Island 495 - Eilean an Fheior 2, Aros, Mull

Eilean an Fheior 2 is a small uninhabited tidal island located to the south of the estuary of the River Aros and off the east coast of the Isle of Mull.  It is covered in grass and when I visited in mid June 2021 silverweed, iris, tormentil, bedstraw, thrift and iris were all in flower on the island.  The island is visited by ducks and greylag geese.

Looking south from Eilean an Fheior 2

Aros Castle and Eilean an Fheior 1 from Eilean an Fheior 2

Bird's-foot trefoil in flower on Eilean an Fheior 2

Eilean an Fheior 2 from Mull

Island 494 - Eilean an Fheior 1, Aros, Mull

Eilean an Fheior is a small uninhabited tidal island located to the south of the estuary of the River Aros off the east coast of Mull.  It is a few metres to the south of Sgiath Ruadh. When I visited on a sunny afternoon in mid June 2021 the island was covered in silverweed, bird's-foot trefoil, buttercups and parsley water dropwort, all of which were in flower.  Thrift was in flower on the shoreline and there were also a few bluebells, although they had finished flowering.

Sgiath Ruadh from Eilean an Fheior - 

bird's-foot trefoil and parsley water dropwort in flower

Looking south east

Estuary of the River Aros from Eilean an Fheior

Looking towards Aros Castle 

Island 493 - Sgiath Ruadh, Aros, Mull

Sgiath Ruadh is a small uninhabited tidal island located on the south side of the estuary of the River Aros and off the east coast of the Isle of Mull.  The mud between the island and the mainland of Mull felt solid under my feet, as I crossed to the island at low tide. Sgiath Ruadh is covered in grass and silverweed.  Thrift was in flower on the shoreline when I visited on a sunny afternoon in mid June 2021.  

Aros Castle from Sgiath Ruadh

Eilean an Fheior from Sgiath Ruadh

Island 492 - Eilean Feòir, Knock, Mull

Eilean Feòir is a small uninhabited tidal island located at the south east end of Loch na Keal, close to the hamlet of Knock on the western side of the Isle of Mull.  The name means "grass island" in Gaelic, which appropriate, as it is covered in grass. There are also a few thistles and a number of yellow iris plants, which were in flower when I visited in mid June 2021. It is easily accessible from Mull across a rocky beach at low tide.

Looking west down Loch na Keal towards the island of Eorsa

Looking north from Eilean Feòir

Looking north west from Eilean Feòir

Iris flowers on Eilean Feòir

Eilean Feòir

Eilean Feòir from Mull

Island 491 - Eilean Dubh, Lochdon, Mull

Eilean Dubh is a small, uninhabited tidal island at Lochdon on Mull. It is separated from Mull by an area of salt marsh, which floods at high tide and is approximately 150m in diameter.  The name means Black Island in Gaelic.  The island isn't currently grazed by livestock.  It has large clumps of rhododendrons, juniper and gorse bushes in the middle and some mature trees, including rowan and silver birch.  Thrift was in flower on the shores of the island when I visited in mid June 2021.  There were also some heather plants.

Houses at Lochdon from Eilean Dubh

Eilean Ban from Eilean Dubh

Thrift flowers on the shore of Eilean Dubh

Juniper bushes and rhododendrons at Eilean Dubh

Trees and rhododendrons on Eilean Dubh

Eilean Dubh from Lochdon

Eilean Dubh from Lochdon

Island 490 - Eilean Mor 2, Lochbuie, Mull

Eilean Mor 2 is a small uninhabited tidal island located between the mainland of Mull at Lochbuie and the larger tidal island of Eilean Mor.  It doesn't have a separate name but it is large enough to count as an island and since my last visit in 2009 it has gained a stone cairn on it. The inscription on the cairn is as follows:

To Celebrate
The Coronation 1953
And
The Diamond Jubilee 2012
Of
HM Queen Elizabeth II
Erected by the
Corbett Family and Friends

Eilean Mor 2 is closely grazed by sheep. There were a few daisies, thistles and small gorse bushes on the island, but not much else in the way of wild flowers.

