42. Twin Beaches

Gigha’s famous Twin Beaches sit either side of a tombolo, a thin strip of land which connects the main island from the tiny outcrop of Eileen Garbh. To be formal, we have Bagh na Doirlinne facing north, and Bagh na Rubha Ruaidh facing south. The north beach is the most impressive. On a summer’s day like this, I can’t think of anywhere better to be. I return on the main (only) road south from Palm Tree Beach and head west towards the tombolo. Some campers have pitched at the far end of the beach but there are no signs of life. Between the beaches it’s possible to climb up the rock face to snap the iconic shot of both beaches together. I scramble up among the heather and thorns and suddenly come across a 6-rung metal ladder which someone had helpfully lodged against a large slab of rock to enable the climber to get to the ledge high enough to capture the view. That’s handy. I get my shot and decide not to venture any further, As I descend I meet a walker looking for somewhere to pitch for the night (clearly a little peeved that the other campers had nabbed the best spots on the north beach). I tell him about Palm Tree beach and he sets off in that direction. For me, it’s back to the road and a lovely 4 mile walk down to the Gigha Hotel for a very nice haddock and chips. So far, my impression of Gigha is very positive.