Pharos

This was the Sound of Mull just after eight this morning at the start of a second day of bright sunshine and a light, but cold northeaster - the Tobermory ferry can be seen at top right taking some of the village's children across to school.

The fine weather is having a cheering effect on the population. This morning, everyone seemed to be out walking. Participants in the weekly 'health walk', which meets every Tuesday at the Community Centre at 10.30am, enjoyed the Sanna road while two intrepid younger ladies walked all the way from Kilmory back to the village.

Around midday the Northern Lighthouse Board's Pharos went down the Sound - she's pictured here passing Bloody Bay. Named after the lighthouse of Alexandria, built in the third century BC and one of the seven Wonders of the Ancient World, she was launched in 2006 in Gdansk, Poland. She's the tenth NLB ship to be named Pharos, the first being in 1799. This Pharos is based in Oban.

Pharos's main task is to service the NLB's 200+ lighthouses, beacons and buoys, all of which are now automated. To do this, she often carries a small helicopter: the landing pad can be seen above her bow. We see her at work when she services the Tobermory Lighthouse, the Ardmore Point beacon, and the buoy that marks the Red Rocks at the entrance to Loch Sunart.

The Pharos passing Tobermory Lighthouse