The Armin Grewe Homepage
Picture of the ferry terminal and Port Ellen
Picture of the coastline and the Singing Sands
Picture of the Singing Sands on the Isle of IslayWhen I arrived in Port Ellen the weather was still quite nice, so I decided to visit the Singing Sands of Carraig Fhada, just south of Kilnaughton Bay and the lighthouse. I parked my car near Kilnaughton cemetery and then walked past the bay and the lighthouse to reach the sands. There weren't many people around, so I almost had the beach for myself. I climbed on one of the rocks and just watched the waves lapping on the beach for a while. Later in the afternoon I made my way over to Port Charlotte, where I had a room booked at the Port Charlotte Hotel.
Picture of Machir BayPicture of a mosaic in the sandUnfortunately the good weather didn't last, it was overcast and grey the next morning. Nevertheless I drove to Machir Bay to go for a walk along the beach and up the cliffs south of the bay. On the beach I found a very nice tribute to Gianfranco Zola, the famous footballer who had just left Chelsea to return to Italy. I continued along the beach and up the path that leads to the gap between the cliffs. From here I followed the road up to the radio masts on top of the cliffs. Considering the weather (and the occasional showers which had started by now) the visibility was surprisingly good. Coul Point, Machir Bay and Loch Gorm were clearly visible, sometimes it was also possible to make out the hills behind Smaull. Soon after I left to walk towards Kilchiaran Bay it started to rain, so I didn't take any further pictures this day.
Picture with a panoramic view over Machir Bay
Picture of the waterfall The next day the weather continued with a similar theme: The morning and early afternoon was almost a complete washout. Mid afternoon the rain eased off a little bit and I went for a walk near Kintra Farm. My first stop was the waterfall near Rubha Glas, it isn't very big but I think quite beautiful. I then walked to the top of Cnoc Mór Ghrasdail, where I used the cairn at the summit as an improvised tripod to take the picture of me. Due to the weather the visibility was very poor, it was very difficult to make out Laggan Point at the other end of Laggan Bay. The view over Port Alsaig, Rubha Glas and Kintra towards the Machrie Hotel and Golf Club was still nice though. But I think on a clear day it must be fantastic.
Later in the afternoon I drove over to Glenegedale to pick my mother up from the airport. She had flown over from Germany to join me for the rest of the holiday.
Picture of the view towards Kintra with the Machrie Hotel in the background Picture of me
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