At the beginning of January we left the island in order to visit Chester and to spend a weekend with family who either live in London or close by. We returned to the Tiree on Thursday 23rd January having travelled up to Oban by train the day before. The 7:15am sailing from Oban to Coll […]
Read more "Return to Tiree"In the prevailing stormy conditions, Friday the 3rd and Saturday the 4th of January proved to be a weather window for those seeking to travel between Tiree and the Mainland. Due to the weather and related sea conditions Thursday’s ferry had been cancelled. Although a flight had come out to the island from Glasgow Airport […]
Read more "A Weather Window"Island life demands flexibility. You need to be prepared to change your plans. Our son who had spent Christmas and New Year with us on Tiree had made arrangements to travel by ferry today, Thursday the 2nd of January, to Oban and then onwards the following day to Glasgow. However, due to the stormy weather […]
Read more "“Cancelled!”"It is not by any accident that the MV Clansman is known as ‘The Mighty One’ and today, Wednesday 19th December 2019, under Skipper Lewis MacKenzie she was ‘the Mighty Conqueror’. Under the winter timetable, when vessels take their turn to go for their annual overhaul, there are only 5 crossings a week to the […]
Read more "The Mighty Conqueror"The south easterly wind had steadily risen over night and by the time Tuesday’s ferry was due the wind was gusting up to 41mph. These are challenging conditions for any ferry wanting to berth at Tiree. Real skill is required. High tide had not long past but at least it was a falling tide. The […]
Read more "Impressive Seamanship"“It’s just island life.” Sometimes the phrase is a reference to the weather. Sometimes it relates to Tiree’s transport links to the Mainland. And sometimes it is a combination of both. It is November and while parts of the UK have experienced devastating floods, here on Tiree we have enjoyed some truly sunny days. However […]
Read more "Island Life"As we were walking over the Machair we saw her in the distance. Progressing south in the ‘Passage of Tiree’ was a ship. She appeared to be making her way towards Gott Bay. As she drew closer it was easier to identify her. The vessel was the ‘Hebridean Princess’. The operators of the ‘Hebridean Princess’ […]
Read more "Of Humble Origins"