Hike to Laig Bay and the Singing sands
Saturday, July 20
This was our last full day on the Isle Eigg. Given the power outages, which made us all feel a little more road weary and weather beaten than usual, we were thankful to see a clear, sunny day when we awoke this morning. Although we had originally planned to take a ferry out to a neighboring islands, such as Rum or Muck, during our stay on Eigg, the changeable weather patterns and uncertainty about accessing power in the remaining days of our stay caused us to rethink the risk of exposure to the elements on another island. Instead, we hiked out to the northern part of the Isle of Eigg, to Laig Bay and the Singing Sands, Cleasedale. The hike to Laig Bay took us along forestry paths and tracks at first, which were quite boggy in places. Eventually, the path opened up and descended towards the bay, which offered spectacular views out to the mountains on the neighboring island of Rum—as well as to the Isle of Skye. Some of the students decided to take a swim at the bay—while others explored the shoreline—foraging for shells and washed up sea creatures. From Laig Bay we hiked along the coast to the “Singing Sands,” the name of which derives from the melodic sound the sand makes underfoot. We spotted a hen harrier hunting over the clifftops above the bay while we ate lunch on the sands. After hovering above us for some time, the harrier dove precipitously towards the cliff face below. We suspected the harrier had caught something of interest, but he disappeared from sight before we could make out what it was. We returned to the Glebe to discover that power had been restored to the island, which came as a great relief to the students….
On the trail to Laig Bay
James and Krysztof getting ready for a swim
Jenna on the beach at Singing Sands
Laig Bay looking out to the mountains on the small Isle of Rum (the largest of the small isles) in the background
Chris paddling in the Ocean at Laig Bay, Isle of Skye, Scotland
Mariana and James at the Singing Sands, Isle of Eigg, Scotland
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Mariana at the Singing Sands
James on the clifftop at the Singing Sands—with the mountains of the small isle of Rum in the background
