Tiree

I had quite a few days holiday to take over the Easter break but money was quite tight. We had a great time on Mull a few years ago and we were keen to see more of the Scottish Islands. Some friends of ours had recommended Tiree to us a couple of times and we liked the sound of it. A few clicks and a couple of emails later, I had booked the ferry and found us a place to stay. A drive, an overnight stay, an early morning ferry and we were there!

We had found a quaint wee Blackhouse called Drovers Cottage in Barrapoll. We settled in, quickly unpacked the car and headed back out to explore. The weather was glorious so I wanted to make the most of the afternoon, as the forecast for the next few days was mixed at best. We drove all the way around the island to get a good feel for the place. It has to be said it is a truly stunning place and not like any other place I've been, particularly in Scotland. In fact, you wouldn't think you were in Scotland at all. We very quickly came to the realisation that the island is really just one big beach the entire way round. Somehow, we managed to stop and get out to view each beach on our way round. I could see why the island is perfect for surfing and other water sports; if the conditions aren't right at one beach then all you have to do is head to the next beach and you're bound to find conditions that suit. Another reason why Tiree is great for windsurfing... the wind. Being so flat and surrounded by the Atlantic, you can see why the island receives a relentless battering from the wind. Driving round, we got a really good feel for the place and we started to make some plans for the next few days. Late in the afternoon, we drove down the farm track to Balephuil Bay and parked in the dunes. From here, we couldn't see the beach so we got out and had to brave the wind. Reaching the top of the dunes, we had a great view of the magnificent shore and the crashing waves. The sand was golden and the water was deep blue... not a soul to be seen anywhere. I really had the feeling of being abroad. We strolled along the sand towards Beinn Ceann a' Mhara in the hope of getting a good view of the island from the top. The Machair was very boggy and it was a bit slippy on the way up but well worth it; a great view across the south east of the island. We headed back down and back to Drovers to rustle up some grub.

The small summit of Beinn Ceann a' Mhara

Looking down on Traigh nan Gilean from Beinn Ceann a' Mhara

The next day wasn't exactly the best weather I had ever seen. However, our time on this wonderful rock was limited so we had to man up and make the best of it. I wanted to go for a bit of a walk and explore a bit of the coast on foot and leave the car at home. We set off from the cottage around 09:30 and followed the B8065 west to Sandaig. There was only about 100m visibility, as a thick mist covered the island. Our target was Beinn Hough and I was hoping that by the time we were on top of it, the mist would have lifted. As it turned out, this was exactly what happened. We left the road at Creagan House and branched to the right to follow the track up to the telecoms mast at the top of Beinn Mhurstat. There wasn't much to see here so we pushed on to Beinn Hough via a steep bealach. At the summit, we found the remains of a WWII radar station... and a trig point. What we also found was that the mist had indeed lifted and we had uninterrupted views over Tiree in it's entirety; simply breathtaking. It really hit home just how flat the island was. From just 119m we could see right across from one side to the other and it was clear just how exposed to the wind the place really was. After we had munched our butties, we headed down to join the track leading to Hough Bay. The way back was along the beaches back to Sandaig. We paused for a while to watch some Kitesurfers at Traigh Thodhrasdail beach - pretty exciting stuff! A great day considering the poor weather in the morning.

The view from Beinn Hough

The view from Beinn Hough

The view from Beinn Hough

The view from Beinn Hough

Today was really quite dreach. It rained heavily all day so we spent most of it chilling out, drinking coffee and visiting a few of the local shops.

More rain this morning but a little brighter. I had been reading about Skerryvore Lighthouse and wanted to get a closer look. I contacted Iain MacDonald of Skipinnish Sea Tours who was extremely helpful. Unfortunately it seemed that the sea and the weather were certainly not in our favour; another time perhaps. Remaining upbeat, we headed to Hynish to check out the museum. There wasn't much life about the place to be honest. Although, we did come across some rather large highland coos on the beach; certainly something you don't see everyday! The forecast was better for tomorrow...

The signal tower at Hynish

Highland Coo on the beach at Hynish

We woke to a gap in the clouds and a sparkling of sunshine but most importantly the rain had stopped. So far, the body boards and wetsuits had sat in the boot of the car unused and we were meant to be in the water sports capital of the UK! We had breakfast and got ready to head out. However, as we were about to step out the door, the heavens opened. I couldn't quite believe our luck but I was sure it must have been a passing shower because the forecast was good. The rain stayed on until lunch, but then the wind picked up and blew the clouds away. With the sky now blue and the sun shining, we jumped in the car and headed to Balephuil Bay. We squeezed into our wetsuits, grabbed our bodyboards and headed over the dunes into the surf. I have to be honest; it was absolutely baltic! The waves were quite big and it was great fun... but we didn't last long as we soon lost feeling in our hands and feet. By this time the wind was howling and it was a bit of a mission getting dry at the car but also hilarious. With the heater on and a brew in hand we were soon warm again. A couple of crab claw salads for dinner in the Scarinish Hotel rounded off another good day.

Freezing at Balephuil Bay!

Today was our last full day on Tiree and I wanted to finish on a high. I had made a call and exchanged a few texts with Willy MacLean and had managed to arrange some sand yaughting for us. We headed off early and it was a glorious day on Tiree. Ironically, today of all days, there was no wind! We met Willy just before 10am at Gott Bay and he talked us through the basics; just like topper sailing really. He also mentioned the distinct lack of wind and he recommended that we come back after lunch when the wind had picked up a bit. We were more than happy to follow his advice and hopefully get the most out of the day as possible so we headed off with some time to kill. I had read in the visitors guide that there was a large boulder on the beach near Balephetrish Bay called The Ringing Stone. Apparently it's a huge chunk of granodiorite that made it's way from Rum during the ice age. The guide said that when banged with smaller rocks, the boulder emits a ringing sound. Legend has it: if the rock is moved, Tiree will sink into the ocean. It took us a wee while to find it but then we came across the obvious boulder near the shore line. I was surprised that it actually made a very distinct ringing sound when I struck it with a small rock - very weird!
With a few hours now passed, sure enough, the wind had picked up when we arrived back at Gott Bay. It didn't take long for us to get started and get to grips with the yaughts. I was impressed with just how fast you could go... and just how much sand went in your face! By the end of the afternoon we were absolutely covered in sand and a great experience to end our time on Tiree; must go back soon :)

Gott Bay

Ringing the 'Ringing Stone'

Great fun

 

What a setting!

SAND!

Sand Yachting - Tiree 2009 from Chris McMorris on Vimeo.