Hough Bay and Beinn Hough.

Start. Hough.

Route. Hough - Creagan House - Dun Hanais - Traigh Thallasgair - Traigh Hough - Bealach na Beinne - Beinn Hough - Bealach na Beinne - Beinn Mhurstat - Hough.

Notes. Come stride out with us over vast tracts of machair grassland, through massive dune systems passed the remains of wartime radar installations to Tiree's most westerly point, we'll drink in views over one of the gems in Tiree's crown, the most stunning of beaches, Traigh Thodhrasdail (Maze Beach), we'll even climb a hill, Beinn Hough to marvel over the entire island, come along, I know you can't resist.

Our walk started to the south of Beinn Hough next to a couple of bungalows and a cattle grid, a friendly finger-post pointed to the beach, we followed this path passed the lonely whitewashed building of Creagan House before entering the vast dune system. With a good track under foot we wandered on passed the remains of wartime installations like ghosts rising from the shifting sand, we passed a grassy mound, Dun Hanais once the site of an ancient fort, we also stood and marveled at the vast Maze Beach arching to the south.

Above Traigh Hough we picked our way sandy paths under our boot soles, on reaching a rocky outcrop and rusty digger we made time for a brew before swinging east (in land), again a good track guided us through the dune system depositing us in a large field, machair grassland stretched into the distance, the first flora of the season just starting to blossom, in another month these grasslands will be a carpet of colour. We left the track passed between the remains of concrete bunkers, the remnants of a wartime early warning radar station operated by the RAF, after passing the ruins we ascended an obvious bealach (coll).

A visit to the north summit was an option, as we were at the head of the bealach why not make the short ascent, greeting us, a trig point, a ruinous building, the control and monitoring room for the radar station and staggering vistas over the whole island, the general flatness of Tiree most evident broken only by the radar station on Ben Hynish and the Ceann a' Mhara headland, make a note, must visit later. From the summit we headed south, the green trod that guided us deposited us at the radio mast on the south summit, the views were even better from this the lower of the two tops. With a tarmac access road the descent was easy, all the way back to the parked car.

view route map.

home.

Looking to Brinn Mhurstat, the southern summit of Beinn Hough.

Sue strides out through the vast dune system guarding the west coast of Tiree.

Viewing the headland of Ceann a' Mhara from Dun Hanais....

...again over Rubha Hanais from Port Hanais.

Hough Bay and Traigh Hough.

Wandering through the sand dunes that back Traigh Hough, looking to Rubha Chraiginis Tiree's most westerly point.

Views taken from our brew stop, Rubha Charrastaoin guards the northern limits of Traigh Hough.

In the Lakes and Dales of Northern England this would be a cairn, here on the Inner Hebrides this old digger marks the path junction.

Looking to the obvious coll, Bealach na Beinne is our guide onto the hill, our route passed a number of these concrete structures, what remains of Chain Home Low Radar Station, operated by the RAF during World War II.

Seen from the foot of Bealach na Beinne, nestled in a hollow in the machair Loch Earblaig.

Adorning the summit of Beinn Hough, the usual trig point and the remains of a concrete building, this was the control room for the radar station.

Stunning views from the summit, the flatness of Tiree most certainly in evidence.

Viewing Loch Bhasapoll and Balephetrish Bay over the flat lands of Tiree.

From Bealach na Beinne views to the south, Loch a' Phuill with a hazy Ben Hynish on the skyline.

Sue descends to the bealach with a wonderful view over Tiree behind her.

Near the hills south summit with this wonderful panorama over Tiree laid out before me.

Ben Hynish as seen from the south summit of Beinn Hough.

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