Tiree sits a short distance from the beautiful Isle of Coll in the Inner Hebrides. So whilst visiting Coll it seemed rude not to mooch across to Tiree for a few days for a spot of bikepacking to check out the breathtaking beaches we had heard about.
Calmac sail between Coll and Tiree 6 times a week in the summer; so planning a long weekend there is nice and easy from Coll. However, if you just fancy a day on Tiree, you can sail from Coll early Wednesday morning and come back on the evening ferry. Alternatively you can head straight to Tiree from Oban with Calmac or fly over from Glasgow or Oban to the island's wee airport.
The Isle of Tiree is only 12 miles long and 3 miles wide, with a coastline of around 46 miles; much of which can be covered by bike if you are up for a little hike-a-bike action! The island is very doable in a day by bike or partly on foot, but we wanted to take things a little slower; so we packed up the bikes with the essentials, whizzed down to the ferry and set off on a new mini adventure with a very very loose plan!
Tiree has a bit of a micro climate and as such it tends to be a tad warmer than on the mainland, but it can also be far windier having no trees or substantial hills to protect this rather flat island. However, this leads to lovely balmy summer days, no midgies, and great surfing opportunities. It's more populated than Coll and there are a few more roads, certainly more visitors, and definitely more cars. But yet it doesn't feel overcrowded, you'll still rarely see anyone, the drivers are VERY friendly, the vibe is laid back, and there are plenty of things to see and do. The facilities are great, and there's a well stocked grocery store, a handful of cafés, a bank, fuel station, a distillery (of course!), an amazing coffee shop, a fishmonger, public toilets, fresh water taps, plus b&bs, campsites and hotels. On the island there's also a surf school, water sports centre, and the ability to hire surfboards, kayaks, SUPs and bikes.
You can visit in a campervan and stay at one of the campsites or croft park ups, but 'wild camping' isn't permitted due to the delicate machair. However, the little croft sites looked amazing, were pretty 'wild' in feel, and I would be tempted to come visit in the van another time. Wild camping in your tent is of course allowed, as long as you abide by the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, and this is what we opted for on this adventure.
We hopped on the morning ferry, tied our bikes to the ship's rail and headed upstairs for a yummy breakfast whilst watching the coast of Coll as we sailed by. Half way out the heavens opened and we could see the bikes getting soaked below; thank goodness we had popped everything in waterproof liners! We were off the ferry just after 11am and in our wet weather gear headed up the road from the port to the wee village of Scarinish, where you'll find a couple of small bays as well as shops and a public toilet. From here we cycled on past Heanish Bay and through Baugh to our first beach; Tráigh Bhágh, or Crossapol.
I know, I can hear you say 'but Crossapol was on Coll'. It confused me at first too, and to be fair the two beaches even look rather similar with their huge sweeping bays of white sand, but yet that is it's name and on it we rode! Riding along this stunning white sandy beach was pretty special, and we whizzed across the sand, free wheeling under the sun, with the turquoise sea glistening to our left. In fact, it had become so warm we had to stop to change into shorts and t-shirts. The bay is nearly 2km long and swoops around to Crossapol Point and then joins Tráigh Shorobaidh, another white curved stretch of beach, before you re-join the road at the small hamlet of Balemartine. Here you'll find the lovely little Farmhouse Café, some highland cows, epic views back over the two big sweeping bays, and this is also the area where the most delicious brownies ever are created by Becky Bakes! We weren't quite ready to stop post our big breakfast and we weren't yet aware of the brownies, so carried on towards Hynish.
As we rode along the quiet roads, we waved and said hello to walkers and locals, stopped to admire the heilan coos, and generally just enjoyed the spectacular views that we were met with at every corner.
Hynish is pretty much the end of the road and to get where we were heading by car or road bike you would need to turn right before Balemartine to loop across to West Hynish, but by foot and 'technically' by mountain bike, you can continue along the coast to Tráigh Bhi, Balephuil Bay.
