A beautiful, quiet anchorage between Sanday and Canna. The shallow entrance deters many.
We had a quiet night in Rum. We didn't go ashore and left in the morning to sail to Canna, also in The Small Isles. We were escorted across by a large pod of white-sided dolphins. They are much larger than the bottle-nosed dolphins we are used to seeing. They put on a show for us - just like being at Sea World with their leaping. Show offs!
The main harbour in Canna was full of boats and was not the prettiest with the ferry terminal and sheet piled wharfs. We opted to brave the south anchorage with its tricky, shallow entrance rather than elbow around for room in the busy harbour. Great decision! It was a beautiful anchorage with a sandy, white beach, rolling green hills and rocks, lots of rocks.
This is a much busier anchorage. We did feel a little smug for having a bay to ourselves on the other side of the island.
You can juuuust see Chinook all by herself in the bay.
Canna and Sanday are connected by a causeway so even at high tide, you can walk from on island to the other. Our sandy beach was actually on Sanday. and on the south-east corner, there are puffins. So ashore we went on a puffin hunt!
Finally, we are on the puffin trail. How exciting!
A well marked trail lead us across paddocks, past herds of 'coos' and flocks of sheep. It was very dry so we could skip across the bogs in our trail shoes without the fear of wet feet or getting stuck. It must be very boggy when not in drought. The trail lead us to the cliffs where puffins were as numerous as the Sea Pink blooms.
Looking across the puffin chimneys to the Isle of Rum
Unfortunately, our visions of puffins wandering around our feet were not to be. The clever little things nest atop of a rock chimney - safe from both land-based predators and curious tourists. They were close enough that we could watch their antics and the way they through themselves off the cliff before they madly start flapping.
A tricky photo through the binoculars provides the best image we could get. Just look at the cute little fellas!
We ambled back, completing a circumnavigation of Sanday, to the causeway and crossed to Canna proper.
St Edward's Church, deconsecrated and disused, it is the most imposing structure on the island.
Baby coo, so very sweet.
Although we consider ourselves anchored at Canna, we are actually in a bay between Canna and Sanday. Our planned hike around Canna ended up being a circumnavigation of the Isle of Sanday.
12.6 kms, but only 165 metres of elevation gain.
We were impressed with the resourcefulness of the people of Canna. Subsisting on the bounty of the sea is no longer possible, so ecotourism is becoming the next best option for many of these little islands. We walked by a farm that had a sandwich board outside, becoming us in. So we did.
Come on in!
... and voila! Community space!
It makes sense that a community with less than 200 full-time residents would want a place to congregate. This shed is owned by the island's community association and has a book and video library, free wifi, presentation space (stage and sound equipment), a non-staffed honesty-box store and message board. We happened to meet Jan, who is working a six-month contract on the island to develop community resources like this space.
On this small island with 180 full-time inhabitants, we managed to find a place to buy a beer.
A bit of public art by the causeway to Sanday Island
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