| Location Map: | Scotland Outer Hebrides |
| Gridreference: | NF866476 |
| Coordinates: | 57.41°N -7.22°W |
| Celtic Name: | Eileanan Chearabhaigh |
| Area: | 49ha |
| Highest Elevation: | c. 23m (75feet) |
| Island Group: | Uist |
| Local Authority: | Comhairle nan Eilean Siar |
Eileanan Chearabhaigh is a collection of small uninhabited tidal islands off the south east coast of Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The English language name Keiravagh Islands is sometimes used.[1]
Bounded by the tidal waters of Loch Chearabhaigh to the north and Loch a' Laip to the south, the land area of the group defies a simple description. At low tide the islands form a peninsula with a total area of about 50ha, which is connected to Benbecula by drying sands. At high tide the connection to Benbecula is lost and a number of small islets stretching for over 2frac=4NaNfrac=4 from east to west appear, the largest of which is about 31ha in extent. None of these individual islets are named by the Ordnance Survey. Argyll Yacht Charters supply a table of islands statistics that list the "Kiervagh islands" as being 49ha in extent, although the method of measurement is not explicit.[2]
The uninhabited island of Wiay lies to the south and fish farming is undertaken in the productive waters of Loch a' Laip and Loch Chearabhaigh.[1] [3] Loch a' Laip also provides shelter for visiting water craft but the area is strewn with rocks and skerries. There is a pier on Benbecula served by a track at the western end of Eileanan Chearabhaigh and another to the south at Eilean na Cille, although their use without local knowledge is not advised.[4]
Nearby islands with a similarly complex geography: