Wind & Tide

Until I came on this visit to the Hebrides, 'Machair' was only a TV show that constantly pops up on my iPlayer feed (currently Series 8, Episode 9) and remains unwatched by me - not least because even the BBC limits its description of the show to "Gaelic soap"

Out here, I hope I have become a little more sensitised. It is a term used to define a kind of fertile, low-lying, coastal, species-rich grassland that is produced by particular mix of soil, weather and land management. It forms behind beaches on which the sea has washed up, and then pulverised, large quantities of shells, and westerly winds have then blown the shell-sand on to higher ground, where it is colonised by a wide range of grasses and broad-leaved flowering plants. Managed grazing by cattle and sheep (as historically practiced by crofters), potentially with some rotational arable cultivation, mixed with exactly the right rainfall and temperatures, completes the recipe for what are, by repute, spectacularly beautiful wildflower meadows in spring, and the basis for diverse populations of insects and birds

My guess is that there is some local and academic discussion about exactly what is and is not Machair. I also expect that they are extremely fragile environments, sensitive to changes in management, climate, water table or air quality. They are certainly very rare and restricted in the UK - present only in the Outer Hebrides, Coll, Tiree and a few enclaves on the inner isles and mainland promentories.

This is one of those enclaves. In December, the Machair itself is unremarkable to a non-specialist - a close-cropped green sward, albeit with a lot of broad leaves evident. The colonisation of new areas by pioneer plants was easy to spot, and this white beach that provides the shell-sand is spectacular: peppered with new shells by each tide, as the picture shows, and featuring collections of snail and other shells piled inches thick. The rainbow colours make great pictures, but this one best reminds me of the quiet magic of such a place