The Minch

The Minch, also called the North Minch is the Atlantic sea channel between the Outer Hebrides island group on the west and the mainland of Scotland on the East. The channel varies in width between 25 and 45 miles ( 40 and 70 km ) and has both great depth and a rapid current. It was known as Skotlandsfjoro in old Norse.

The Little Minch, its southerly extension, lies between the island groups and the Inner Hebrides separating the islands of Harris and North Uist in the west and from Skye in the East.

The Minch itself is believed to be the site of the largest meteorite ever to hit the British Isles.

The Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second of the world's oceanic divisions following the Pacific Ocean. With a total area of some 41,100,000 square miles it covers approximately 20 per cent of the Earth's surface and some 29 per cent of its water surface area. The first part of its name refers to Atlas of Greek mythology thus making the Atlantic the ' Sea of Atlas.'
The Greeks believed this ocean to be a gigantic river circling the world. St Kilda an isolated archipelago in the North Atlantic ocean lies some 64 kilometres west - northwest of North Uist.