Scotland

DAY 2-3 OBAN

The train ride to Oban was quite pleasant, with a view of Loch Lomand and other lochs, and green mountains as we got deeper into the HIghlands. At one point we passed Kilchurn castle (photo courtesy of Wikipedia). 

Oban is a small seaside town near the historic Dun (castle) MacDougall, also known as DunOllie. We explored the ruin and visited the museum occupying the house used by the family in the 17th century. The castle was perched on a promontory with expansive views of all water approaches to it, and as is turned out, a beautiful view of the Oban waterfront.

Our taxi driver managed to get us a dinner reservation at EE USK, which he said was the best seafood restaurant in town. It didn't disappoint.

The next morning we got a ferry to the island of Mull. The plan was to take the bus to see the sights. On arrival, we couldn’t get transportation by bus or by taxi (all 3 of them) due to an island music festival, so we took the next ferry back to Oban. Got a good view of the Duart Castle on the way. We couldn’t pass up more of Oban’s incredibly fresh seafood, so ate an early dinner at the “green shack,” which was frequented by seagulls as much as people.

DAY 4 - OBAN AND TO SEA

After breakfast, we said goodbye to Jan and Maggie as they departed for home by train. Judy and I took a walk along the old quay and visited a museum dedicated to the community's service in wartime, where a patch for the Troop Carrier Group my dad was part of was displayed.

DAY 5 - SEIL AND EASDALE

After a scrumptious breakfast, we sailed down the coast of Seil for a 5-mile hike through seaside and farmland. Footing was a bit “squidgy” as Jannos put it, due to Scotland’s continual rains. On the other hand, Scotland wouldn't be so verdant without them. Blackberry bushes along the way provided a tasty snack. At hike’s end, a ferry (small motorboat, really) brought us across 100 yards or so of water to the tiny (some parking lots are larger) island of Easdale, home of a just-held annual rock-skipping contest, conducted in an abandoned slate quarry. Contestants come from all over Europe and beyond. 

The history of several of the local islands is dominated by slate mining, which provided roofing for houses across Britain and can be found as far as Nova Scotia and Melbourne. A good part of Easdale’s acreage was eaten up by its seven slate pits. The  ~60 residents keep wheelbarrows near the dock to bring their goods home. 

DAY 6 - JURA

Another quiet anchorage and a solid sleep left us ready for a 3-hour sail to the island of Jura, where we came across a bothy, a stone building that hikers can stay in for free. Must be nice to be able to shelter from the unpredictable weather.

Just around the corner was the “corpse cave,” where bodies of those who passed in winter were kept. Why? Burials were done on the island of Iona, a spiritually significantly site (Saint Columba from Ireland brought Christianity to Scotland in the 6th century, starting on Iona), but winter weather was too severe to permit a crossing when the only means of propulsion at sea was oars and sail. The cave was pretty creepy, with the remains of a goat and some bones lying around.

The next inlet held a happier surprise: a mother seal and her white-furred pup. We moved slowly and kept quiet to keep from disturbing them, though the mom kept casting a worried eye toward us.

Beyond the shore, we trekked through the hills, seeing red deer, wild goats, and a golden eagle. 800,000 deer must be culled each year to prevent overpopulation; hunting for stags has become an industry.

The last mile required some “bracken whackin’” across a fern-covered slope to reach the cobbled shore where the ship's dinghy picked us up.

Interesting bit of geology that was evident on Jura: when ice age glaciers melted the sea level rose, creating beaches that are now well above today's shoreline.

DAY 7-8 JURA

We re-boarded Lady of Avenel, and Charles demonstrated his sailing mastery by navigating a narrow passage among rocks and shoals into upper Tarbert Sound. Huia did a great job of steering the ship all the way through the maze under Charles’ tutelage. Charles said he’d first done that with this ship about 10 years ago, perhaps the first time a brigantine had done so under sail only (no motor) in 200 years.

About 4:30 the next morning, the ship’s anchor started to drag due to high winds. I awoke to the sounds of the anchor being raised and lowered again and the engine powering up in an attempt to re-anchor in a different spot. That wasn’t successful, so Charles motored the ship back through the narrows and into the sound. Winds were blowing up to 60 mph and seas beyond Talbert Sound were high, so the day’s hike was delayed until we got to the other side of the island.

We waited until 10 a.m to depart to allow wind and waves to settle down a bit. Huia and Nessie went up the rigging to secure a sail that was loose. Charles navigated through still-heavy seas around the south end of Jura to the east side. We went ashore in the dinghy and took a fairly short hike past farmland and the ubiquitous sheep. I noticed that though Scotland is trying to restore the old peat bogs, peat is still harvested.One house at the far end of the bay echoed the lines of a castle, and the roof was of sod. Nessie came to pick us up from a small boat ramp, but the strong breeze and current put the dinghy on the rocks. Jannos waded to the rescue and pulled it over to us.

