Ticking the boxes

The west coast of Mull doesn't feature much in many people's logs but it does include two world-famous landmarks - Fingal's Cave and the Isle of Iona. Conditions were a bit too energetic for us to stop at Staffa where Fingal's Cave inspired Mendelssohn's Hebridean Overture but we did get a good view in the morning sun. Passing through the Sound of Iona was nerve-wracking enough but even after anchoring near Erraid Pier we couldn't find a suitable spot to land. It's probably easier by car! Anyway we admired the ancient cathedral as we dodged rocks, sandbanks and the ferry and managed a short walk ashore before the rising tide drew us back to the dinghy. There's a bit of swelling in the anchorage but it's well sheltered from the obstinate easterly we've seen this season and it's time to plan the next passage back towards the Sound of Lying.