2021

NL9839 : Tiree - Hynish - Harbour area from the outcrop

taken 3 years ago, near to Hynish, Tiree, Argyll And Bute, Scotland

Tiree - Hynish - Harbour area from the outcrop
Tiree - Hynish - Harbour area from the outcrop
Looking over to the dry dock and harbour area of Hynish from the rocky outcrop.
Hynish

Hynish on the southern tip of western Tiree was the headquarters for the construction of the Skerryvore lighthouse. It was here that dozens of workers painstakingly shaped the huge Ross of Mull granite blocks which were then shipped the 12½ miles / 20km to the Skerryvore site for them to be dovetailed together by the workmen billeted on the rock. Each stone took around 250 man hours to fashion into shape. However the first four courses were made from Tiree gneiss - and these took more like 350 man-hours each!
This mammoth project lasted from 1838 to 1844 and was overseen by Alan Stevenson (1807-65, see Wikipedia article LinkExternal link )of the famous lighthouse-building family. It is worth noting however that a disastrous fire in the lantern in the 1950s put the light out of action for almost as long as it took to build the entire lighthouse a hundred years earlier.
Once the lighthouse was built, Hynish became the shore station which serviced it, providing accommodation for the keepers' families, communications and provisions. Supply and service boats would leave from the harbour here. As these boats needed servicing, a dry dock was built, however this suffered from silting up with sand. Stevenson designed an ingenious solution to this by creating a reservoir, aqueduct and sluice that allowed a million or so gallons of water to be released in a huge surge which washed the accumulated sand back out to sea when the dock was needed.
For more about the lighthouse see: Link
Hynish nowadays comprises an interesting set of buildings around a rocky promontory. There are the ruinous remains of many former buildings along with a substantial number of good condition intact ones (many refurbished by the Hebridean Trust), these all date from the time of the construction of the lighthouse or just after. The buildings around the dry dock are particularly interesting, as is the dry dock itself. These buildings house two museums, one about the building of the Skerryvore lighthouse, the other about the Treshnish islands (unfortunately at the time of our visit, both were closed due to Covid restrictions).
The signal tower remains as a prominent landmark and the keepers' cottages are (I believe) holiday lets. There is also a hostel next to the museums.
Pre-dating all of the above by many centuries, there was an ancient 'dun' or fort on the rocky outcrop to the southeast of the C19th buildings near to the former powder magazine building. For information on this ancient site see (Canmore) LinkExternal link and (Hillforts) LinkExternal link

Hynish and Skerryvore

The 'village' owes its origin to the construction of the Skerryvore lighthouse by Alan Stevenson, which began in 1838 and ended in 1844. The rock is about 20km to the southwest, but Hynish was the most suitable place to build a harbour, pier and dry dock to service its construction, and the associated buildings needed for its maintenance and keeper accommodation. The buildings have been restored by the Hebridean Trust LinkExternal link , for housing, holiday lets, a hostel, and an exhibition room telling the story of the construction of the lighthouse LinkExternal link . See also NL8426.

Tiree (Tiriodh) :: NL9446

The island of Tiree lies in the Sea of the Hebrides to the west of the much larger island of Mull and close to its neighbouring island, Coll.
It is unlike any other major Scottish island in that it is almost flat, the majority of the island being no more than 20m above sea level. There are three hills on the western side which exceed 100m, viz Ben Hynish (141m, 462'), Beinn Hough (119m, 390' with subsidiary peak Cnoc an Fhithich 113m, 371') and Beinn Ceann Mhara (103m, 338')
From the top of Beinn Hough it is possible to see the entire island, which is only 10 miles (16km) long. Its width varies from 6¼ miles (10km) between Tràigh Chornaig in the north and Hynish in the south, to just ⅔ mile (1km) across the Vaul Golf Course between Kirkapol and Ruaig.
The island is fringed with magnificent bays and beaches with soft golden-white sands and turquoise waters. It is rather as though a small lump of Lincolnshire has been dropped in the Hebrides and then surrounded by Caribbean beaches! However, as there is no land between the west coast of the island and the continent of America, the full force of the Atlantic can batter this western coast. The result can be tremendous 'breakers' (big onshore waves) which are highly popular with surfers. Despite the permanently rather frigid sea temperatures, many people brave these waters to enjoy such activities.
The inner part of the island is given over almost entirely to farming, both arable and dairy, with Tiree cattle being sold at the small auction house near the airport.
The island's flag of a circle of golden wheat on a green background refers to this agricultural abundance.
Statistics:
Area: 7,834ha (19,358 acres, 30¼ miles²)
Population: 653 (2011 census)
Principal settlement: Scarinish (with about ¼ of the island's population)
Highest Point: Ben Hynish (141m, 462')


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Rob Farrow and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Coastal Historic sites and artefacts Docks, Harbours Estuary, Marine Place: Hynish Island: Tiree Primary Subject: Harbour
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Dry Dock [13] · Harbour [8] · Rocky Outcrop [5] · Harbour Area [2] ·
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Grid Square
NL9839, 64 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Rob Farrow   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Thursday, 1 July, 2021   (more nearby)
Submitted
Saturday, 24 July, 2021
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NL 9859 3926 [10m precision]
WGS84: 56:26.9299N 6:53.6023W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NL 9867 3912
View Direction
North-northwest (about 337 degrees)
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Image Type (about): geograph 
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