A prince and a lot of whisky!

Eriskay is a beautiful island with some lovely beaches of white sand. It lies between South Uist and Barra. (I've located it on the map if you're interested). Until 2002, the only way of getting to the island was by ferry. Then a causeway was built and rather impressive it is too.

This beach is close to the Sound of Barra ferry terminal and is also the place where, in 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie first stepped ashore in Scotland. It is still known as Prince's Strand. If he had arrived on a day of wind and rain as we did, I think he would have made a speedy retreat back to France! I managed to capture a quick shot as a little sun caught the edge of the sand and the dunes.

A little further on is a pub called The Politician. This is a reminder of the episode in 1941 when SS Politician sank, just off the island. Islanders slavaged much of its cargo of around 250,000 bottles of whisky and, after a binge of dramatic proportions, the police landed a number of the islanders in jail. The story was immortalised by Sir Compton Mackenzie in his comic novel Whisky Galore, made into a famous film.