What is Britain's most remote football pitch? There is no definitive answer to this question, but one of the front runners for this lonely title can be found on the Isle of Eriskay.
Just three miles long and barely two miles wide, Eriskay sits between South Uist and Barra in the Outer Hebrides – a remote group of islands off the north-west coast of Scotland. As the crow flies, it's only marginally closer to London than it is to Iceland.
“On the island there's a pub, a shop, a community hall, a church, couple of beaches and... a football pitch as well,” said Eriskay FC player-manager Sean MacKinnon in a BBC Scotland article in 2019.
The pitch itself sits on a small, 30m-high hill on the western side of the island. “The pitch is different from most pitches most people have played on before. It’s not exactly... flat,” said MacKinnon. “There’s a wee hill in the corner.”
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The grass on this remote playing field is short and tough, battered by Atlantic winds and grazed by sheep, rabbits and the island's native ponies. There are no stands or floodlights, only a few whitewashed lines, goalposts and perhaps the most breathtaking backdrop of any football pitch anywhere in Britain.
While some visiting teams can reach Eriksay via the Eriksay Causeway – which connects the small island to the much larger island of South Uist – teams coming from Barra to the south must arrive by boat, often braving choppy waters before setting foot on the pitch.
So remote and spectacular is Eriskay, that a few years back it was recognised by FIFA as one of the eight most remarkable places to play football in the world – and it's easy to see why.
Top image: Eriskay football pitch. Credit: Getty
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