Woke up to a perfectly still and bright morning so after breakfast we inflated the dinghy ready to go ashore. A little cruise ship arrived at the same time which was a bit worrying. After a career in the cruise industry, Richard understands the impact of cruise tourists on small destination islands!!!
We rowed ashore and checked with the nice young man from the National Trust for Scotland that we could leave the dinghy at the top of the ferry slipway. The National Trust for Scotland own the island after it was given to them by the former owners and 16 people live there now, down from a much larger population generations ago. We called in at the community shop to pay our mooring fee (nobody there, just an honesty box and a card machine) and as the café didn’t open until 11 o’clock we set off for a walk to Sanday, the adjoining island that is connected to Canna by a bridge. We followed a trail to the rock stacks on the south side of Sanday where the puffins nest. It was another toughish walk, boggy in places, but the views were just amazing and we saw the puffins flying backwards and forwards from their burrows, seemingly randomly.
When we arrived back on Canna we stopped at the café for a well earned lunch and some Canna beer, that was very nice a refreshing. Then another short walk through woodlands full of bluebells and wild garlic. The photograph doesn’t do it justice.
We had to wait a little time to launch the dinghy as the ferry was late leaving but chatted to the nice young man again who asked for our feedback on the “puffin trail” and how well it was sign posted. We were very positive. Back at Harvard we fitted the Hydrovane rudder and packed the dinghy away ready to leave tomorrow.
What a fab place and a lovely day and you saw puffins!
We should have hung on a few days to do Canna with you!!