Tiumpan Head – Risso's Dolphins and Whales from the Shore
A few hours.
The route
Tiumpan Head is the far eastern tip of the Point peninsula on Lewis, a grassy headland with a lighthouse looking across the Minch to the mountains of the mainland.
It's one of the few places in Britain where Risso's dolphins can be watched from the shore, and harbour porpoises, minke whales and seabirds pass here too. Bring binoculars, a flask and plenty of patience.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The day
Point
A couple of hours on a cliff top with binoculars, scanning the sea for fins and splashes.
About two hours
Tiumpan Head
Tiumpan Head is at the very end of the road east through Point. Parking is at the bottom of the hill and is very limited. There's no parking in the turning circle in front of the lighthouse, so leave the car below and walk the short way up the tarmac road to the spotting area by the lighthouse. The headland is a Shorewatch site on the Hebridean Whale Trail. Harbour porpoises and Risso's dolphins are seen here all year, sometimes close in, and common and white-beaked dolphins pass too. Minke whales are most often seen from April to October, and humpbacks and orcas turn up now and then. Nothing is promised, so settle in and give it time. Seabirds nest on the cliffs in summer, black guillemots and divers are about all year, and you may see a white-tailed eagle. The lighthouse is working and isn't open. The cliffs are high: keep back from the edge, hold children's hands and keep dogs on a lead, and leave it for a calmer day in rain, mist or a strong wind.
If it rains
Tiumpan Head is open cliff top with no shelter, and fins are hard to see in rain, mist or a choppy sea. Leave it for a calm, dry day.
Photographs by Louise Chambers and Richard Stephens via Google