Don't rush though; take time out at Hynish as there is much to see. Hynish was built in 1837 to house the workers who built the 138ft tall Skerryvore Lighthouse, designed by Alan Stevenson, and which still runs today, although now automated. The pretty pier was built to transport the stonemasons and kit to An Sgeir Mhor where the lighthouse sits, and now offers a spot to relax and enjoy cake from the Alan Stevenson House restaurant. So that's what we did! We enjoyed some tea and cake on the benches overlooking the gorgeous clear sea and chatted to lots of lovely locals and tourists out enjoying the glorious day. Here you'll also find a museum featuring The Story of Skerryvore Lighthouse and The Treshnish Isles Natural History exhibitions, as well as the unique Hynish Signal Tower that was used to communicate with the lighthouse by semaphore up until 1937.
After enjoying our cuppa and getting a few comments from concerned locals regarding my plan to cycle over the moors to West Hynish, we were off again... We followed a short track to a farm and from here entered 'Happy Valley', so named by the RAF during the Second World War, which contains the small pebbly bay of Tràigh Balbhaig and the remnants of Fort Dùn na Cleite on the ridge. After losing the 'path' at the bay, we headed up and over the hill to avoid the rocky outcrops, which opened up to stunning views across the island in all directions. The remaining 2miles consisted of some very rough and boggy moorland, a spot of swearing from George regarding my route choice, and some hike-a-biking all round! But then there was a super fun descent through some mossy burns and over rocky steps into the quarry at West Hynish, before our wheels hit tarmac as we passed the Isle of Tiree Distillery and headed on towards Balephuil. At this junction you can head up the winding track to Ben Hynish, the highest point on Tiree at 141m, with it's giant white golf ball sitting at it's summit and enjoy epic views across Tiree.
We however decided not to go up Ben Hynish, and instead carried on the road towards the carpark near Loch a'Phuill, the island's largest fresh water Loch, before riding through the dunes and onto Balephuil Bay. As we whizzed onto yet another ugly beach (!), we passed a herd of cattle enjoying the late afternoon sun as they chilled on the white sand. We were quite tired by this point after the slightly off piste hike-a-bike route and decided this was a nice enough spot for the night... Sandy beach, crystal clear sea, driftwood for a fire, flat grassy spot for the tent, a seal and some cows for company; what more did we need?!
We set up camp, cooked dinner and watched a seal playing in the shallows under the beautiful clear blue sky, as we reminisced over day one of our mini adventure. Suddenly the sky burst into a riot of bright pinks and oranges, and the colours of the sky were reflected in the damp sand like one of my oil paintings. We woke early to a colourful sunrise over the bay, brewed up coffee, cooked up some breakfast, packed up camp and headed across the grassy dunes around Kenavara, before joining a track that followed the coast towards the road at Sandaig.
From here we followed the road north past the stunning Tráigh Thodhrasdail, around Beinn Hough, and Hough Bay, past beautiful traditional croft houses with their bright red doors and thatched roofs, and onto Tráigh Baile a' Mhuilinn, or Balevullin Beach as it's better known.
This is Tiree's most popular surf beach with its sandy breaks and clean sets, and where you can find the cute surf shack of Blackhouse Watersports; who offer coaching and kit hire in this lovely little bay. It was lunchtime, so we set up the cooker and whipped up a steak sarnie to eat whilst watching the gentle surf lap against the pale pinky brown sand and the young newbie surfers playing in the white water. After a spot to eat we explored the bay before deciding it was far too busy for our liking (at least 20 people, which is a lot after so long on empty beaches!) and mooched off past Tráigh Chornaig and on to the second largest Loch on Tiree, Bhasapoll.
This is the home to Wild Diamond Watersports, and the Loch hosts windsurfers and kayakers as they cruise around the beautiful clear water and fishermen can be seen on the southern shore relaxing under the sun. Next to the carpark, a little food shack offers drinks and snacks, and it's a beautiful spot for a picnic and swim.
