. . . and shadows

Journal writing time in the lounge of the St Columba hotel

I’m watching a group of pied wagtails weaving in and out of the fence close to the lounge window. Beyond them a field of lazily grazing sheep lead my eye to an undulating ocean, more grey than blue.

View from the lounge

The half hourly ferry boat comes into view making its crossing from Fionnphort on the far southwest coast of Mull in a matter of five minutes. Last night, when Keith and I travelled on that ferry at 4:30  we were the only passengers but this morning our morning walk just happened to coincide with the arrival of the ferry on Iona and in minutes multicoloured raincoats were bobbing about the slip like brightly coloured row boats on a wavering sea. Within five minutes the group had split into two faction: those heading directly to the abbey, and those eager to fortify themselves in the  Martyr’s cafe before heading inland. We stepped into  cafe for a moment ourselves, just to see what was on offer for lunch but the long queue and its accompanying noise after our isolated walk was just too much to bear and we settled on a picnic lunch. With sandwiches from Spar and black charcoal cheese from the Low Store with Haggis flavoured crisps we were all set for our picnic chez nous.

Indoor picnic with Haggis chips and charcoal cheese

Beyond the ferry the white houses of Fionnphort faded into the gathering gloom, and soon too the whole of Mull was ‘obscured by clouds.’

Keith sits beside me, absorbed in a book I’d discovered in the hotel library at breakfast time. Written by a retired landscape archaeologist from UC Berkeley the book documents her six month stay on Iona. I had glanced through it remarking on her strong sense of place, something that I share with her, and soon I found references to The Bay Bridge, Santa Rosa, New Mexico, and even Walnut Creek. It explores her relationship with her father and children as she describes the landscape of Iona. Keith was quick to add it to his ‘must read’ list and later managed to download it so that her could dip into it on our trip whenever the opportunity presented itself. A couple of days later I found Highland Cottage where she had stayed, just across from Iona’s post office.

Our morning walk had taken us south on the island. The feature of Iona that has surprised me most has been the vegetation. I found myself thinking back to the time I came to Skye with my parents. I was 14 years old, and my dad was fascinated by the effect of the warming gulf stream had on the gardens of Skye. Bright red apples added colour to my photos of often grey sky and sea, and I’ve never seen as many fuschias in such as small area. Wild flowers in full bloom edged the entirety of the three miles of paved road on the island, and the two hotel and school share an expansive organic garden stretching from the St Columba to the ferry.

We crossed the island to the West coast to The Bay at the Back of the Ocean. We crossed the machair part of which is now used as a gold course. I’d learned that word recently reading Peter May’s Black Hose trilogy, and now I had bought his latest book I’ll Keep You Safe at Waterstone’s in Oban wanting something local to read. During this year I’ve purchased a Detective Montalbano book in Sicily, Jane Austen’s Persuasion in Bath, Simon Armitage’s The White Stuff in Haworth, Tony Hawks’s Round Ireland with a fridge in Dublin and  Halldor Laxness’s Independent People in Iceland. Keith’s friend Cynthia, who had invited me to tea in Bath a couple of weeks ago,  had sent me a gift of Madeleine Bunting’s Love of Country – a Hebridean journey.

Sitting on the beach at The Back of the Ocean I consumed my picnic elevenses: Haggis flavoured chips and a few swigs from my water bottle from my Donner Party hike! I sat on the brightly coloured pebbles, scattered with brilliant red seaweed and relaxed to the soothing whisper of the green water washing over the pebbles onto the white sand. I

don’t think I’ve ever seen such a colourful array of pebbles. Iona is noted for its green serpentine that is sometimes known as Columba’s tears.  Apart from the remnants of fishing creels that were half buried in the shore  we were the only people, or evidence of people, visible.

Colourful beach at The Bay at the Back of the Ocean

After our picnic lunch and the black cheese, which really WAS totally black, I left Keith to work on his sight reading books I set off to do some more exploring –  with the biggest grin on my face. I had always been a family tradition that on every long trip we wrote down our ‘best’ of the trip: best hotel, best meal, funniest saying, worst campsite. Well, Keith’s quote won best quote of the trip. On seeing a lovely shortbread mold mould in one of the Iona gift shops Keith had said, “Why would you want to make shortbread in the shape of a pineapple?” I pointed out that it was, in fact, a Scottish thistle, and next time I saw a live one, perched on a hillside covered in Heather, I drew his attention to it! I also pointed out the Heather. 

I headed north again, trying to find the path that hugs the coast but it seemed to keep coming back inland so i gave up and headed for the farthest point north on the island. It was still very foggy, but just as I sat down on the machair to eat my snack in the shelter of a rocky outcrop the clouds parted and for a few seconds the isle of Staffa and other Treshnish islands came into view. I listened to Arvo Pärt’s Fur Alina which seemed to fit the expansiveness of the landscape here. This was the only spot on Iona that I’ve had internet service too, and I chatted briefly to Anna and Sarah to let them know I’d not disappeared off the ‘edge of the world.’ Rachel’s still zooming around Africa, glamping,  and viewing endangered  white rhinos – not to mention the Victoria Falls.

