It was with some reluctance...
...that Ian and I dragged ourselves away from the environs of shoe bay but...
...the ebb tide was now running strongly out of the south channel of
Loch Moidart and we hoped to circumnavigate the tidal island of Eilean Shona.
We hugged the coast of the isle and looked...
...enjoyed the open views over Loch Moidart to the...
...distant grey mountains beyond.
Basking grey seals blended with the grey rocks but we passed at a respectful distance and they did not slither into the water.
The grim grey walls of
Tioram Castle (pron. Cheerum) seemed to grow...
...out of the grey rocks of its tidal island.
It really does seem to be part of the grey landscape of Moidart. In Scotland we are lucky to have not just wonderful sea and landscapes but to have these historic castles as well.
As we paddled through the inner recesses of Loch Moidart the isles and coast became thickly wooded...
...but the trees had been badly damaged by winter storms and many fallen trunks were greying as they weathered.
At last we reached the eastern end of Eilean Shona which is called Shona Beag. In a moment we would discover if the north channel was dry...
