Isle of Tiree
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-> Isle of Tiree
Tiree, as its Gaelic name tir-iodh ("land of corn") suggests, was once known as the breadbasket of the Inner Hebrides, thanks to its acres of rich machair. Nowadays crofting and tourism are the main sources of income for the resident population of around 800. One of the most distinctive features of Tiree is its architecture, in particular the large numbers of "pudding" or "spotty" houses, where only the mortar is painted white. Tiree's sandy beaches also attract large numbers of windsurfers for the Tiree Wave Classic every October.
The CalMac ferry calls at Gott Bay Pier, close to the village of SCARINISH, home to a post office, some public toilets, a supermarket, a butcher's and a bank, with a petrol pump back at the pier; to the east is Gott Bay, backed by a two-mile stretch of sand. It's just one mile across the island from Gott to Vaul Bay, on the north coast, where the well-preserved remains of a drystone broch, Dun Mor - dating from the first century BC - lie hidden in the rocks to the west of the bay. From here it's another two miles west along the coast to the Clach a'Choire or Ringing Stone, a huge glacial boulder decorated with mysterious prehistoric markings, which when struck with a stone gives out a metallic sound. The story goes that, should the Ringing Stone ever be broken in two, Tiree will sink beneath the waves. A mile further west you come to the lovely Balephetrish Bay, where you can watch waders feeding in the breakers, and look over the sea to Skye and the Western Isles.
The most intriguing sights, however, lie in the bulging western half of the island, where Tiree's two landmark hills rise up. The highest of the two, Ben Hynish (463ft), is unfortunately occupied by a "golf-ball" radar station, which tracks incoming transatlantic flights; the views from the top, though, are great. Below Ben Hynish, to the east is HYNISH, with its recently restored harbour, designed by Alan Stevenson in the 1830s to transport building materials for the magnificent 140-foot-tall Skerryvore Lighthouse, which lies on a sea-swept reef some twelve miles southwest of Tiree. Up on the hill behind the harbour, a stumpy granite signal tower, whose signals used to be the only contact the lighthouse keepers had with civilization, now houses a museum telling the history of the Herculean effort required to erect the lighthouse; weather permitting, you can see the lighthouse from the tower's viewing platform.
The CalMac ferry from Oban calls at Tiree (3hr 40min) every day except Thursdays and Sundays. Tiree also has an airport with flights (Mon-Sat) to and from Glasgow. Of the island's two hotels, the Skerryvore House (tel 01879/220368; £40-50), a mile or so east of Scarinish along Gott Bay, is preferable to the Scarinish. Better still are Kirkapol House (tel 01879/220729; £50-60), just beyond Skerryvore House, a great B&B in a converted kirk, and the Glassary (tel 01879/220684; £50-60), over on the west coast in Sandaig. There are no official campsites, but camping is allowed with the local crofter's permission. As for eating, apart from the Skerryvore House, the best option is the unpretentious, moderately priced Glassary (see above) over in Sandaig.
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