34. Traigh Gheal

There are spectacular beaches in Scotland that require no effort to reach, with good roads leading to car parking right by the sand. There are others that require a hairy single-track drive, or a short walk to enjoy. And then there are those beaches that are so remote they can only be reached with effort, time, energy, navigation and a good pair of walking boots! Traigh Gheal is one of those. This amazing beach, possibly the prettiest on Mull, can only be accessed via a three-mile hike through the Tireragan Nature Reserve, a charitable regeneration project set among the boggy moors and woodland in the south-west of the Ross of Mull.

On this sunny Spring day, my second full day on Mull, I park up at Knockvologan Farm (room for one or two cars only) and set off through the reserve. The hike to reach Traigh Gheal is hard going, but to be fair, the path is reasonably clear throughout and there’s little chance of getting lost. It’s very boggy at the start and finish, but the middle section is on open moorland and easy going. The last half a mile requires some Indiana Jones style hacking through knotted woodland before I pick up the sound of the sea and emerge into the open to a truly spectacular sight, made all the more impactful by the effort spent to get this far. I am so lucky on this sunny day, the tide is out and I have acres of beach and hidden coves to explore. I honestly think this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to and I hang around for a long time. It is hard to leave, but as always, the return walk feels shorter and easier, although I did take a tumble in a bog at one point. Back at the start of the walk, I have a chat with a volunteer, put a donation into the little box, and set off to visit the second beach accessible from the same parking area – the jaw-dropping Knockvologan.

In the months since, I have thought many times about this beach.  It’s one of my go-to happy-place memories.