Later, we checked out the only other hotel on the island, the Argyll, thinking it might be fun to have dinner there, but we both glad that Keith’s friends had recommended the St Columba over the Argyll. It seemed rather dark and cramped compared with the St Columba with its expansive sun lounges and brightly lit dining rooms. We ended up having dinner at the Martyr bar, perched at the very edge of the ocean, where my ‘small’ plate of local mussels, was the biggest serving I’ve ever laid eyes on! Rain streamed down the window as we ate.

Dinner in the Martyr bar

It was much warmer this morning. In fact, it was hot and uncomfortably humid. Keith came over to look at my flat and say hello to my host before we headed out for a wander around town. For the first time since I arrived it was warm enough to eat outdoors and we had a lovely lunch overlooking the harbour, watching the boats going by. We walked up the coast to Dunollie castle, stepping in the footsteps of Turner, Walter Scott, Mendelssohn and Wordsworth. The main tower has a commanding view over the whole bay and adjacent islands. Once completely ivy covered the gardeners were hard at work to rid the stonework of this invasive vine.

The location of the castle has been occupied for over 1000 years. The family moved into a ‘modern’ house in the 1740s and there was an interesting collection of kitchen equipment dating for over a century. I recognized many items from my own childhood!

A willow garden, a fairy garden and a display of ‘Viking’ sculpture added to the interest, and a working loom had been restored and was creating family tartan fabric. We had tea and cakes at the tea shop before heading back into town to collect our bags and board the 3:55 ferry. Keith worked out that he hadn’t been on a ferry since a trip to Calais when he was 21. The sun was out and the visibility was superb. The clarity of light, the expansiveness and the bare ness of the landscape reminded Keith of New Mexico. I had recently had a conversation with someone about how these remote Scottish islands have become my substitute for the desert scenery I have reveled in for many years. There are even ghost towns in Mull that are, of course, high on my ‘must see’  list. We had on the deck and I enjoyed a beer brewed in a Mull brewery commemorating the sinking of a galleon from the Spanish Armada that sunk in Tobermory bay!

We walked the 15 minutes to the Mull hotel and spa which is in a wonderful location just along the coat from the ferry terminal at Craignure. It’s an ugly building, probably built in the 1960s, but the quirky things about the facilities and the service had me more amused than upset. We walked down to the ocean where Keith soon made friends with a doggy eager to ‘go fetch’ and I wandered off to take photos of ruined boats. What else?! We had dinner in the restaurant with a view all the way back to the mainland and we both selected seafood which seemed to be the only possibility in

these surroundings. During dinner we planned our itinerary for tomorrow while commenting on the fact that we seemed to be the youngest people in the restaurant, which was very busy with a large tour group. After dinner I wandered along the shore alone for a while watching the moon rise.

It was much warmer this morning. In fact, it was hot and uncomfortably humid. Keith came over to look at my flat and say hello to my host before we headed out for a wander around town. For the first time since I arrived it was warm enough to eat outdoors and we had a lovely lunch overlooking the harbour, watching the boats going by. We walked up the coast to Dunollie castle, stepping in the footsteps of Turner, Walter Scott, Mendelssohn and Wordsworth. The main tower has a commanding view over the whole bay and adjacent islands. Once completely ivy covered the gardeners were hard at work to rid the stonework of this invasive vine.

The location of the castle has been occupied for over 1000 years. The family moved into a ‘modern’ house in the 1740s and there was an interesting collection of kitchen equipment dating for over a century. I recognized many items from my own childhood!

A willow garden, a fairy garden and a display of ‘Viking’ sculpture added to the interest, and a working loom had been restored and was creating family tartan fabric. We had tea and cakes at the tea shop before heading back into town to collect our bags and board the 3:55 ferry. Keith worked out that he hadn’t been on a ferry since a trip to Calais when he was 21. The sun was out and the visibility was superb. The clarity of light, the expansiveness and the bare ness of the landscape reminded Keith of New Mexico. I had recently had a conversation with someone about how these remote Scottish islands have become my substitute for the desert scenery I have reveled in for many years. There are even ghost towns in Mull that are, of course, high on my ‘must see’  list. We had on the deck and I enjoyed a beer brewed in a Mull brewery commemorating the sinking of a galleon from the Spanish Armada that sunk in Tobermory bay!

