The dictionary definition of ‘strand’ in this instance Is
‘the land bordering a body of water,
the shore or beach’.

The dictionary says the word is akin to the Norse word for shore.
This is most appropriate for the Isle of Tiree.
Many places names have a Norse origin.

Gott Bay is Traigh Mhor – that is the Big Beach.
From end to end the bay it is 4 miles long.
It truly is a magnificent stretch of sand.

It is the month of November.
It has been unseasonably warm.
And Saturday was a beautiful sunny day.

Late afternoon we decided to make the most of the warm weather.
Where better to go than Gott Bay with its magnificent strand.
You just park the car and literally step onto the sand.

However circumstances mean that we had to sit in the car.
It was great if frustrating to look out onto the bay.
The scene before us was so crystal clear:
blue sky, blue sea and white sand.
and waves washing the beach

Stepping out of the car we were conscious of some cattle.
They were quietly grazing on the grass by the strand.
No wonder Tiree beef is among the very best.
“Taste the difference.” – We have!

At first we had thought it was a rock.
Then we realised that we had read about this online.
Sadly what what we were seeing was a dead marine animal.
Whatever the cause, natural or otherwise, it was a tragic sight.
We heeded the advise not to get too close or to touch the remains.

When we eventually stepped out of the car the sun was low in the sky.
It would not be too long before the sun would set.
This was to be sunset strand.

The orange glow was beginning to caress everything.
Even the sky to the east was turning pink/red.
The sand and sail-boards caught the glow.

In such conditions the distant Isle of Mull appears so close.
Yet mighty Ben More on that Isle is about 23 miles away.
What a great backdrop to Tiree and Traigh Mhor.

Flocks of birds were a feature of this short walk along Sunset Strand.
Some of the birds were in groups darting across the sand.
Some were large flocks that swirled across the sky.
Others on their own caught our attention.

Pieces of driftwood littered the beach.
The individual pieces had a beauty of their own.
Some even were lit up the colours of the setting sun.

As we turned round to retrace our steps it was close to sunset.
The sun was getting lower and lower in the western sky.
Kirk, crofts and cattle were attractive silhouettes.

The clear sky had meant there were no clouds to add to the drama.
Nevertheless on Sunset Strand it had been a glorious sunset.
But then good things have a habit coming to an end.
The sun had sunk below the horizon.

On the way home we stopped off near the harbour in Scarinish.
The glow of the gloaming was still there over Mull.
A solitary star, or planet, pierced the dark blue.
Who could tire of living on Tiree!

This is ‘Life on Tiree’.