This is an incredibly picturesque island which has a wonderful stretch of beach known as Prince Charlie’s Bay, where Bonnie Prince Charlie landed in July 1745 from France, to go on to gather the clans for the Jacobite Rebellion.  The local community is serviced by a store, post office, primary school, church and a small inn Am Politician.

The island is also home to the rare breed of Eriskay Pony, saved from extinction by the thoughtful determination of the Eriskay Pony Preservation Society.

Eriskay has recently been linked South Uist by causeway. 

In the waters between Eriskay and South Uist lies the shipwreck of the SS Politician; it can still be seen at certain low tides.

The ship sank in 1941 with a cargo hold that included 20,000 cases of whisky.  The consequences of which produced an enduring modern legend, a novel by Sir Compton MacKenzie, a 1940s' Ealing comedy starring Gordon Jackson and of course Whisky Galore!