Jubilee cairn on Eilean Mor 1

Ben Buie from Eilean Mor

Eilean Mor from Eilean Mor 2

Sheep on the beach in between Eilean Mor and Eilean Mor 2

Lochbuie House from Eilean Mor 2

Island 489 - Eilean a'Gharraidh, Dervaig, Mull

Eilean a'Gharraidh is a small low lying uninhabited tidal island situated 100 metres to the west of the B8073 road, 250m south west of Kilmore Church, Dervaig and at the south eastern end of Loch a'Chumhainn.  It is separated from the mainland of Mull at high tide by no more than 20 metres of water.  It has a few rocky outcrops and is covered in grass and gorse bushes and has a solitary tree growing on it.

Looking west across Loch a'Chumhainn

Looking North East

Looking north west across Loch a'Chumhainn

The gap between Eilean a'Gharraidh and Mull at low tide

Kilmore Church from Eilean a'Gharraidh

Island 488 - David's Stone, North Devon

David's Stone is a small rocky uninhabited tidal island located on the North Devon coast at David's Hole half a mile to the west of Combe Martin.  David's Hole is signposted as Mermaid's Cove, although this name is not shown on any Ordnance Survey maps, so I presume it is either what the locals call it or it was a name invented by the owners of the Sandaway Beach Holiday Park, which is located on the cliff top above the beach, to make it sound more appealing.  It says on their website that it is their private beach but there is a public footpath, which runs from the South West Coast Path in a north westerly direction along the boundary of the holiday park and then through the northern part of it and down the steps to the beach.  However when we visited in December 2020 the section of the public footpath that runs along the boundary was barely accessible - we had to crawl under 3 trees that had fallen across it and fight our way through brambles. Devon County Council have assured us that the footpath will be cleared by spring 2021.

David's Stone has several trees and gorse bushes growing on the summit of the island.

David's Stone from across the beach at David's Hole

Looking up towards the summit of David's Stone

David's Stone from the footpath down to the beach

David's Stone

Looking east from David's Stone towards Lester Point and Little Hangman

David's hole from David's Stone

The beach at David's Hole aka Mermaid's Cove

Island 487 - Crow Point, Braunton, Devon

Crow Point is a sand spit, which is also a tidal island at the moment, although it is only cut off at spring tides.  It is a comparatively recent island, as a shingle spit, known then as Crow Neck, only started to form across the Taw estuary c1840.  The reasons for its formation were probably:

• Fish weirs, which were constructed in the intertidal area around Crow Point in the mid 19th century.  These obstructed the flow of the tide and caused the deposition of sand and shingle.
• Horsey Island was enclosed in 1857, which altered the course of the River Caen.  Before this time it flowed along the northern side of the island and probably provided enough water to keep the area where Crow Point now is, clear of excess sand.

By 1900 sand dunes had begun to form on top of the spit. In 1921 the spit was breached and Crow Point became an island.  Then for the next 25 years or so sand was gradually deposited on Crow Neck and by 1946 it was c60 metres wide and marram grass had established itself on the island.

The gap between Crow Point and Braunton Burrows is currently protected by a low line of rock armour.  A 2013 report commissioned by the Environment Agency and Torridge District Council says that the existing rock armour will fail at some point after 2025 if it is not maintained. Experts disagree what the result of this failure will be on Crow Point.

Crow Point Lighthouse was built by Trinity House in 1954 to guide ships and boats sailing up and down the Taw and Torridge estuaries.  It was originally powered by acetylene gas but was converted to electrical operation in 1978 and solar power in 1987.  The light is 7.6 metres above mean high water level.

Crow Point Lighthouse

Crow Point Lighthouse

Crow Point Lighthouse

The gap between Crow Point and Braunton Burrows

Looking NW up the landward side of Crow Point

Looking SE down Crow Point

Crow Point Lighthouse from the top of Crow Point

Crow Point Lighthouse

Common restharrow

Crow Point Lighthouse from the top of Crow Point

Memorial? on the top of Crow Point

Six-spot burnet moth on viper's bugloss

Appledore from Crow Point