Isle of Tiree Scarinish, Scotland
United Kingdom
Frequently Asked Questions
Ships usually anchor in Gott Bay on the northeast coast, and tenders land passengers near Scarinish, the main village. There is no terminal: you come ashore at the old stone harbour, a few steps from the first houses.
The village, then the beach. Scarinish takes half an hour to see, and Gott beach then runs for several kilometres directly north of the village. The curious will add the An Iodhlann heritage centre, right beside the harbour.
A handful of whitewashed houses between an old stone harbour and the community shop, which serves as the island's social crossroads. You will see fishing boats sitting on the sand at low tide, creels stacked along the quay, and you can still hear Gaelic at the counter.
In theory yes; in practice you paddle. The water stays cold even at the height of summer, despite a deceptively turquoise colour. The firm sandy beaches are superb for walking, and the white sand runs for kilometres.
Because of the wind. Its reliability has given the island an enviable reputation among windsurfers, who sail here year-round. Even as a spectator you understand quickly, watching the sails race across Gott Bay.
The island's heritage centre, right by Scarinish harbour. It holds photographs, letters and objects telling two centuries of island emigration, a large share of it to Canada. A short visit, but one that gives unexpected depth to the landscapes you walk afterwards.
The shore station built in the 1830s to construct the Skerryvore lighthouse, set on a reef about 18 kilometres offshore. The exhibition in the old buildings tells how engineer Alan Stevenson and his workers cut every granite block here before shipping it out. The lighthouse remains the tallest in Scotland.
Very much so. The beaches are vast, flat and safe, the island is almost without relief and the free-roaming sheep amuse younger visitors. Just bring windproof clothing: there are practically no trees to break the Atlantic breeze.
Pound sterling and English, though Scottish Gaelic remains an everyday language on the island. The community shop takes cards; elsewhere some cash is sensible, as there is no cash machine.
May to September, when the machair — the flowering coastal grassland unique to the Hebrides — covers the dunes and the days run late into the evening. Tiree is one of the sunniest places in Scotland, but the wind blows in every season.
