We took a trip out to Tiree in July taking in the Tiree Music Festival (TMF) and here's a few photos for you all out there in Earlybayland. For those of you who like music festivals of a smaller and more intimate nature then the TMF might be for you as no more than 1500 tickets are sold for the event. So you see it's not exactly Glasto but this year it did feature a Country & Western band from Chicago to rival Dolly Parton but mostly it's a collection of Scots and Irish trad bands playing over the festival's three days. This year the headlining act was Julie Fowlis (who?) - she's a gaelic singer from North Uist whom you might have heard from the Brave (Disney film) soundtrack. Other acts included Sharon Shannon from Co.Clare, Roddy Woomble (him from Idlewild), Dougie MacLean and local Tiree bands Skerryvore and Skippinish. There's some camping at the venue but we chose to wild camp on the north end of the island at Balephetrish. As the vast majority of the island is crofting land you have to contact the Tiree Ranger Service before taking your van over and he'll assign you a pitch for a tenner a night of which £9 goes to the crofter and £1 covers the admin costs. Don't expect anything other than the pitch for your £10 but there may be a standpipe if you're lucky. Anyway, here's those photos and remember that Tiree often boasts the highest average sunshine hours of anywhere in the UK. Make a visit - it'll take an effort to get there but you won't regret it.
Waiting to board the ferry in Oban-wan-kenobi. The crossing from Oban takes a little over 3 hours.
It's dead flat so you can see why Tiree is known as the "Land Beneath the Waves"
Our pitch at Balephetrish Bay on the north end of the island. In the middle of July we had the beach to ourselves for 6 days.
Looking west at sunset with Barra and the Uists on the horizon. You feel a sense of true isolation here - next stop America.
The Main Stage at TMF (definitely not Glasto)
Local band Skippinish
If you like your beaches long and sandy then there are plenty on Tiree.....
.....which is why it's also known as "The Hawaii of the North". The windsurfer's Tiree Wave Classic is held every October when the Atlantic rollers start to rock up
Local accommodation, the ubiquitous Tiree Black House. Apparently Hugh-Fearnley Whittingstall has just bought a house on the island and he drives a brand new Disco not the beat up Landy seen on the telly.
Waiting to board the ferry in Oban-wan-kenobi. The crossing from Oban takes a little over 3 hours.
It's dead flat so you can see why Tiree is known as the "Land Beneath the Waves"
Our pitch at Balephetrish Bay on the north end of the island. In the middle of July we had the beach to ourselves for 6 days.
Looking west at sunset with Barra and the Uists on the horizon. You feel a sense of true isolation here - next stop America.
The Main Stage at TMF (definitely not Glasto)
Local band Skippinish
If you like your beaches long and sandy then there are plenty on Tiree.....
.....which is why it's also known as "The Hawaii of the North". The windsurfer's Tiree Wave Classic is held every October when the Atlantic rollers start to rock up
Local accommodation, the ubiquitous Tiree Black House. Apparently Hugh-Fearnley Whittingstall has just bought a house on the island and he drives a brand new Disco not the beat up Landy seen on the telly.
