Port na Curaich.
Start. Baile Mor (The Village).
Route. Baile Mor (The Village) - Sligneach - Golf Course - Loch Staoineig - Port na Curaich - Loch Staoineig - Golf Course - Sligneach - Baile Mor (The Village).
Notes. We've made the long drive to Fionnphort today, on the main land the 55 mile journey would take a hour, on Mull it took more than two, there's a lesson to be learned, allow plenty of time to get from A to B. From Fionnphort we caught the ferry to Iona, 248 people disembarked on Iona all headed up the road to visit the abbey, 2 turned left to head for the peace and tranquility of Port na Curaich, this is the bay folk law tells us St Columba landed after his voyage from Ireland around AD563, it's a real beautiful place, short cropped grass, a steep shingle beach sandwiched between rock outcrops, heaven.
From the slipway we wandered south following a tarmac lane, eventually it swung west to cross the island, the lane ended at a gate, the sign read common grazing land, this was Iona Golf Course, it can't see many golfers the whole place was covered in cow pats, sheep muck and flowers, we crossed the golf course to reach the wonderful west shore before heading south on an obvious path over the dunes, the path passed a small Lochen, Loch Staoineig before descending to Port na Curaich (bay of the coracle), this was definitely a place to sit and soak up the atmosphere. We stayed ages just sitting around doing nothing, if it hadn't been for the storm clouds bubbling up in the east we'd have probably missed the last ferry back, it didn't seem to matter, with reluctance we re-traced our steps avoiding the west shore by following water pipe markers across the golf course back to the tarmac lane.
On the jetty at Fionnphort after an endless journey from Tobermory.
Iona seen across the Sound of Iona, I had the camera balanced on a crab pot to get this distant view.
Beautiful little Iona.
Iona Abbey one of the oldest most important religious centres in Western Europe.
Looking to Mull from one of the beautiful beaches passed en route.
Views across the Sound of Iona with Creach Bheinn and Bearraich clearly visible on the skyline.
Camus Cull an t-Saimh one of the most beautiful of bays on the west shore.
A wonderful view across the dunes to Camus Cull an t-Saimh.
This might be Iona home to a seriously religious community but the air,s about to turn blue, Sue's about to be bit by a Cleg (Horse Fly), it was my fault making her pose for this picture, a few seconds later the scene was comical.
We're descending to the beach, here's a view back to the rocky knolls we've just crossed.
The steep shingle beach at Port na Curaich.
Looking to Eilean Musimul, from a rock outcrop on the edge of the beach.
At this point we decided to head back, a storm can clearly be seen approaching from the east.
Passed on our walk out, also passed on our way back Loch Staoineig.
Iona Abbey, originally founded by St Columba who landed on the island in AD563, destroyed in Viking raids in the ninth and tenth centuries, the late thirteenth century abbey lay derelict after the Reformation only to be restored as late as the early twentieth century.
A final look across the Sound of Iona as we wait to catch the last ferry back