[6] Following the Second World War, a committee, chaired by Sir Douglas Ramsay, was established to consider preservation of the landscape in Scotland.

They carry the most ancient ecclesiastical buildings in Scotland, and contrast strangely with the black slatey profiles of Belnahua and Lunga nearby, where the derelict slate quarries glisten in the sun or raise bleak black unnatural profiles to the storm.The dark pyramid of Scarba (449m) raises its summit high above these lower islands, supporting moorland that is in striking contrast to their green meadows or slate wastes.

Between the islands tidal races rip with ferocity that is easily seen, and the streaming waters are themselves an important visual element in the total scene.The seas are home to some of strongest tidal flows in the United Kingdom,[13] leading to the formation of features such as the whirlpool in the Gulf of Corryvreckan, and the narrow channel between Scarba and Lunga known as Bealach a’Choin Ghlais ("the pass of the grey dogs").

[12] All of the islands within the NSA, along with the neighbouring isle of Jura, form part of a Special Protection Area, due to the presence of breeding golden eagles.

[15] These reefs area amongst the most diverse in both the UK and Europe, with many of the species present being at either the northern or southern limits of their usual geographic range.