Tiree...Sunniest and windiest place in Britain allegedly. The scenery is mostly sky and sand of which it has plenty of both. It also has only single track roads and a camping management plan implemented due to the damage being inflicted on the 'machair' grass by vehicles, irresponsible BBQ's and fires. The machair is very fragile and is the main grazing land for the prized cattle and sheep that form the main income source for the islanders.
The plan states that you must have pre booked sites before getting the ferry from Oban which given the cost and the views from them is great value and contributes directly to the island economy.
For us there is the choice between the campsite at Balinoe and one of the 13 Croft Sites - unless you have a mate who lives there...
Details on the the options HERE.
Willie Angus who owns the campsite is also the proprietor of Wild Diamond who will fix you up with windsurfing, kitesurfing and surfing lessons and all the equipment you could want to rent or buy.
We've been to Tiree many times but this was the first time in the Hymer.
We stayed on a mixture of friends land and croft sites- this one for 3 nights as it's location beside the Lodge Hotel and a stones throw from Gott Bay beach was pretty perfect for us.
The main reason for the trip was to surf..
Any decent trip involves a good Kit Faff on a windless day!
If you don't like getting wet then you could visit Hynish and the Skerryvore Lighthouse Museum with it's fascinating history of the building of the infrastructure required before they even got started on the main event. It must have been a hard shift..
There is a 9 hole golf course with fences round the greens to keep the sheep off and probably some very local rules for parking your ball beside a fence post - or a sheep.
Since it's a small island with single track roads then wandering about on your bike on a calm day must be fun. I know it's a haven for Twitchers and you might be lucky enough to hear the elusive Corncrake - I was lucky enough to actually see one on a trip some years ago.
On Ben Hynish there is the CAA radar - known locally as 'The Golf Ball'-for the whole North Atlantic. There is a Croft Site at the bottom of the hill which is worth a walk up for the views over the whole island and on a clear day a panorama from Mull, Islay and all the way round from Barra Head , Skye to he Uists... I'd not attempt to drive the MoHo up the track there though...
There are dedicated hard parking areas around the main beaches for the van loads of wind and kite surfers who flock here that are mostly accessible with a motorhome and you can park there all day (but please don't incur the wrath of the locals by crashing there over night..)
This is a 'secret spot' mainly for locals kiting.
For our last morning we were treated to yet another stunning Tiree sunrise over Mull
Did I mention the make their own Gin on Tiree?
And I know that I didn't mention that Duncan at CEABHAR brews his own beer to serve alongside Poly's delicious food....
The plan states that you must have pre booked sites before getting the ferry from Oban which given the cost and the views from them is great value and contributes directly to the island economy.
For us there is the choice between the campsite at Balinoe and one of the 13 Croft Sites - unless you have a mate who lives there...
Details on the the options HERE.
Willie Angus who owns the campsite is also the proprietor of Wild Diamond who will fix you up with windsurfing, kitesurfing and surfing lessons and all the equipment you could want to rent or buy.
We've been to Tiree many times but this was the first time in the Hymer.
We stayed on a mixture of friends land and croft sites- this one for 3 nights as it's location beside the Lodge Hotel and a stones throw from Gott Bay beach was pretty perfect for us.
The main reason for the trip was to surf..
Any decent trip involves a good Kit Faff on a windless day!
If you don't like getting wet then you could visit Hynish and the Skerryvore Lighthouse Museum with it's fascinating history of the building of the infrastructure required before they even got started on the main event. It must have been a hard shift..
There is a 9 hole golf course with fences round the greens to keep the sheep off and probably some very local rules for parking your ball beside a fence post - or a sheep.
Since it's a small island with single track roads then wandering about on your bike on a calm day must be fun. I know it's a haven for Twitchers and you might be lucky enough to hear the elusive Corncrake - I was lucky enough to actually see one on a trip some years ago.
On Ben Hynish there is the CAA radar - known locally as 'The Golf Ball'-for the whole North Atlantic. There is a Croft Site at the bottom of the hill which is worth a walk up for the views over the whole island and on a clear day a panorama from Mull, Islay and all the way round from Barra Head , Skye to he Uists... I'd not attempt to drive the MoHo up the track there though...
There are dedicated hard parking areas around the main beaches for the van loads of wind and kite surfers who flock here that are mostly accessible with a motorhome and you can park there all day (but please don't incur the wrath of the locals by crashing there over night..)
This is a 'secret spot' mainly for locals kiting.
For our last morning we were treated to yet another stunning Tiree sunrise over Mull
Did I mention the make their own Gin on Tiree?
And I know that I didn't mention that Duncan at CEABHAR brews his own beer to serve alongside Poly's delicious food....
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I used to fly the little yellow Scottish Air Ambulance in and out of Tiree airport....... and YUP, it sure can be windy!