Brit shares ‘very scary’ expertise in distant Scottish island you may’t discover on maps
Located just off the west coast of Scotland, the uninhabited Gruinard Island has a dark history.
Back in World War II, the remote island was used in British experiments involving Anthrax in 1942 which left it severely contaminated. It has since been dubbed ‘Anthrax Island’.
The land measures just two kilometres long by one kilometre, and was made off limits to humans in the 1940s, until 1990 when the Ministry of Defence declared the island free from the deadly disease.
One keen explorer, Ellie, who shares her adventures on YouTube where she’s known as EllieMarieTV, was undeterred by Gruinard Island’s past and made it her mission to visit.
In a video uploaded last year, she aims to explore ‘banned Google Map locations’ and the quest takes her to Gruinard island.
Ellie claims the land is ‘totally erased off Google Maps’ and explains she hopes to venture there.
‘I want to try and find a local crazy enough to take me to this island, to see for ourselves, can we still see the Anthrax,’ she says.
The Brit spoke to several locals who shared their various conspiracy theories of the island.
Located just off the west coast of Scotland, the uninhabited Gruinard Island has a dark history
The land measures just 2km long by 1km and was made off limits to humans in the 1940s until 1990 when the Ministry of Defence declared the island free from the deadly disease
One keen explorer, Ellie, who shares her adventures on YouTube where she’s known as EllieMarieTV, was undeterred by Gruinard Island’s past and made it her mission to visit
Eventually, Ellie finds local kayaker Will who agrees to row with her to the mysterious island.
In her kayak, Ellie has to work her way through caves and dodge rocks as she finds a place to safely land and disembark.
‘After an hour of kayaking, we had finally made it to the back of the island,’ she says.
The explorer admits she is scared about the adventure, but pushes on with her quest to explore the questionable location.
‘As much as I’m scared right now, this might be our only opportunity to explore an island totally erased and hidden from the entire world, to see if the crazy conspiracy theories about this place are true,’ Ellie adds.
Standing on a pebbled cove, Ellie looks around and notes the destination isn’t particularly strange.
She acknowledges how she ‘doesn’t see any Anthrax’ or ‘anything suspicious’.
‘And after exploring these banned locations, despite their dark pasts, what we actually discovered was some very beautiful, yet creepy adventures,’ she concludes.
‘I want to try and find a local crazy enough to take me to this island, to see for ourselves, can we still see the Anthrax,’ she says
Ellie finds local kayaker Will who agrees to row with her to the mysterious island
What is anthrax and how was the infectious disease developed into a weapon for bioterrorism?
Anthrax spores have been weaponised by at least five countries: Britain, Japan, the United States, Russia and Iraq
Anthrax is the name of the potentially-deadly disease caused by the spores of bacteria Bacillus anthracis.
As the disease can survive in harsh climates, Anthrax spores have been weaponised by at least five countries: Britain, Japan, the United States, Russia and Iraq.
The disease can be contracted by touching, inhaling or swallowing spores, which can lie dormant in water and soil for years.
It is most deadly, however, when the spores are inhaled, which is why the threat of a letter containing the disease is taken very seriously by authorities.
About 80 per cent of people who inhale the spores will die, in some cases even with immediate medical intervention.
Use as a biological weapon
Anthrax’s first documented use as a weapon of warfare was by the Japanese in the 1930s, where thousands of prisoners of war were intentionally infected and died.
British trials of the disease on Gruinard Island in Scotland in 1942 severely contaminated the land for half a century, making it a no-go area until 1990.
The disease is particularly dangerous as its spores can be cultivated with minimal scientific training and special equipment.
Letters containing the deadly spores was mailed to several news outlets and the offices of two politicians in America, in what came to be known as the 2001 Anthrax attacks.
Biodefence researcher Dr Bruce Ivins (left) is the sole suspect of the 2001 Anthrax attacks, in whcih letters (right) containing the disease were mailed across the USA
As a result, 22 were infected and five people died after just a few grams who used across all the letters.
In 2008, biodefence researcher Dr Bruce Ivins was named as a suspect but committed suicide before he could face any charges.
What are the symptoms of Anthrax?
Once inside the body they become active and start producing toxins, which cause the disease and manifest and spread.
Symptoms range from blisters to shortness of breath or diarrhea, depending on how it enters the body.
The vast majority of cases are caused by skin contact. This is the least deadly form of the disease, with 75 per cent of patients surviving without treatment.
Anthrax naturally infects many species of grazing mammals such as sheep, cattle and goats, which are infected through ingestion of soil contaminated by B. anthracis spores. The spores may remain dormant for many years.
Infection generally occurs 1 to 7 days after exposure but occasionally, if inhaled, cases may present 2 to 3 months later.
Back in 2022, wildfires engulfing Gruinard Island were visible by those on the mainland.
At the time, the Scottish public were urged ‘take care’ following a wildfire warning in force.
According to the BBC, Kate Gearing and her daughter Nessie were going home to Aultbea, a small fishing village in the North-West Highlands of Scotland, at 8.30pm last night when they spotted the blaze.
Ms Gearing, 25, said the huge fire scene raging across the island was ‘apocalyptic,’ and looked like ‘hell fire’.
