A Wonderful Send Off
With the possibility of another good sunset it seemed a fair bet to go to The Bay at the Back of the Ocean for the last evening.
The shore held three Bar-tailed Godwit, a single Knot, Sanderling, Turnstone, Ringed Plover and the odd Dunlin. A passing Wheatear made a brief appearance before heading off around the headland.
A bank of cloud lay above the horizon but there was a tantalising gap underneath that seemed to be holding. As the sun dipped into the gap the land lit up in a blaze of rich late evening light. It was a classic beautiful Hebridean sunset and we caught it on our last night on the island. As is so often with these sunsets the best and deepest colours occur after the sun has set and for tens minutes or so we were treated to a quite extraordinary sky.
As the sun found the gap that had stayed steady all the time we were on the beach so the sky richened and the land became drenched in the most stunning of lights.
Once the sun drops below the horizon the best of the sunset follows. All the colours deepen and there is a dramatic shift in the spectrum as the sky moves from orange to reds and blues. The clouds now lit from below become more sculptural and layered. It is truly a wonderful experience that is so humbling and for Gwenda, my wife, and I to have it all to our own and our last night will remain a very special moment. Not a bad way to end our time on Iona!
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