We then motored south to the Shiants, where we anchored under thousands of puffins flying between their island burrows and the sea. I have been to the Shiants a few times, so I had seen most of Eilean Tighe and Eilean Mhuire. But one area I had never set foot on was the little peninsula at the north end of Eilean Garbh. So I asked to be set ashore there next to the massive puffin colony.
From the puffins I climbed to the top of the island and then traversed the eastern cliffs. The next photos show some of the sights along the way.
To get down from the top of Eilean Garbh involves a steep descent of what's known as the Eiger Pass. It was so steep that I had to slide on my backside in several spots. Just before I descended a herd of sheep were herded down to be sheared in the fank on Eilean Tighe. Once at the bottom I crossed the stony isthmus to Eilean Tighe to watch the shearing.
A sad side note here is that the fleeces were all left to rot, as it costs more to process them than they are worth.
The next morning we sailed south, our destination the elusive lighthouse on Hyskeir rock.
Wow, excellent pics! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSurprised there will still so many puffins there in August....
ReplyDeleteYes. I was expecting them to be gone. They were starting to raft up when we left - so they probably left shortly afterwards.
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