What a thrill: getting to visit Tiree for work! OK, so I had to be away from D and Meg for two nights. And I needed meet my colleague at the ferry terminal at 0615 hours for the 4hour sail but this was part of the build up of excitement.
Tiree is one of the sunniest places in the UK (not just Scotland) and also one of the windiest.
The ferry goes up the coast of Mull catching sight of Tobermory in the bay, quick look at Ardnamurchan Lighthouse in the distance before viewing the Trishnish islands and travelling down the long coast of Coll before sailing down the coast of Tiree into Scaranish.
We were met by the community nurse team leader who took us to the Surgery and told us to make ourselves at home. I spent the morning doing library work (PCs with internet access are wonderful, aren’t they?) and then the afternoon doing Indian Head Massage as part of Healthy Working Lives. The original purpose of our visit was for violence and aggression prevention training which we did on the Wednesday.
We had use of the nurses’ pool car during our stay and everyone who passed us –in vehicles or on foot – waved. The community nurses are well known on the island
Anyone we told where we were staying gave a sharp intake of breath and shook their head. Actually, the Tiree Lodge Hotel was AOK: had seen better days but was clean and had ensuite facilities. And views across Gott Bay to die for. And we were 10 minutes walk from Elephant’s End: a fabulous restaurant. I’d phoned before we left the mainland to see if they could accommodate a vegan. Not only did the owner cook vegan, she had three choices of starters, main courses and deserts for me!
Just behind our hotel was part of the pilgrimage trail with the remains of the 13th century chapel of Kirkapool which was fascinating to walk around – as was the museum for Skerryvore Lighthouse, the shore station for this remote lighthouse being built at Hynish.
My 3 day visit to Tiree whetted my appetite to return with D and Meg to explore more.
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