We walked the 15 minutes to the Mull hotel and spa which is in a wonderful location just along the coat from the ferry terminal at Craignure. It’s an ugly building, probably built in the 1960s, but the quirky things about the facilities and the service had me more amused than upset. We walked down to the ocean where Keith soon made friends with a doggy eager to ‘go fetch’ and I wandered off to take photos of ruined boats. What else?! We had dinner in the restaurant with a view all the way back to the mainland and we both selected seafood which seemed to be the only possibility in

these surroundings. During dinner we planned our itinerary for tomorrow while commenting on the fact that we seemed to be the youngest people in the restaurant, which was very busy with a large tour group. After dinner I wandered along the shore alone for a while watching the moon rise.

Getting to Iona was the main business of the day. I had  breakfast at the outdoor picnic table with a wonderful sea view and then we were off on our journey.  Unfortunately we’d not been able to book a car rental from Craignure and so we had to get to Tobermory at the far north of Mull. Rather than wait a couple of hours to get the regular bus Keith suggested we got a taxi for the 40 minute journey. Our driver was Chris,  a Lithuanian, who, on hearing we were musicians said, “Oh, Philip Glass, Metamorphosis 1 and 2.” I don’t think he could have made a more unexpected comment. I’ve been to several Philip Glass festivals in Monterey, have reviewed his works for various newspapers and online magazines. But not only did our driver mention Glass, but what an obscure piece to name! I wondered idly if there was some connection in their business, because before Philip Glass gained prominence he was a taxi driver in New York!

Sea front, Tobermory

With Mr Tobermory Womble

Waiting to pick up our Yaris

We arrived at the rental place, getting our first glimpse of Tobermory which Judith reminded me is one of the most popular scenes on jigsaw puzzles with its coloured houses perched on the bay with reflections rippling in the ocean below. I was delighted to find Mr Tobermory Womble outside a shop, but that was the only reference I saw to the Wombles.

The car was a hybrid and we fiddled with the SatNav for a while before getting on the road. The road to Salen was mostly a single carriageway in both directions but I’d read about the challenges of driving on the single track roads which form the rest of Mull’s communication, and their ubiquitous pull-outs for passing places.  We stopped for a brief look at the mausoleum of Major-General Lachlan Macquarie, who, with his wife is buried here. Born in 1761 in

This could be Colorado!

nearby Ulva he became the governor general of New South Wales, Australia. My guide book says that he brought a new humanity to the convict settlements in Australia, so much so that  minor crimes were committed in Britain by despairing people in the hopes that they’d get deported and have a better life! As we walked up the path leading to the museum we were struck by the expansiveness of the landscape. For Keith it triggered memories of the open spaces in New Mexico, big skies, lush vegetation. We even caught a glimpse of three roe deer bounding across a meadow.

Tragedy Rock

South from Salen the road became single track as it bordered Loch Keal. We had to keep a watchful eye on the twists and turns of the road, not to mention the various sheep and cows we encountered. The cliff above us loomed high

and I wondered what it had been like to decide to build this road on the ten feet of land between the rock face and the sea. The rock face is 1000ft high and judging from the debris the rock is crumbling. In the 18th century a couple, celebrating their wedding ceremony retired to their little cottage and were never seen again. Their cottage had been crushed by a gigantic boulder, and from then on this stretch of cliff has been known as Tragedy Rock.

Across the Loch we could see the house on the isle of Inch Kenneth where Sheenah, Keith’s friend whom I had met in Bath once stayed. It was named after Kenneth, one of St Columba’s disciples. Sheenah had been a guest in the three storey Victorian mansion, which was glistening in the late afternoon sunlight.  The Mitford family lived here. See ‘If these walls could speak’ about their time there: https://vimeo.com/14940958. The house now belongs to Charles Darwin’s grand daughter.

It’s only 38 miles from Salen to Fionnphort, but it took us 3 hours to drive with the single track roads and wandering animals to negotiate. We arrived at Fionnphort, Mull’s extreme South West corner in nice time for the ferry to Iona. No visitor cars are allowed on Iona so we had to park the car in Fionnphort and walk down to the boat. We were on the 4.30 ferry and were the only passengers! It’s  a five minute crossing and we were fortunate that we had bright sunlight for our journey. The Abbey of Iona is perched on the waterfront and is only 10 minutes walk from the ferry. The small village of Baile Mor is sandwiched between the ferry and the abbey and mainly consists of one street of cottages, two hotels, a Spar, a cafe and a couple of  souvenir shops. Total population of the island is around 100 but day trippers far outnumber the resident population.

