Sand and Steam at Morar
by - 22:05 on 01 August 2007
Some people call them the White Sands of Morar, while for others they’re Silver Sands. No matter what they are labelled, the beaches around Morar, between Arisaig and Mallaig on the so-called ‘Road to the Isles’ are probably the most iconic (horrible term) in Scotland. Or maybe I just mean amongst the most often photographed.
The fast road now linking Back of Keppoch to Mallaig bypasses many of the sandy bays – which is to the benefit of the beaches. In general, Scottish beaches look best with as few people as possible on them. (Makes you wonder why I’m writing this.) Anyway, as these pictures show, if you walk a bit you can find stretches which are all but deserted even in peak season. (These pictures were taken in July at exactly the same time as big chunks of England were suffering major floods. Funny old year 2007.)
The beaches famously turned up in the film ‘Local Hero’ 1983, which cleverly combined locations miles away at Pennan on the Moray Firth with the sands at Camusdarach to create the habitat threatened by the rapacious oil company. Obviously, if they re-made the film today, they’d make the unspoilt beaches and dunes the target of a rapacious American golf-course developer. (Wait a minute, that’s no film script….that's what Aberdeenshire's agreed to do for Donald Trump.)
Still, for the time being the sands here seem safe enough. Scots with genuine links to the place (and this includes the co-owner of this site - some of whose relations live within sight of the sands) are most particular about getting the names of the beaches right. So these pictures are of the estuary of the River Morar by Toigal, spelling it as per the Ordnance Survey, though I’ve seen it as Tougal. From all of the beaches there are simply breathtaking views of the islands of Eigg and Rum.
This pic was taken four days after the others. The tide is in at Toigal. The steam engine is, of course, hauling The Jacobite steam service which links Fort William and Mallaig in the summer season. It’s Class K1 No. 62005 doing yet another season in the Highlands and bringing a whiff of nostalgia to the generations who have travelled on the West Highland Line. And it was smelling and sounding just great. www.steamtrain.info
*adgoeshere*
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