The beach below Balevullin — Photo: Gordon Hatton

Gott Bay and Tràigh Mhòr from the dunes. — Photo: Gordon Hatton

Tràigh Baile a’ Mhuilinn, the beach at Balevullin. — Photo: Rob Farrow

Tràigh Mhòr, Gott Bay, at low tide. — Photo: Andrew Curtis

United Kingdom

Nov · 86% rideable

Tiree

What it's actually like

Kiters, pick the bay the wind blows across: Balevullin for waves if you are intermediate or above, Gott Bay for flat to choppy water inside. September to March averages 18 to 21 kt and blows all day.

Stand on Tiree and nothing stops you watching the weather roll in. It is the westernmost island of the Inner Hebrides, about twelve miles long and three wide, with 700 residents in 2022. It is low, flat and open to the Atlantic on every side. There is no mountain to bend the wind and no sea breeze to wait for: the fronts arrive straight off the ocean. Sand bays face almost every way from north round to south, so most windy days have one with the wind across it.

September to March are the windy months. In every one of those months at least three days in four clear 12 knots for three daylight hours or more. On those days it typically blows 18 to 21 knots. April is still above seven days in ten, and even June to August manage close to two days in three. Because the wind comes with the weather rather than the sun, it blows through the whole day. A January afternoon can be hooning and bitterly cold at the same time.

Balevullin, on the north-west coast, is the wave beach. Blackhouse Watersports runs kite lessons from its beach hut there. Gott Bay, on the east side by the ferry, is the big horseshoe bay, Tràigh Mhòr in Gaelic, the big beach. The water is flat to choppy inside, and a school can stand a beginner up in the shallows. The other bays are the Maze facing west, Crossapol south, the Green north-north-west, Balephetrish north, and Double Trouble, an inner and outer reef that works in a south to south-westerly.

The tide shapes every session. Gott Bay has a large tidal range and a gently shelving beach, so the walk to the water changes through the tide. Rocks and reefs are scattered through the middle of the bay. A large rock sits in the middle of Balevullin bay, and at high tide swirling rip currents form there and can carry a rider away. Check the tide before you choose a beach, and walk the launch before you rig.

Rules and safety. Motor vehicles may use only public roads. Driving or parking away from roads and verges, on croft tracks, unfenced land or beaches, is permitted only if the landowner has authorised it. Use the marked parking areas and do not park in the pockets on the road. There is no rescue stationed at Balevullin and no lifeguard or patrol at Gott Bay. In an emergency call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard. Keep clear of the ferry, the pier and the moorings on the south-east side of Gott Bay.

Every October the Tiree Wave Classic brings the wave sailors to the island, so book the ferry and a bed early for that week. A first attempt in 1985 lost its contest to the weather, and the first contest ran in 1986, over three beaches on different days with the final at Crossapol. In a van, the self-service filling station at Crossapol opens Monday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm, with electric charging. There is a water tap and a chemical disposal point by the public toilets in Scarinish.

Wild Diamond teaches windsurfing, kitesurfing and wingfoiling and hires kit. Its sessions rove round the coast to wherever the day’s conditions work, so if you are already on the island, book at least the day before. Blackhouse Watersports teaches kite at Balevullin from the age of 12, in groups of two to four. If you are starting out, book a school on a gentle day at Gott Bay. The west-facing wave beaches are for intermediate riders and up who are at home in waves.

When it's good

Is it for you?

LevelBody dragger
Gott Bay’s shallows are where a school stands you up; Balevullin’s waves wait.
WaterMillpond to head-high
Flat to choppy inside Gott Bay, with Balevullin’s Atlantic shorebreak for wave riding.
LaunchMind your feet
Sand to launch from, but find the big rock at Balevullin and Gott Bay’s reefs.
Wetsuit5/4 and booties
Sea about 12 °C in November: a 5/4 and booties, and you'll want both.
AprèsLights out at nine
No bar within 5 km, but 1 place to eat: early nights, early sessions.
CostNot checked yet

Where to launch

Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.

Launch
Hazard
Parking
Stay

Balevullin

North-west facing bay with the Blackhouse Watersports beach hut.

For kite, windsurf. Directions: Google Maps · Apple Maps
Gott Bay

The big shallow bay on the east side.

For kite, windsurf. Directions: Google Maps · Apple Maps
The Maze

West-facing bay for windsurfers.

For windsurf. Directions: Google Maps · Apple Maps

In an emergency

Emergency, ask for the Coastguard 999
Emergency, ask for the Coastguard 112

Getting there

Nearest airportTiree (TIR). Right on the island, with Loganair flying in from Glasgow, so you can skip the boat.
Getting aroundFerry, then a car. CalMac sails from Oban, about 4 hours. The roads are single track, so pull into the marked parking areas.

Stay, learn and rent

Full details for every place are in the Pocket Guide.

Balinoe Campsite

Our pick: 5.2 km from the launch

Pitches, pods and bothies in the south-west of the island, also called the Wild Diamond campsite. Its own site still shows 2025 dates, so check the 2026 season before you book.

Website

Tiree Croft Camping

Bookable croft pitches, three a site at 15 pounds a night, with fresh water and chemical disposal in Scarinish. Wild camping from vans is not allowed on Tiree.

Website

Scarinish Beach Hotel

Hotel with a bar and restaurant in Scarinish, the village by the ferry pier, so the first pint after the crossing is close. It shut over the 2025 to 2026 winter and was taking guests again by summer 2026, but hours have been patchy. Check it is open before you travel.

Pocket Guide

Tiree, in your pocket

Everything you need on the beach in one PDF. Save it to your phone and it works with no signal.

01The month: wind, conditions and water02Every hazard, and the local rules03The launches, with maps04Getting there with kit05Stays, schools and kit hire06Where every score comes from

Tiree

When it's good

Is it for you?

Where to launch

Balevullin

Gott Bay

The Maze

In an emergency

Getting there

Stay, learn and rent

Balinoe Campsite

Tiree Croft Camping

Scarinish Beach Hotel

The Reef Inn

Wild Diamond

Blackhouse Watersports

Wild Diamond

Tiree, in your pocket

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