SOROBY – SHÒRABAIDH
A PEACEFUL BAY RICH IN LINKS TO IONA AND THE VIKINGS
On the south side of Tiree, Soroby is a peaceful rural area of fields and low dunes. but walking west along the bay towards Soroby graveyard reveals the landscape and settlements the monks from Iona and the Vikings would have known. Near the shore is the site of a major late 19th-century discovery: a 10th-century Viking boat burial. Norse settlers didn’t just pass through Tiree – they established roots here, using Tiree as a vital hub on the “marine superhighway” between the Northern Isles, the Isle of Man and Dublin. Though the burial site is no longer visible, the bay’s sweeping views make it easy to imagine Viking longships coming and going in these same waters.
Near Soroby graveyard is the site widely believed to be a monastery founded by St Columba’s cousin and second Abbot of Iona. There were strong links between Iona and Tiree at this time and along the walk you’ll hear stories of banishments and survival from plagues. People have been buried in Soroby graveyard since before the Vikings landed and the intricate carvings on the MacLean cross are Celtic on one side and Christian on the other.
Start/ End: Patterson Corner – Soroby. Circular back by beach or road.
Park and Meet: East end of Soroby bay at Patterson’s corner/An Talla
Walking Distance: ~4 kms (out and back) – 1.5 hours
Terrain: Easy, sandy beach, grass, and road