Inhabited since the eighth millennium BC, Rum has provided some of the earliest archaeological evidenceof human occupation in Scotland. Under the changing ownership of various clans and lairds, the population grew to over 400 around the start of the nineteenth century but was cleared of its indigenous population in the first half of the nineteenth century. The island was then a sporting estate and the somewhat bizarre 'Kinloch Castle was constructed in 1900. Rum was purchased by the Nature Conservancy Council in 1957, and then passed into the ownership of Scottish Natural Heritage. A summit, called in December 2007, initiated a process whereby islanders have subsequently voted in their majority to see the island pass into the ownership of the Isle of Rum Community Trust. The intent is for the island to become self managed, similar to the situation on Eigg, and for residents to have greater control and input into the development of the island and its resources.
Rum is of exceptional ecological importance, but thanks to its volcanic origins and its present day wildlife, notably red deer and white-tailed sea eagle. With the exception of Kinloch, the island is uninhabited, and offers stunning landscapes and walking.
