101. Vaul Bay

The Isle of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides is famed for having the highest amount of sunshine hours in the whole of the UK. It’s also very windy, earning its reputation as a haven for surfers and water sports enthusiasts.  Among its 36 miles of coastline are some of the best beaches in the country and so on this short trip I knew I was in for a treat. I had just over 24 hours on the island, and at least 15 beaches to visit so to make the most of the walking time on each beach I decided to work my way around the coast clockwise starting in the north east corner of the island. My first impression upon landing at tiny Tiree airport was how flat and green it was. And no trees! There were however, hundreds of sheep and lambs. It was like landing on a mini-planet, but a beautiful and welcoming one all the same. From the airport, I collected my hire car and drove straight to Vaul Bay (Traigh Bhalla), just past the Tiree Golf Club. This was beach number one, and a lovely place to start. The low-lying nature of this arc-shaped bay (like some others on the island) mean the beach is often covered in washed up seaweed but it’s big enough to offer acres of pristine white sand too. This was a very nice place to begin the tour!