It was getting warm and definitely time for a swim, but we continued along the road past rows of hay drying in the sunshine, and the pretty old Mill at Cornaig, before arriving at the jaw dropping Balephetrish Bay. Nearly 2km in length, this bay runs beside the road, yet was empty bar two people, an old rowing boat and a random Mercedes van that had clearly been parked on the dunes and got stuck (hopefully it's now been recovered!). So it seemed rude not to take advantage of the empty beach and it's stunning azure blue waters. The water felt warm in the sun and we enjoyed a cooling swim before lounging on the beach for a while just experiencing the peace and serene landscape before us. I could happily have set up home her and stayed forever!
However, our fresh water supplies were getting low, so we cut across the island past a quirky cottage with a fabulous array of fishing buoys and floats, and a carved face in a rock nearby, and headed back to Scarinish and the fresh water tap near the Coop. Whilst there we stopped for the most delicious coffee from the Hebridean Roast, who also happened to serve Becky Bakes' unbelievably heavenly and exquisite salted caramel brownies - honestly I'd visit Tiree again just for the coffee and brownies! After stuffing our faces, we grabbed some groceries from the Coop and decided we didn't fancy cycling any further; so found a little spot on our own wee island in the village near the lighthouse and small harbour.
We relaxed in the sun, had a swim and played some Uno before it was an acceptable time to set up the tent and cook up our dinner before chilling with our little sheep friends also stranded on our island as the tide came in. We woke early to another gorgeous sunrise, before opting for a wonderfully refreshing swim in the super clear water next to our little island home. After a cuppa, we packed up camp and decided to head towards the eastern end of the island to wave back at Coll.
If you turn right from the ferry port, you will come across Gott Bay. It runs from the ferry port for over 2.5miles to the little islet of Soa, and is another beautiful bay with views out to the Treshnish Isles and is a power kiters haven with it's exposed windy shores and long stretch of undisturbed sandy beach to whizz along on a kite propelled buggy.
We followed the road admiring the beach and the pretty houses to our left who must have had the most amazing living room views. Halfway along the bay we came to a junction so turned left towards Vaul. Firstly you pass the golf course; this one is rather more impressive than Coll's cute course, but still reminded me of Northam Burrows in Devon, with sheep mooching and grazing across the greens and the extreme wind possibly causing some balls to do their own thing if anyone was crazy enough to try and play when the wind picked up! The road continues past some very stunning houses, created from old croft buildings but updated to true architectural gems by mixing the old stone byre bases with modern glass panels and sleek timber cladding. We drawled over a few properties and waved to the owners as we passed, thinking 'oh, one day'!
At the end of the road you reach Vaul where there is a trig point and fabulous views out towards the Isle of Gunna and the sandy bay at Calgary Point on Coll. There are also two secluded bays, Vaul and Salum that offer a great picnic spot. However, after stopping to wave to Coll we decided to head off to another spot to ensure we had time to visit the rest of the island before the ferry left that afternoon.
If you make it down to Vaul do make sure you go and visit the Broch, Dùn Mòr Bhalla. I'm a huge Broch fan so not sure why we didn't visit, but this one was built in 60AD as a refuge before being inhabited for hundreds of years, and you can still make out the original structure although it's towering walls have long gone unfortunately. From here you can also hike the 1.5miles along the coast to the 'Ringing Stone'. This unique boulder perches on top smaller stone and emits a ringing tone when hit. It's believed to have been moved from Rum during the Ice Age, but others say it was thrown from Mull by a giant; we will never know, but again something worth visiting if in the area and you fancy a nice walk.
We rode back via the golf course and re-joined the road along Gott Bay and onwards to the far end of Tiree. First we whizzed left at the final juncture in the B8069 to Urvaig, which sits at the end of a farm track. There's no sandy beach here but jutting rocks reach out into the Gunna Sound, where fishing boats gently sail by and lobster pots are retrieved from the glistening water around Gunna. We perched on a rock and ate some snacks just relaxing in the sun with the sounds of the sea birds as they flew around us and followed the fishing boat hoping for free food.
