Eilean Garbh is a tidal island linked by a tombolo to the Isle of Gigha. It is about 800 metres long by 400 metres wide. The island is covered in almost impenetrable undergrowth. The lady whose guesthouse I stayed in on Gigha, used to farm at this end of the island and she said that before cattle could use Eilean Garbh for grazing they had to burn off all the undergrowth. However it isn't currently used for grazing and the undergrowth has grown back. She also said that the tombolo that links Eilean Garbh and Gigha and which currently is covered in grass, hasn't been this permanent looking for all that many years and that previously there was only sand connecting the 2 islands, which would be covered at high tides. It would seem that the tombolo goes through various lifecycles and that the vegetation on it can easily be destroyed by high storm tides.
The beach at Bagh na Doirlinne squeaks if you scuff your shoes along it in the same way as the more famous Singing Sands of Eigg. However I cannot find any reference to it being a 'singing sand'. However it is a great place for a picnic and there was a family doing just that when I was there.
Eilean Garbh from Bagh na Doirlinne
Bagh na Doirlinne from Eilean Garbh
Eilean Garbh from Bagh Rubha Ruaidh
Interesting that you spoke to someone who says that the tombolo has been known to cover. I am facinated by these phenomena and anchored in the south bay earlier this month. I've had a quick scan through your blog and see that you have also been at the St Ninian tombolo on the mainland of Shetland, which is a really good example. If you are interested I can send you a picture of another tombolo pair of beaches which I took last month at the end of the Udal Peninsula on North Uist. The neck has built up a good height, but the origin from a tombolo is quite clear. Do you know any other examples in Scotland?
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