A beach named desire.

We left the dark gneiss rocks of Iona and Eilean Annraidh and dodged the high speed tour boats in the Sound of Iona. This is Staffa Tours MV Ullin of Staffa. In the background you can see The Dutchman's Cap  or Bac Mor in the Treshnish Isles. It is a former volcano and consists of a central volcanic plug surrounded by a sill of basalt.

 On the east side of the Sound of Mull we returned to pink granite bedrock and the delightful village of Kintra which is derived from the gaelic Ceann Traigh or head of the beach. My good friend, colleague and former climbing partner, the late Dr John Tolmie and his partner bought one of these cottages. He hoped I would get him started sea kayaking but sadly he died in a climbing accident in March 2014 before we could get on the water. What a loss, I have no doubt he would have taken to sea kayaking.

 We were headed for Market Bay on the...

 ...north shore of the Ross of Mull.

 We floated in to the eastern most beach of the two beaches that open from the bay.

 The sands here were devoid of visitors though the...

 ...other beach Traigh na Margaidh (market beach) often has walkers. The beach we landed on is more difficult to access and is called Traigh Eilean an t-Santachaidh (beach of the island of lust). Why our ancestors called this remote spot the beach of the island of lust I cannot begin to imagine.

 Traigh Eilean an t-Santachaidh is a truly exceptional beach with...

 ...bold tors of pink granite backed by dunes topped by...

 ...green machair which falls away to a...

 ...beach of perfect pinkish sand which reputedly reflects...

...your heart's desire when wet.

Paddle strokes in the wake of the brush strokes of the colourists at Eilean Annraidh.

 

We were now paddling towards the north end of Iona and the dark reefs of Eilean Annraidh (commonly thought to be island of the storm but may also mean island of the prince).

We were not the only ones enjoying the waters of Iona. This is MV Benmore Lady the Benmore Estate's motor yacht.

Donald nipped ahead in his F-RIB to our next rendezvous at...

 ...the truly stunning tombola beach at the east end of Eilean Annraidh. The quality of the light here is remarkable and produces vivid contrasting colours in the clear water of the sea ranging from ultramarine to green to turquoise. The dark rocks also contrast with the dazzling white sand and the deep blue of the sky contrasts with the white and grey of clouds thrown up by distant Ben More.

 We drifted slowly into the beach wanting to savour the moment as long as possible.

 The water was so clear that we almost felt we were floating in air above the sand and rocks on the sea bed.

We had this amazing spot to ourselves but just across the water...

 ...on Iona the beaches were crawling with tourists.

We spent some time beachcombing for pebbles and cowries before...

...enjoying this view over our second luncheon. Even though you have never been here you might find it strangely familiar, especially if you grew up in Scotland in the 1950's. In the years of austerity following WW2 there had been few  ornaments in peoples' houses but as the economy improved so did the desire to hang things on the wall. Many chose three flying ceramic mallard ducks. However, in some homes a print of a painting by one of the Scottish colourists was the order of the day.  Eilean Annraidh was particularly popular as in this...

 ..painting by Cadell or...

...this one by Peploe. Their bold brush strokes and contrasting colours were influenced by the French impressionists but there is an accuracy in their painting which still allows individual rock formations on the beach to be identified over 100 years after they were painted.

Just when we thought it could not get any better, we came to Eilean Chalabha

It was with some reluctance that we left Port Ban on Iona's west coast.

Our course now lay up the NW coast of Iona and it was not long before we spotted...

...the Treshnish Isles on the horizon.

I really could not believe how benign the conditions were. This is my fourth visit and it is not always like this. On my first visit it was so windy we had to stay in the Sound of Iona and though the second visit was in light winds there was a huge swell and we had to stay well out the whole way round and could not land.

As we paddled north we began to catch glimpses of distant Ben More on Mull then we caught sight of...

...Donald waiting for us on Eilean Chalbha (calf? island). The tide was running strongly over the...

...shallow sandy bar and it was a surreal experience paddling hard against the flow in just a couple of inches of luminous green water.

Then we were through to the deeper water of the north coast beyond.

Some stink over the sobriquet of a stunning shell sand strand in Iona.

We paddled north across the expanse of Camas Cuil an t-Saimh on the west coast of Iona. This is commonly translated as "bay (or beach) at the back of the ocean" which sounds delightfully romantic and tourist guides love it. However, Roddy (who was the last native Gaelic speaker in our family) said it was much more likely to be "bay with a stink at its back". He said the Gaels were not known for using much romance or imagination in naming places. The word "saimh" is much more often used to mean "stink" than "sea" which is an unusual use of the word. Roddy also said if it was used to mean sea it would be used to describe a fishy smelling sea. Given the huge piles of rotting seaweed at the back of the bays I have a feeling Roddy is right.

We all spotted the splash of white sand at Port Pollarain (Port of the Dunlin) and it looked a great place to stop for luncheon, indeed I had stopped here for such in 2007. However, based on past experience, I had other ideas. I thought I could do better.

 So I led the way through a maze of skerries to the...

 ...simply stunning Port Ban (white port). Despite the beauty of the surroundings, I was initially somewhat disappointed. On my last visit...

...this is what we found. Our caddies had travelled ahead, by a variety of means, and assembled our social and refreshment tents prior to our arrival on this pristine cockleshell sand beach. Why, they had even scoured far and wide for some small pieces of driftwood just so that we might enjoy a little late night incendiary activity.

 On this day our support team had badly let us down and as we paddled one by...

 ...one over crystal clear turquoise water we had to content ourselves not with tents of...

 ...pleasure but with a totally...

 ...empty beach!!! Oh the hardship!

 At first we wandered about somewhat lost but we soon settled down to enjoy a view of...

...unparalleled beauty. As the others tucked into their sandwiches (rather than the hoped for canapes) I even went for a short swim. No wonder St Columba chose Iona, this really is Heaven on Earth.

PS Note the crescent of stinky seaweed at the back of the bay!

Tides, blow holes and rock gardens on the west coast of Iona

 We were now paddling north up Iona's west coast. Grey slabs of gneiss dip into the Atlantic forming...

 ...headland after headland.

 The ebb tide was now running against us and inside Stac an Aoineidh (steep stack) we had to paddle rather hard but...

 ...we were soon back to more relaxed steady paddling until we came to...

...the Spouting Cave which was heard well before we saw it. The cave is a blow hole and was in fact breathing very gently when we passed by. It must be awesome in a storm.

After leaving the booming Spouting Cave behind, we continued along the coast while...

...Donald zoomed off to explore some offshore reefs in his F-Rib.

At Port Ceann na Creige (port of the rocky headland) we came across this beautiful wooden yacht, Wild Rose. We had seen her the previous evening anchored at Tinker's Hole on the Ross of Mull.

I have passed Wild Rose quite a few times on my travels and have seen her moored at Carsaig Bay and also Tayvallich. The owner is obviously a proper sailor. Not only is she beautifully maintained and fitted out but this bay is a rock garden. Wild Rose's davits were empty and her dinghy was by the shore. Talking of which, it was about time we stretched our legs on the shore...