Islands Nr 28

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a tiny island which is now empty. Now I’ll tell you about three more, which are much larger and have people on them.

Look at the bottom of a map of Britain and in the middle you’ll find a small diamond-shaped island. That’s the Isle Of Wight. This place and a small part of Northumberland are now the only places in Britain where you can see red squirrels. The grey squirrel was brought over from America many years ago and has now killed off nearly all the reds. The sea between the island and Britain (called the Solent) is the busiest waterway in the world (a lot of rich people have their yachts there). A popular image of the Isle Of Wight is that life there has not changed much over the last thirty or forty years.

The Isle Of Man is larger and sits between England and Northern Ireland. Here you can find possibly the world’s largest water wheel (called the Laxey Wheel), cats with no tails and the most famous (and maybe most dangerous) motorcycle race. The Manx TT is a race round the island on motorcycles which has already killed and injured a lot of people since it first started. Still, the competitors like it because they always come back for more. At a slower speed you can ride on a tram pulled by horses. Like the Solent you will find a lot of rich people here: The tax laws are different so the inhabitants don’t have to pay as much as on the mainland, so you might see a few celebrities here or there.

Saving the best for last, there is the Isle Of Skye. The best word to describe this is: beautiful. The best way to get there is by train. The line from Fort William to Mallaig (across the sea from Skye) is the most beautiful railway line in the world. It used to be possible to get to the island only by ferry. Now there is a bridge so the ferries have all gone out of business. Once you are on the island, you can visit the old castles, the visitor’s centre and the local craft shops. However, you’ll want to spend most of your time outdoors. There is no place on earth like the West Highlands of Scotland. Bring a bicycle or some rock-climbing equipment (or a horse) and you’ll be in seventh heaven.

Glossary:
a squirrel wiewiórka
a yacht żaglówka
in seventh heaven an idiom meaning ‘very happy’

Walk around an island and what will you see? There are nine words here that you either will or might find on a small island.

M Y P T V P X B L O O V C H H
E X R R N U P I R T S R I A L
A T O R I J F Z J M S E R V S
Y I M A M E Z P K C H B M Q U
B V E T B T S A O C O M I G B
F L N O G T I S L U R B K G E
H T A V L Y R I R R E P E U N
L T D O Z E F G D M I F L T M
X T E B Y F U Q Y X P G L L C
S B U Q M X V Z Q C I H H S F
X Y L G D G Q R H Z G O U G I
U X X S A J F U C N X S P J I
U S I V C E W R L T N T K T F
W T W S G D E L G Z Q M E M N
U P G H V W Q Q E R Z Y S Z K

Clues:
1.A safe place for boats to stay even when the sea is rough.
2.A wooden or stone platform that goes into the sea, where you can tie up a small boat.
3.A much larger version of (2), big enough for a ship to dock at. Nowadays they only have tourists on them.
4.The name for the boundary between the sea and the land.
5.What the sea uncovers when the tide goes out.
6.A high point next to the sea, made of rock. Make sure you don’t fall off!
7.Something to rescue people who are in danger in the sea.
8.The area next to the sea where you can find a lot of tourist attractions.
9.An area inland where a small plane can land, often just a long line of grass.

KEY:

1.HARBOUR
2.JETTY
3.PIER
4.COAST
5.SHORE
6.CLIFF
7.LIFEBOAT
8.PROMENADE
9.AIRSTRIP

Did you know?
The Isle Of Man was the last place in the United Kingdom that had the death penalty. It wasn’t used though.

Twenty years ago, it was possible to fit the whole population of the world on the Isle Of Wight. Today that would be impossible as the population is much larger.