ......... none of my business but, I've done a bit of sailing in the Med and, all things being equal, and just between the two of us, I should get a bigger boat !!
 
WARNING

Anyone thinking of visiting Rockall will need to be very aware of Hasselwood Rock and Helen's Reef.

Hasselwood Rock breaks surface and lays 200 metres to the north of Rockall and Helens Reef is approx 3 kms east of Rockall at a depth of 1.4m just below the surface.

Both these locations will quite easily cause a yacht to founder. In 1904 a ship foundered on Helen's Reef with a loss of 653 lives.

http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/utstilling/eng/dsnorge.htm
 
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Tobermory hardware shop

Cimo, its Brown's: while they do keep a good stock of hardware and ironmongery, they keep an even better selection of malts. Try the Ledaig, not from Tobermory but Oban but good value for those who don't want too much peat and iodine in their West Coast malt.
 
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Quandary said:
Cimo, its Brown's: while they do keep a good stock of hardware and ironmongery, they keep an even better selection of malts. Try the Ledaig, not from Tobermory but Oban but good value for those who don't want too much peat and iodine in their West Coast malt.
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I'll be back if only to continue the tasting :)
 
frankthompson said:
QUOTE
I have no problem with including Out Stack, Sula Sgeir, St Kilda, Ireland and the Sicily Isles in what I understand as the British Isles. I'm not sure about the Channel Islands and Rockall, I don't quite see them as part of the British archipelago.

QUOTE
_________________________________________________________________________

I notice in your original post you say you have no problem going via Sicily ......... none of my business but, I've done a bit of sailing in the Med and, all things being equal, and just between the two of us, I should get a bigger boat !!
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Yes, I noticed that just after I posted it, a spot of early evening dyslexia or perhaps just wishful thinking
 
Robwhelton said:
If I can just chip in.... whilst people are 'circumnagivating' Britain, could they at least refrain form calling Islay and Mull 'The Western Isles'! I got all excited reading about a cruise in ST recently only to find they bottled out through the canal and came nowhere near the most interesting bit. Cop out.
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Point well made but then I did have to do the whole trip in six weeks max and did at least manage to see some of the twenty three ports along the way. The W.I. phrase is, I admit, streching the point a tad.
 
cimo said:
British Isles - According to Wikipedia (so it must be true) -
"The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include Great Britain, Ireland and over six-thousand smaller islands. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Ireland. The British Isles also include the Crown Dependencies of the Isle of Man and, by tradition, the Channel Islands, although the latter are not physically a part of the island group.

The term British Isles is controversial in relation to Ireland, where there are objections to its usage due to the association of the word "British" with Ireland. The Government of Ireland discourages its use, and in relations with the United Kingdom the words "these islands" are used. Although still used as a geographic term, the controversy means that alternative terms such as "Britain and Ireland" are increasingly preferred."
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The Wikipedia entry is fairly good, though a little incomplete in relation to the Channel Islands.

I find it fascinating that the geographical name for an archipelago is so controversial. One can well understand why the term is avoided in the context of Ireland, but it works the other way down here in the Channel Islands.

I once discussed it with the editor of the local paper who was convinced that we are in the British Isles, and he ended the discussion by saying: 'Well, we are British, aren't we?'. There are many, perhaps even a majority, who would agree with him.

A lot of confusion originates from our passports, which include the phrase 'British Islands'. A lot of people misread that phrase. It is entirely distinct from 'British Isles' and is actually a legal term defined in an Act of Parliament called the Interpretation Act, and excludes the Republic of Ireland while including the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey - NOT the Channel Islands, as that includes the French Chausey islands.

But it goes deeper than that, far, far deeper.

Another discussion, this time with (the late) James Marr, the respected author of 'the History of Guernsey', revealed that there is a minority view, to which he subscribed, that the British Isles is the name of the archipelago off the North West coast of Europe, which includes the Channel Islands, Ushant, the Faroes, Heligoland, etc, etc.

For further evidence of the controversy, see the other articles in Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Isles_naming_dispute

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Isles_(terminology)

As someone said above: the term is best avoided. Indeed, Norman Davies, the author of a tome entitled "The Isles", takes 27 pages in the Introduction to explain why he did not entitle his book "The British Isles" !
 
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snooks said:
If you draw less than 1.60 there are three! You can use the Forth and Clyde as well as the Crinan and Caley
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I would temper that figure to less than 1.50m and suggest that anything more vulnerable than an iron fin keel should think carefully about the Carron/Clyde ditch. It's probably easier to get from the Thames to the Severn - does that count?
 
guernseyman

Thank you for a most interesting post.

I really enjoyed the Wiki article British Isles naming dispute

You have managed to add further confusion to my voyage: I started off not sure of where I was going, now I don't know the name of the place I wish to sail round.

I quite like the title "The West European Isles" although I think the Icelanders and Faroese might have something to say about that.
 
Fascadale said:
guernseyman

You have managed to add further confusion to my voyage: I started off not sure of where I was going, now I don't know the name of the place I wish to sail round.

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probably of little constructive value Fascadale, but -
go on your voyage and trace the actual passage taken.
post your route here on your return and we will help put a name on it!!! :)
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Fascadale said:
guernseyman

Thank you for a most interesting post.

I really enjoyed the Wiki article British Isles naming dispute

You have managed to add further confusion to my voyage: I started off not sure of where I was going, now I don't know the name of the place I wish to sail round.

I quite like the title "The West European Isles" although I think the Icelanders and Faroese might have something to say about that.
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Well Fascadale, thank you; I hope I haven't put you off. It is a unique achievement to circumnavigate anything. I've circumnavigated Guernsey, and Brittany. No regrets.

Don't make the mistake of my brother-in-law, who circumnavigated Ireland in his youth.

When asked how he had enjoyed the country, people, drink, food, music, and craic he replied that they had spent only one short evening ashore.
 
DaveS said:
......... Has anyone suggested a better collective term acceptable to all? ("Irish Isles" is hardly an improvement! :))
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I believe IONA has been formally suggested by an UK MP. (Islands of the North Atlantic), as an alternative to B. Isles.
 
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