The OS Explorer map shows a track from Redpoint to Diabeg and I was relieved to see a signpost to this effect in the car park, as the track goes through the middle of a farmyard. There were some warnings on the gate about cattle and farm dogs. There was no sign of either on my way there. For the first half a mile or so the track is very clear but then it disappears. However by this time I could see the beach and Eilean Tioram and so headed straight for it across the dunes. The sand on the beach was an attractive pale red/orange and there were a couple of seaweed free access points onto the island.
Eilean Tioram is uninhabited but is a delightful place to sit and stare for a while, which is exactly what I did. I had the island to myself, which is how I like it. It was a very calm slightly misty morning with no perceptible breeze and the only sounds were the water gently lapping at the rocks and the distant hum of a small boat's engine. There were a few seabirds sitting on the water and occasionally diving down. The mist cleared and the sun came out as I sat and ate a Tunnock's caramel wafer.
The island is mainly covered in grass with a few wild flowers like thrift. It is clearly grazed by sheep, as their droppings were scattered over the island but there were none present when I visited.
The beach at Red Point and Eilean Tioram feature in the 2014 film What we did on Our Holiday starring Billy Connolly, Ben Miller, David Tennant and Rosamund Pike. In the film Gordie, played by Billy Connolly, dies on the beach while spending the afternoon with his three young grandchildren. They make a raft, put his dead body on it, set fire to it and send it out to sea in a Viking style funeral, which he requested, much to the horror of their parents when they found out what has happened.
After visiting the island I walked along the beach and had a look around a ruined fishing station before walking back the way I had come. By this time both the cows and the farm dogs had appeared but thankfully the cows weren't interested in me and the dogs were behind a fence, although barking furiously.
It was the day of the Scottish Independence Referendum and I passed a couple of polling stations but there were certainly no people queuing to cast their votes. However every lamppost had a yes or no or sometimes both yes and no banners on them.
Looking east from Eilean Tioram towards the ruins of the Fishing Station
Eilean Tioram from the old fishing station
Ruined fishing station with Eilean Tioram in the background
Sgeir Ghlas from Eilean Tioram
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| Looking east from Eilean Tioram |
Eilean Tioram
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