Framedlight

  Eigg is certainly a very beautiful island. It has white sandy beaches, a hilly interior along with wildlife, archaeology and even a shop. It is owned by the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust who manage the affairs of the island after a community buyout in 1997. It generates its own electricity from renewables and leases the pier centre, An Laimrig, to the local shop, tearoom and craft shop. There are about 100 people living here permanently and few second homers. Zuza anchored beyond the pier The Sgurr, formed from a pyroclastic flow around 58 million years ago Neil took us across to the pier on the tender. The water under the pier was crystal clear and inviting. We walked around the beach and found some interesting rotting boats and other artefacts. The warm sun definitely brought out the midges and we liberally plied ourselves with Smidge. We were lucky enough to see a golden eagle flying overhead. I managed to catch it with my camera but it was a long way off so it is a poor shot. W...

  We were now on our journey back east towards Oban, but taking in the islands as we went. The next leg of the trip was from Vatersay to Eigg, one of the Small Isles. Neil had reckoned it would take about 7 hours so we left at breakfast time and made it to Eigg mid afternoon, enough time to look around some of the island. It was millpond flat again and we motored from our anchorage by the beach out, past the south coast of Barra and on to open sea. We passed a man who was fencing and had hung his clothes over the wire, whether to keep cool or he had just done his washing we will never know We motored over quite a stretch of open sea before we got within sight of land. I amused myself by taking pictures of the wake of the boat. util we saw Eigg on the skyline The word Eigg means wedge which refers to the distinct shape of the ridge An Sgùrr against the skyline. We anchored up in the bay and got ready to go ashore.

After a good night on the quay in Castlebay we had some time in the morning to explore. Grosia was delighted that there was a supermarket available as she had not been able to buy any provisions for a few days. We were delighted too that she could maintain the standard of her galley wizardry. We spotted this chip van which was obviously named after our daughter Mairi! The moorings in Castlebay. Zuza is parked at the back on the right with the tallest mast. Neil had planned a trip for us around the islands south of Barra. Vatersay is attached to Barra, just, and after Vatersay is a whole collection of differing sized islands and stacks called the Barra Isles. Our main destination was Mingulay on the far south of the chain. We were to travel down the east side of Barra and Vatersay to the south coat of Mingulay and then turn north and look at the more exciting western coast of Mingulay. Here there is an impressive array of tall sea cliffs, 213 metres high, once thought to be the tallest ...