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but spectacular headland, shouldn't be missed.

The Blue Misty Mountains
There are three prominent hills on the western side of the island, the highest of which can't quite manage 500 feet, even with radar golf-ball' on top.

But, an Everest mountaineer, Frank Smythe, once wisely said: .... height counts for nothing, and it is the hill that matters'. These are very nice hills, and well repay a slight effort spent on them. All three could be managed in an afternoon if stopping and staring' time was discounted. You'll need plenty of that!

Ben Hynish is the one with the ball'. Ben Hough is the one with the mast' and Ceann a Mhara, or Kenavara is the other one.

There's a service road for the Civil Aviation Authority's radar installation up the western side of Ben Hynish, but its best approach is from the north or north-east.

Ben Hynish is a straight up, admire the view and straight down again kind of hill. Ben Hough is an altogether different proposition. It offers a delightful miniature ridge-walk, best tackled from north to south.

Stone steps lead up from Hough to the old coast-guard lookout on the highest point, but that's no way to climb any hill, however small. There are two deserted huts, one on the summit, and one on the ridge below it. They bring a wild, isolated air to the hill, and you have to admire the watchmen who worked here. Despite the modest height, there was nothing between them and the Labrador coast but the wild Atlantic!

Walk southwards along the ridge to a radio mast, where a service road provides an easy way off for a return to the start point. Roads on Tiree are perfectly safe to walk along; walk on the left-hand side if you want a lift, and on the right if you don't.

Alternatively, there's a track from the service road leading across the dunes to the lonely and beautiful Hough Bay, where seals are often seen playing in the surf. Then, a short walk along the beach brings you to the track where you started.

It would have seemed more logical to make Kenavara the second hill, immediately after the nearby Ben Hynish, but I've kept the best until the last. It might be sound policy, after descending Ben Hough, to spend the rest of the day watching seals in Hough Bay, and save Kenavara for tomorrow. It certainly deserves a day to itself.

From Balephuil, walk along a track, gaining height as quickly as possible to attain the top of Kenavara. I deliberately didn't say summit'. That, to me, conveys the sense of a point, rather than an area ... and the top' of Kenavara is definitely an area' that demands thorough exploration!

Kenavara is surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic, which can be seen framed in the massive, bird-heavy gorges on its northern side. Two ancient hill-forts are located on its plateau. That's a good indicator of an excellent view, for many of these were more in the nature of watch-towers.

I had a good day on Kenavara, perhaps the best of several days during my visits to the island. A slight shower banished the haze of the previous few muggy days. I could see almost the whole of Tiree below me, bogs, beaches and all. I could also see the nearby Isle of Coll, distant Mull and a distinctively shaped islet called the Dutchman's Cap'.

But, I was thinking of the Ringing Stone. There had been a smaller stone on top of it, under which previous visitors had left coins. I left a few pennies there, too, and later asked about the custom, which wasn't mentioned in my guide-book.

I think it means you'll get a wish' I was told. And, I offer no prizes for guessing what my wish was!

Learn more about this author, Keith K..
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