Kelp-burning at Kennavara around 1900

Kelp collecting and burning was a major activity of Tiree people during the 1800s and early 1900s, when the extraction of soda, potash and iodine from seaweed became an important British industry. The kelp (the long-stemmed seaweed that gets washed up on the shore) was dried on stone ridges on the shore and burnt in U-shaped pits. The remains of these ridges and pits are still visible on the east shore of Kenavara.