Roadtrip 2011; Guinard Island....

Along the road from Laide you drive along some amazing winding tarmac road at the foot of the An Teallach Mountains that climbs and descends from sea level forests then over passes high above golden beaches...


















Look at your map or soak up the view out to sea and you will notice Guinard Island,
`oh that looks nice` you might say, and even take a few pictures of it...




It even has a nice beach...


But this Island has been left off of the Island hopping guide to Scotland...
As it has become known as Anthrax Island...

The island became off limits to Humans after a 1942 experiment on sheep was carried out by scientists from Porton Down- the Governments top secret testing laboratory's in Wiltshire England using the chemical warfare Anthrax...
It would be used as a counter attack to a chemical attack on Britain,
Another theory was that cattle cakes infected with the deadly virus would be carpet bombed across Germany's cattle areas killing off meat supplies and forcing a starving nations surrender,

Given the nature of the weapon being developed, it was recognised that tests would cause widespread and long-lasting contamination of the immediate area by anthrax spores. To limit contamination a remote and uninhabited island was required.
After a survey, Gruinard was deemed suitable and was compulsorily purchased from its owners by the British Government.

80 sheep were taken to the island and then bombs filled with anthrax spores were exploded close to where selected groups were tethered.
The sheep became infected with the anthrax and died within days of exposure.
Poor things...
Some of the experiments were recorded on 16 mm colour movie film which was declassified in 1997...

British scientists concluded that a large release of anthrax spores would thoroughly pollute German cities, rendering them uninhabitable for decades afterwards.


These conclusions were supported by the discovery that after the biological warfare trials had ended, initial efforts to decontaminate the island failed due to the high durability of anthrax spores. For many years it was judged too hazardous and expensive to decontaminate the island sufficiently to allow public access. As a result, Gruinard Island was quarantined indefinitely. Visits to the island were prohibited, except periodic checks by Porton Down personnel to determine the current level of contamination...

Xray of one of the Scientists involved in the experiment...



Think you should keep your mask on mate...



In 1981 British newspapers began receiving messages with the heading "Operation Dark Harvest" which demanded that the government decontaminate the island...


Locals continued to complain of the situation of the Island, there was no fishing around its waters and its history and potential dangers were off putting to holiday makers to the areas superb coastline...


It reported that a "team of microbiologists from two universities" had landed on the island with the aid of local people and collected 300 lbs of soil...


The group threatened to leave samples of the soil "at appropriate points that will ensure the rapid loss of indifference of the government and the equally rapid education of the general public".
The same day a sealed package of soil was left outside the military research facility at Porton Down; tests revealed that it contained anthrax bacilli.
A few days later another sealed package of soil was left in Blackpool, where the ruling Conservative Party was holding its annual conference. The soil did not contain Anthrax, but officials said that the soil was similar to that found on the island.

In 1986 a determined effort was made to decontaminate the island,
With 280 tonnes of formaldehyde solution diluted in seawater being sprayed over all 196 hectares of the island and the worst-contaminated topsoil around the dispersal site being removed...

A flock of sheep was then placed on the island and remained healthy. On April 24, 1990, after 48 years of quarantine, junior defence minister Michael Neubert visited the island and announced its safety by removing the warning signs.



A few years ago a local who had been on the island became ill and died,
the relatives were supposedly sworn under the offical secrets act...

Would you visit the island?...

A film of the 1942 experiment using Boards of Canada music...