After leaving Port ban we paddled up the northwest coast of Iona in sublime conditions of calm sea and in hot sunshine. Out to sea were the skerries of Sgurr Mhich Mhurchaid (Murchison's Stack) and Reidh Eilean (Smooth Island) and far beyond, a banner of cloud indicated the position of the island of Tiree.
Donald was waiting for us at Eilean Chalbha (calf island), the point were we got the first view of Ben More on Mull to the north. As we approached we began to experience a strengthening tidal flow against us......
...caused by the ebbing tide running across a shallow sand spit between rocky outcrops.
A path of luminous turquoise water above white sand led between rocky patches and combined with the tidal flow running towards us created the strangest sensation.........
....that we were paddling uphill on a slope of water. The effort required to push forward did nothing to reduce the sense of paddling up an incline!
Had we been ten minutes later this shallowest section of the sandbar would probably have dried out and we'd have missed this colourful and interesting little bit of Iona's coast. Beyond, we were into deeper water towards the northenmost part of the island and beaches which are easily reached by walking across from the Abbey. We decided not to land on these beaches but to continue past the north tip of Iona to another jewel in the summer sea....
Ian that was no illusion...it was uphill :o)
ReplyDeleteIt surely seemed so Douglas!
DeleteStill reeling at the colours of that trip....
:o)