Postcard from the Isle of Rona

Last week I decided to spend some time sorting out the mess of my stamps and covers at home. While doing that I found back a postcard that I wanted to share with you since a long time and that I never took the time to scan.

The postcard comes from the Isle of Rona, and somehow, makes an echo to my new collections of cows on stamps.

But first of all, let me say a word about the island of Rona. Rona is a small island lying between Scotland’s west coast and the Isle of Skye. There are no shops, no roads, no traffic, and only one permanent residence.
Despite its small size, on the Isle of Rona there is a local post. Stamps are issued since 2003. Of course they are mainly collectable items, but they are required for local carriage from Rona to Portree when a letter or a postcard is posted in the island postbox. Such mail receives a Rona postmark before its journey across the sea. All mail posted there requires in addition a Royal Mail stamp to cover onward delivery from Portree.

In 2009 a new set of four stamps has been issued by the Isle of Rona and picturing Rona Highland cattle. The postcard I received is in fact an ad about this new stamp issue.
Here is the picture side of the card.

And here is the verso side, with the Rona stamp on the left and the Royal Mail stamp on the right.


The full set contains four stamps with different face values.

The breed pictured on the card and on the stamps is the highland cattle. This is an ancient Scottish breed with long horns and long wavy coats which can be black, red, yellow or dun. Highland cattle have been introduced in 1996 on the Isle of Rona and have bred very successfully since then.


I wonder if this type of stamps should be considered as Cinderella or if they have their place in a topical stamp collection? Anyway I think that this postcard is an interesting item.

Does anybody know a resource on the Net that gives information about the local postal services that exist all over the world?