On. the way to our next anchorage, Judy, Valerie, Robert, Iris, and Tom climbed the rigging with the help of Jannos and Claudio. (Tom is a rock climber, so he didn't need much help.) Everyone had great fun and came away wth a sense of accomplishment. Lots of fun for me just to watch Judy. And they were doing this while the ship was pitching and rolling through 6-8 foot swells. We anchored for the night near the mainland for the next day's adventure.

DAY 9 - KILMARTIN GLEN

Tom's meals were always wonderful, and he kindly accommodated my body's sensitivities. He even managed to find gluten-free black pudding. It's a common feature (along with haggis) of Scottish breakfasts.

The main destination for the 9-mile day's hike focused on Kilmartin Glen, which holds the mainland Scotland's' largest concentration of Neolithic sites. A short detour took us to  Carnasserie Castle,  Home to about 50 people, it was built in the 1560s. The first book written in Gaelic may have been presented to the Earl of Argyll here.

The Kilmartin Museum is a custodian of artifacts from the Glen, providing insights into 12,000 years of local history.  The Kilmartin Parish Church next door houses a collection of medieval and later carved gravestones.

About 6000 years ago, people began constructing ritual and funerary monuments. Several rock cairns dating to the Bronze Age (one is Neolithic) along the valley contained the remains of what were important people of the times. The Temple Wood site consists of two stone circles. The nearby Nether Largie standing stones are thought to be a lunar observatory built to predict eclipses. The stones are still important to some people today; a group conducted a ceremony while we were there.

The bucolic countryside in and around the Glen was delightful.

DAY 10 - GARVELLACHS

Another restful evening on the ship, and we headed to the remote Garvellach island group by way of the treacherous Gulf of Corryvrecken,, where strong tidal currents from the North Atlantic course between Jura and Scarba and create havoc. In certain conditions, there is even a giant whirlpool. The ship pitched and rolled, and the sound of crashing pots and pans and glass rang from Tom's galley. Charles let Judy steer the ship until we reached this area, then became very focused at the helm. He's a true sea captain.

After a tricky landing, we embarked on the last hike of the voyage, and made our way to the highest point on the island of Eileach an Naoimh, where we at lunch and enjoyed a panorama of the area we'd been sailing through for the past week.

The island's historical significance dates to 542 AD, when Brendan the Navigator from Ireland landed here and founded a monastery.  That was about 20 years before St. Columba, credited with bringing Christianity to Scotland, founded his monastery on Iona.   

The last night of our voyage was spent on the west side of Kererra Island, close to Oban. After another of Tom's amazing dinners-- lamb tajine with apricots--we went below to our cabin. Going back out into the passageway, I heard the sound of a fiddle. Unbeknownst to Judy and me, an impromptu kayleigh was underway. Nessie is not only a top-notch first mate, but a well-known fiddler in the UK busking community, where you must audition to perform publicly. She performed some traditional tunes, then Tom joined in on penny whistle. Charles sang an old sea tune, plus a hilarious version of "Paddy's Sick Note." Huia, with a voice of tender beauty, held us in thrall with two Maori songs. 

This was the real deal--not an act for tourists, but a group of friends expressing their culture. When Jannos insisted on dancing, though, it really was time for me to go below. Attempts to make room were made by moving tables, but it didn't really work. Nevertheless, rhythmic footfalls were heard for a while before we went to sleep.

Video clips:

Sing-along of "The Crinan Canal for Me": https://drive.google.com/file/d/1klVqH1JzAo-wrzkx043KcpaUNwsg5Ce_/view?usp=drive_link

     full version performed and lyrics: https://www.waterwaysongs.info/Songs/C/crinan.htm

Charles' Paddy's Sick Note:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1f1-uT4fx6HE_FpOBXwnnu-JT89q6Cjcu/view?usp=drive_link

Charles' sea song: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16TgDdyV_BpUfYohSV9ZEQCsdeQrsjAiw/view?usp=drive_link

Tom & Nessie duet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FAcZCTLmuNfmhROnCuRilGh9TcgWD1jp/view?usp=drive_link

HuIa's video of dolphins playing in the ship's bow wave: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R9ouwin-pCicM9_uZJZYJ2PDT2cFPQrg/view?usp=drive_link

DAY 11

It took only 20 minutes to Lady of Avenel to motor from the far side of Kererra into Oban's harbor. We said our goodbyes, and Nessie took us ashore in the dinghy. Ending the voyage was a bit sad, but my gratitude for it will be lasting.

