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| Owner:
squiz Member Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 3071 |
25th June 2013 Hiking - Walking: Tiree Wind Direction: Wind Stength: Surf / Sea State: Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: Max Speed: Distance Covered: Tuesday 25th June – walk **** cloud The forecast sunny calm day didn’t materialise but it wasn’t raining so we had a nice day. Started off at the Co-op then went round the island and parked at the same place I came ashore yesterday – Sandaig. We walked along the beach and over the rock pools seeing lots of eider ducks surfing in the waves! We climbed up onto the cliff – Kenavara via a crevice just below where lots of fulmars were nesting. Climbed over the fence to reach the top and had our lunch looking out over beaches either side – Sandaig and Balephuil. We saw sheep being rounded up by a quad bike and walked through a field of young bullocks which were giving us the look as we passed and then one started to run towards us! Mag hates walking through them at the best of times so got really spooked! I hurt my arthritic big toe going up the cliff and could hardly walk back to the van along the beach :( We made it back and had a cuppa, read and dozed – I really went off for a couple of hours! Drove through Moss to see the standing stones . Had a quick look at Balevullin before going to pick up the fish and chips from Scarinish. The lady who used to run the Elephant’s end, where we had a meal last time we were here has a catering van in the car park of the Co. Back to Peter and Sally’s to eat our treat and spend the evening chatting :) The most ridiculous thing we saw today was a lamb standing on a thatched cottage roof!!! Wednesday 26th June – walk **** sunny periods Did exercise’s outside then after breakfast we went to the harbour to help Peter and Sally pack away the boat as they are going home for a few weeks tomorrow. Back to the house where they continued their busy morning with grass cutting and Peter put another few rocks into his dry stone wall around the deck. We had lunch then set out across the island to walk on the beach at The Maze – the famous wave sailing spot !!! It was beautiful and just looks like an exotic beach somewhere abroad :) There were several people on the beach walking which is most unusual for Tiree! Got back to the van and we had locked it but left the side door open the whole time we were out!! Good job its Tiree! We later discovered that Peter and Sally had come into the other end of the beach as we walked hand in hand paddling in the sea :) They took lots of photos of us. We went back to Sandaig to park for a couple of hours have a cuppa and read before meeting Peter and Sally at their friends’ restaurant at Sandaig – the Ceabhar for a meal. It was a nice evening - a last night treat as we leave tomorrow lunchtime. We went into their house for coffee and then tried to find the corncrake making its unusual noise soooooo close to the fence it was unbelievable we couldn’t see it! Thursday 27th June - OFF TO BARRA We were going to get up really early and walk on the beach but it was raining so had a bit longer in bed, had shower and breakfast then went in to see Peter and Sally. Their friends Colin and Sue came round so we all had coffee together. We took advantage of a bit more internet access then at about 10.30 we left to call at the Co before queuing for the ferry. There was no way they were full! There were only 3 cars to go from Tiree to Barra and about 30 got off from Oban leaving the ferry virtually empty!! There was a little delay when they checked the lifeboat and couldn’t get it to come back up on the hydraulic lift so we had to wait for them to tap the side with a broom and various other ‘professional’ attempts to get it back aboard. Finally left and the fog which had come in meaning we couldn’t even see the ferry approach the jetty, lifted for us to see Tiree disappearing. Then the fog came right in again and the ferry had to blast its fog horn several times which is very loud when you are standing right underneath it! We made the mistake of going inside to the viewing lounge – it was horrendous – up and down and making us very queasy so we went back outside, had our picnic and spent the whole 3 hour voyage up there mainly with our eyes closed – I wouldn’t say asleep! The fog lifted so we could see Barra appearing and the Kisimul Castle which gives Castlebay its name. Were pleased to be back on dry land. Went to the tourist information, parked up and watched the ferry leave then went in to see if there were any information leaflets but there wasn’t really anything more than we have in the brochure we sent for at home. Popped into the local shop and got some bread which we forgot at the Co and headed off in the direction of Vatersay. Amazingly there is still the wreckage of a catalina flying boat on the beach as a memorial to the crew who died in it – it has been there since 1944!! The island is only 8 miles long and has a road all the way round the outside but we drove over the causeway to Vatersay and concentrated on finding somewhere to park and have a cuppa and cake as still feeling a bit groggy from the boat. We were lucky that we saw some of the beaches on the way round in a fairly decent light because as soon as we parked up it was impossible to see very much at all! We found a great place to park just off the road to the village of Vatersay (very jaded, dishevelled and lets the beautiful natural scenery down big style!) The road runs along a narrow strip of machair covered land between two beaches. In front of the van is the wavy stonier beach and behind us is a beach straight out of an exotic holiday brochure, calm crystal clear water with white sand and a yacht moored in the middle of the bay. We had our cake and cuppa then a doze and read. After tea the weather cleared a little and we went for a walk to both beaches and walking back along the road bumped into an Irish couple who are sleeping in their tent having wild camped on the islands south of here which they got to in their sea kayaks. We chatted for a long time and they were very nice. |
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