Leaving here we had one more spot to visit, so mooched back to the main road and peddled down to Milton. I could smell burning; so advised we stopped in case we had break issues. It transpired George's rear bag had dropped and was rubbing on her back tyre! Nothing some gaffa tape and a bungee couldn't fix; so on we continued to Milton Harbour. This harbour was built in the 1800s and continues to today as a port for the local lobster fishermen. It is overlooked by pretty fisherman cottages and a sense of purpose emanated from the port across the harbour. A local gentleman was with his dog and stopped to chat to us about what we were up to and where we had been. We said we were looking for one last spot for a swim before we had to leave, and he pointed us in the direction of a secret bay... thanking him kindly we retraced our ever so slight tyre tracks back to Caolas and followed a different farmer's track to Port Bán and the prettiest secluded and peaceful bay on Tiree - now no telling anyone about this as it's an absolute gem and we don't want to share it with anyone! You can actually see this bay as you sail in to Tiree, but if not keeping your eyes open you may miss it or even dismiss it as just a port. But it's so much more than that.
The track to the port was fun to ride and we passed plenty of sheep chilling after a heavy lunch. At the end there is a gorgeous old farm house, that I would have bought immediately if it had been for sale (not sure how but I would have found a way!) and an old sheiling that offered opportunities for a stunning studio or workshop if rebuilt. The bay itself is long and narrow, and a small burn runs down to the shore, which provides drinking water to the sheep and cattle that graze the area. The water is stunningly clear; you can see the bottom of the bay as you swim around in this breathtaking spot. A small boat is tethered in the bay and I presume belongs to the house's owners; it bobs on the gentle tide, it's reflections cast across the water. We ran in and enjoyed a swim in our private haven; wishing we could stay forever, but alas the ferry was booked and we had to head back to Coll and Buttercup.
We packed up, attached our wet swimsuits to our bags and started the ride towards the ferry port, enjoying a whizz across Gott Bay and it's sleek sandy beach and on to Scarinish for a final coffee and brownie before heading to the port ready to embark on our return trip to Coll.
This had been a wonderful mini adventure and gave us a glimpse into all that Tiree had to offer. Still so many beaches to swim at, hills to ascend, moors to hike over and cafés to frequent, but there will be time for all that I'm sure. Three days was a great time on the island but you could easily spend a week and not get bored or need to visit the same spot more than once (bar the Hebridean Coffee shop for coffee and cake of course!), and the locals were so friendly it's the sort of place you could end up returning again and again.
But for now we were off to Coll to resume our beach swimming mission there...
Thank you for reading, I hope you found it interesting and informative. Next week we'll be off to Barra and Vatersay on our vanlife trip through the Outer Hebrides.
Our Bikepacking Kit:
Emma - all the gear and no idea kit list
Alpkit Deluge Handlebar Bag 20L
RAB Ascent Sleeping bag
Thermarest Xlite
RAB Down jacket
Spare clothes
Raincoat
Mug
Osprey 20L Daysack
Swimsuit
Hamman Towel
Food and snacks
2.5L water reservoir
First aid kit
Battery pack
2 x 750ml waterbottles
George - beg, borrow and steal kit list
Alpkit Dual Handlebar Bag 20L
Mountain Warehouse Sleeping bag
Thermarest Basecamp
Mid layer jacket
Spare clothes
Raincoat
Mug
Mountain Warehouse 18L Daysack
Hamman Towel
Swimsuit
Food and snacks
Battery pack
2 x 750ml waterbottles
Alpkit Deluge Saddle Pack 12L (George carried it as my 29" wheels and full sus got in the way!)
Mountain Hardwear tent, pegs and poles (poles strapped on top)
Gas lightweight cook set (cheap set from Amazon)
2 x Bowls
2 x KFS
Frying pan (strapped on top!)
Next time we'll not use full sus bikes, both have saddle packs and ditch the rucksacks for small ones, as they were not comfy for any length of time in the saddle, and get a fold up frying pan! But it shows, you don't need the flashy gear; just go have fun :-)
Find out more about Tiree here: https://www.isleoftiree.com/images/visitor_map_2024.pdf
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