Scottish anchorages

Port Ellen, an early 19th century planned village, may be the easiest place to flee to on the south coast of Islay, and there are a few shops for provisions, but I haven’t in the past rated it much as a place to visit - the visitors' moorings used to be so far out in the bay they could have been in Northern Ireland as far as I was concerned. Nowadays there are publicly owned non-profit pontoons in easy reach of what shops there are, but there doesn’t seem much in the way of a good eaterie or pub. It all seems a bit sad, which is sad, but the community initiative to provide the pontoons should surely be rewarded with a visit. Mind you, the Islay Hotel has been rebuilt and opened in 2011, so maybe things are looking up - I have not been there yet.

It is nicer to anchor across in Kilnaughton Bay protected from westerly winds. It has been a bit spoiled by some modern cottages, but the beach is very pleasant to wander along, and the sand is just right for sandcastles. The Carraig Fhada lighthouse was built in 1832 - square and stumpy, so very much not in the Stevenson style. Up on the dunes there are a surprising number of atmospheric graveyards. The roofless chapel is late medieval and contains a number of mouldering grave slabs, including one with a rather fine knight in relief. The military graveyard just to the east of the chapel is remarkably well tended, as these places always are, but contains very few graves including one of an unnamed negro – surprising there are any war graves here, so far it seems from the action, let alone one of a negro but ships were wrecked and torpedoed in these parts.

If you walk on a little past the lighthouse you come to the so-called singing sands, said to be a delightful beach (Traigh Bhan).