Garvie Island


(An Garbh-eilean)

An uninhabited islet which lies off the northern coastline of Sutherland in Highland Council Area, Garvie Island (An Garbh-eilean) lies 4 miles (7 km) east of Cape Wrath. The headland of Cleit Dhubh lies immediately to the south.

The islet is at the centre of a military bombing range, the only one in Europe where live 1000 lb (454 kg) bombs may be dropped. It was here that Vulcan bombers trained before their epic Operation Black Buck missions to the Falkland Islands in 1982. At 7800 miles (12,600 km), these were the longest-reach bombing missions in Royal Air Force history. The range is regularly used by British, American and ships of other NATO nations for live-firing practice and it featured in the BBC documentary Britain's Secret Seas in 2011.


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