The District of Fidden

The pink-hued Ross of Mull granite has been shaped by glaciers and eroded over time to create this distinctive landscape, set alongside miles of startling white shell sands and turquoise seas

The flat tidal beaches, iris beds and sandy grasslands are a haven for wading birds; look out for oystercatchers, redshank, lapwing, ringed plover in the breeding season, while curlew, whimbrel, golden plover and turnstones appear during the passage and winter. In the summer months the elusive corncrake has been heard and seen. Near the shores of Fidden Beach can be seen the tidal island of Erraid, a location for the novel “kidnapped”  by Robert Louis Stevenson, with its row of lighthouse keepers cottages and gardens. See our article 'Stories from the Stones - Discovering a History of Erraid'.

Loch Poit na h-I, Pot of Iona is a small, pretty, fresh water loch which was reputedly used as a fishpond in the 9th century by the monks on Iona. The native brown trout share the loch with many bird species including several varieties of wildlfowl and whooper swans in the winter. Otters have also been spotted several times recently.