Next leg of the trip was by train to Ft. William to rent a car. The train was late, and we stopped for dinner, all of which resulted in driving  part of the way to the north end of the island of Skye in the dark. Rural Scotland roads are much narrower then I'm used to in the US, shrinking to one lane in many places, with pullouts for passing. i had driven on the left before in New Zealand, but the new perspective from the right seat of our tiny rental car had my full attention, particularly after nightfall.

DAY 12

After a good night's sleep on the Isle of Skye (reached by bridge) and breakfast at the pub next door, we headed for our first sightseeing destination, the Fairy Pools. Passing patches of blue sky left a blue-green cast on a series of pools and waterfalls along a mountain stream. The views were expansive.

The next lodging featured a kitchen, so we stopped at the food co-op in Potree for a few groceries. The Fairy Glen was not far away. The geology, shaped by post-Ice Age avalanches and erosion, has earned a mythical reputation, and there is more than one latter-day labrynth on the grounds.

DAY 13

This cozy little cabin was home for three nights, and a short drive from the Quiraing area, where we ascended 1300’ in 2.5 miles to the top of the Trotternish Ridge, which uplifted during the Jurassic. Marvelous views up and down the coast.

Then over to Meals Falls, which plummets from a large pond to the sea. It’s edged by impressive basalt columns that reminded me of a like formation near Los Alamos.

On the beach at An Corran is a dinosaur footprint in rock that’s visible at low tide, as well as myriads of shellfish fossil bits.

Along the main road is a small museum housed in what had been a schoolhouse. The docent is a bright and enthusiastic young lady whose father amassed the museum’s collection plus a shed’s worth more, everything from dinosaur bones to dairy churns—fascinating slices of local history.

60% of the place names here are Norse. Not sure about this one, but sounds like the people work hard.

DAY 14

Back to the Trotternish uplift for another climb to see Old Man Storr, a lava formation that split away from the cliffside 6000 years ago, along with his siblings, The Needle and the two-holed Cathedral. 

We stopped at a roadside museum consisting of seven croft houses, each one featuring an aspect of bygone island life such as the smithy shop, post office/store, and a typical home. One house was lived in by John and Annie Graham, who had 10 children, until 1957, Seems to be a lot of people by that name.

DAY 15

On our last day on Skye, we took a look at Duntulm Castle, a Pict fort that was taken over by a Viking leader around 900 AD. Perched on a promontory, it and other forts along the coast served as lookouts for approaching enemy vessels. 

Just across a cove are ruins of croft houses, evidence of the Highland Clearances from 1750 to 1860, where tenant farmers were forcibly removed from their homes by landlords who saw more profit in raising sheep and cattle. Some landlords evidently felt remorse, as they paid the 2+ pound per person fare for passage to America. This is a reason there are so many Scottish surnames in the US, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere.

An afternoon ferry to us to Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides, one island with two names, divided by geography and clan affiliation. Enroute to our B&B we stopped at the 4000-year old Calanais standing stones made famous by the series Outlander. They are truly impressive, though no one disappeared when placing a hand on them. Got to have the right jewel, I guess.

We stayed for a night in a quiet and hard-to-find little B&B on the moors.

DAY 16

Our B&B host suggested places to see, including the Black Houses at Gearranan, which were inhabited until 1974. Very similar to the croft houses on Skye, but started during an earlier period. Both have thatched roofs permeable to the rain. One of the houses at Gearranan is a museum that has preserved the interior and furnishings. A docent who lives in the present-day village related the history and lifestyle of those who lived there until 1974. He surmised that the term Black House was derived either from the Gaelic word for black, which sounds like the word for thatch, or from burning peat for heat and cooking, which likely left the interior blacked, as the houses had no chimneys, only a hole in the roof.

Last stop before catching a ferry back to the mainland was  Dun Carloway, a 3-story Iron Age broch, a round fortlike building, one of many and a Scottish invention.

By ferry, next destination was Ullapool, where the Seafood Shack near the waterfront served one of the best meals of the trip, an enormous half lobster for Judy and a superb seafood sampler for me. By far, Scotland had the freshest and best seafood I've eaten.

Our lodging for the night was a renovated house just outside of town that had belonged to one of our host's aunt, with another gorgeous view of the sea. We stayed in what had been the kitchen.

DAY 17

An hour's drive and another climb took us to the top of Stac Pollaidh, an eroded peak that was exposed above the ice sheet during the Ice Age. Wonderful vistas in all directions. The lower part of the trail passed through a small birch forest.

DAY 18

A long drive to Drumnadrochit, a village on Loch Ness. In the morning we visited Urquhart Castle, which had a turbulent history and played a role in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th Century. Spread along a headland overlooking the loch, the castle had been expansive and housed hundreds of people. A trebuchet, a feared siege engine of the Middle Ages, sat near the castle entrance.