By Rebecca Chitolie
THIS WOMAN has revealed why she decided to leave her bustling hometown of Blackpool to live on a Scottish island of just 60 people who are reliant on annual coal deliveries to heat their homes.
While anti-social behaviour, crime and dog attacks plague the mainland of Great Britain, artist Lisa McQueenie (51) has lived on Easdale, a car-free island in Scotland, 115 miles from Glasgow, the nearest major city, for over a year, enjoying a no crime environment, with no police needed and more freedom due to the lack of vehicle access.
Locals insist that the only connection to the outside world is a ten person ferry that operates seven-days per week, approximately every 30-minutes for £2.20 per return ticket. The boat ride is a quick three-minute transfer to get to the island, the locals find it a blessing rather than a burden, because it makes people more grateful to have arrived.
Easdale Island sounds almost mythical with approximately 60 people inhabiting the island, and it is the smallest permanently inhabited island in the Inner Hebrides.
This new islander currently runs an art gallery out of her home, selling a range of hand-made items including sea-glass jewellery, crystal necklaces, and driftwood houses, mainly to passing tourists.
McQueenie said she moved to Scotland from Blackpool, at the beginning of 2022 because she longed for a change of pace.
After living for 30 years in Blackpool, she spent four months in Oban, on the Scottish mainland. McQueenie said she and her partner decided to relocate to Easdale after she accidentally discovered the island during a walk in a rainstorm.
The artist said she was walking on Seil, another island that’s connected to the mainland via a bridge that overlooks Easdale, and was blown away by its beauty.
“I was just walking over this hill and saw the island in the distance,” McQueenie said.
“It took my breath away. You know what it feels like when you see a rainbow? I was like, that’s amazing.”
She said she was looking for a place to move to, such as Cornwall, but nothing was available in the areas she was searching.
She joined a Facebook group, which advertised homes, which is where she saw what would become her present two-bed terraced home became available.
“I couldn’t believe it, I didn’t realise it was on Easdale Island initially, I just loved the home, and then I saw it was on the island too,” she said.
“Everything aligned and I knew I was meant to get this house.”
Shortly after, McQueenie and her partner were able to move her dream home, the only catch being it is coal heated, with the islanders getting a yearly coal delivery by boat every July and use wheelbarrows to deliver the coal to each house.
Unlike some other Scottish islands, there are no bridges connecting Easdale to the mainland. There is one small ferry with ten seats, which made transporting suitcases and large belongings to the island very difficult. But McQueenie said she and her partner’s new neighbours were quick to help them move their belongings from the ferry to their home.
“They have this Whatsapp group, and someone put on it that new people were moving onto the island, and asked if anyone could help us move,” she said.
“They were like little ants, toing and froing, bringing the stuff to our house.
“This is what really takes your breath away. It’s unconditional. People do something and they don’t expect anything back, it’s not like a town.”
McQueenie said the islanders don’t see the lack of transportation as a hindrance, adding that almost everyone uses wheelbarrows when needed to get their groceries and other heavy items off the ferry and to their homes.
She added that there’s no crime or break-ins in the area since intruders would have to get past the ferry in order to get back to the mainland.
“There’s no chance of intruders trying to get a TV over on the boat, it’d be very obvious”, McQueenie laughed.
“People don’t need to lock their doors at night and kids play very freely on the island, it is very safe.
“Living on a remote island like Easdale is a completely different lifestyle to Blackpool, or any built-up place, you can’t keep your door unlocked in those areas.
“In Blackpool I had many gallery exhibitions but on this island there is now just peace, and all of my art work has come together.
Easdale Island also hosts the World Skimming Festival which took place on 24th September 2023.
“They have the World Skimming festival too which is a nice way the community gets together, there are over one-thousand people, which is a nice way for others to see the island,” she said.
“I am determined to contribute to the community and to offer something to help attract visitors here.”
McQueenie’s love for art started in Blackpool when she discovered a piece of driftwood on Blackpool beach. However, before she took the step to move to Easdale she was less self-assured.
“I came across it and jumped for joy, and then I was suddenly self-conscious,” she said.
“Living in Blackpool, in any town, you feel more self-conscious, but now I don’t care.
“I chose to follow my heart and that choice to do that was a turning point.”
McQueenie’s passion for art started in Blackpool, finding the beauty in the sea, but Easdale Island has allowed her business to blossom.
“In Blackpool I was working in my little flat and didn’t have a studio to do my art work,” she said.
“I was cutting up pieces of driftwood in my lounge, there was hardly any space at all.
“Now I have transformed a little room in my cottage into a gallery for my art.
“I called my business Turnstyle Mcqs, and it’s only occurred to me in the last few weeks how much this business and move to the island has been a turning point for me and transformed my life.”
McQueenie shared what she loves most about the island.
“There are no cars, and the most exciting thing that happened was when someone was unfortunately ill, and there was an air ambulance that everyone came out of the houses and was in awe of it when we heard the engine”, McQueenie laughed.
“What I love most about living here is the peace, nature and the community.
“I call it ‘The Good Life’ because we upcycle everything and have almost no waste here.”
ENDS
