A Walk on Vatersay

The main event today was our visit to Vatersay, that is for the adults in the party; the children chose to stay and relax together at the cottages. The weather was beautiful. We parked near the shipwreck memorial and walked along the beach on the west there, then up onto the headland. Fantastic views of the most southerly islands in the Hebrides, right down to Mingulay. It was breezy but warm, and the sea was many shades of blue. Further out where the sea was darker and less sheltered we could see huge breakers against the rocks. We made our way round the the south beach which was pleasantly sheltered and James brewed us up a cup of coffee using his wee stove while Heather and I bravely went paddling - the inviting clear water was absolutely freezing! Heather was collecting shells and found some nice white shells larger and flatter than the cockleshells she was collecting yesterday. We continued on past another headland where we could see an abandoned village, and circled round across grassy slopes towards the beach on the east side of the isthmus, which looked absolutely stunning with its aquamarine water and white sand. A leisurely stroll along there brought us back to the car. I was absolutely delighted with our walk, which was about four and a half miles. It was long and varied enough to be both interesting and a slight challenge, but not so strenuous that it spoiled my pleasure in it. As ever Heather and Ewan were relaxed and pleasant company, who were as enthusiastic about the beauty of the place as we were. We then headed to the Castlebay Hotel where we had a nice pub lunch and spotted our children cycling past! We walked down to the Cafe Kisimul and there they all were, having a late lunch and chatting away. We had a quick coffee there then we all jumped into the boat to Kisimul Castle. It didn't take long to look round it but the short boat trip was fun and on the way back the boatman circled the castle so we got good views from all sides of it. Back to the cottages and we went for a drink to the Isle of Barra Hotel which is where I am writing my blog right now! The large windows in the lounge look onto the white sand beach, the shining sea and the blue cloudless sky - this is the life!