After checking in to the St Columba hotel I was eager to go walkabout while the light was good for photography. The weather is notoriously changeable. The thing that surprised me the most on our reconnoiter to the northern tip of the island was the lush vegetation. I certainly had not anticipated seeing apples trees heavy with fruit on this remote, windswept corner of the world. Ah, ha! I just caught myself. Cynthia, Keith’s friend and one of the instigators of our visit had sent me a gift which Keith gave me on our first evening. It was a wonderful book entitle ‘Love of Country – A Hebridean Story’ by Madeleine Bunting. I didn’t read it on the trip, but since coming home I’ve read several chapters and one of the things she points out is that although today Mull and Iona seem at the edge of the world, when St Columba founded a monastery there in the 6th century these ‘now remote’ islands were the centre of a European culture comprising Iceland , Ireland, NW Scotland and the Hebrides all the way to the Faroe Islands and Norway. hence the Viking invasion of Iona and the removal of Iona’s Book of Kells to the comparative safety of Kells, Ireland. 

We had dinner in the hotel dining room overlooking the bay and after dinner I went off to explore the beaches south of the ferry. I was alone on the white sands and I stopped of a while watching the moon rise about a former chapel that is now someone’s house. There was not a soul in sight and the sound of the water on the pebbles was magical.

IMG_7927

An easy day for my last day in Oban before departing for Mull and Iona. Again, a grey day was in store and I decided you explore the shops again. This time I hit the charity stores where I found a blouse and a fun purple waistcoat. I also tried on lots of shoes, well, boots really. I’d seen them in the window the evening before. Now that I live in the north of England boots are a daily requirement for several months rather than an occasional item as they were in Santa Cruz. I really liked them but perhaps they were just too hippy dippy to wear in Santa Cruz. What do you think? 

After lunch I spent an hour in the small but very full museum which won the

Queens award for voluntary service in 2011. It paid honour to the service men of the war years.

Back in my flat I packed my bags and made my way down to the train station to await Keith’s arrival on the 7:43, the same train from Glasgow that I’d arrived in 5 days ago. There’d been some problem with the train however, and everyone had to transfer trains so I waited in a very busy Wetherspoons. He’d travelled on 5 trains during his journey from Bath and as soon as he’d checked in at The Perle, right on the waterfront he was ready for dinner and an early night.

If the weather had cooperated I would have been on a 14 hour excursion to the isle of Coll today. I’d never heard of the place until I met someone in a Meetup group who talked about a visit there. However, no boats were going to Coll or Staffa today so all in all I felt very fortunate to have had such a glorious day going to Staffa and Treshnish islands.

I indulged myself in a late start, leaving my flat til 10! I set off to explore the back streets of Oban, heading in the general direction of ‘up’ , intending to go to McCaig’s tower which the Rough Guide poetically describes as ‘the only truly remarkable site in Oban.’ I wandered around residential streets with a variety of houses built through several centuries. When I go on ‘walkabout’ by myself it feels very empowering and exciting. It’s a fairly new experience for me and I like the way it felt in Sicily and Iceland. I’d seen virtually no toursts by themselves since arriving in Oban. Eventually I arrived at the strange edifice, reminiscent of a Roman colosseum except this is circular, not oval. Built by some rich guy in honor of his family a century ago it was never completed. I had the place to myself until a couple emerged from the opposite side, who I quickly commandeered to take my photo. The views must be magnificent on a clear day but the islands were enveloped in thick fog which looked as if it had settled in for the day. But I quite enjoy this kind of weather. It reminds me of growing up in Affetside and it inspired me to take photos of things falling apart, or things that need some tender loving care hmm….. like me? 

Returning to town I decided to hit the tourist trail and look in the shops- not something I usually indulge in. I found a fabric store where I purchased a counter cross stitch hedgehog and when I showed the shopkeeper my hedgehog socks he pointed out a bolt of hedgehog covered fabric. Yep! Bought some of that too, along with a Heather embroidery to do.   I found a wonderful chocolate shop where I did indulge in a special got chocolate with cream, and a lemon meringue pie. I sat across from an American couple, the first Americans I’d encountered. I made some comment about how delicious their waffles looked but they didnt appear to be in the mood for company. I left them to their discussion of how many steeps their fitbits had recorded. I also bought the new Peter May book I’ll keep you safe, set in Paris but the story is about a fabric designer from the Hebrides.

I returned to my flat to get out of my wet clothes and eat the dressed crab I’d bought at the ferry, and then, donning dry clothes I set off again, following my nose, on a street adjacent to my flat that I hadn’t been down before. It soon had me climbing high again and I found myself on a footpath marked Pulpit Hill. I felt like I’d discovered its very existence. Again, I’d left the tourists far behind and I had a bird’s eye view of the bay. I came back down by a different route, fully satisfied by my ramblings. I completed the day with my first venture into a bar, adjacent to The Perle hotel. Only two couples were in at this early hour and I enjoyed a window seat overlooking the harbour sipping a   Blue Moon. My evening’s entertainment  was provided by watching an outrageous performance of Grieg’s piano concerto live from the BBC proms. I could not watch the soloist. She put Lang Lang to shame. For the most expressive passages her hair fell completely over her face. It was like watching a spoof of a concert pianist. At least we had fun with it! I tried to text Sarah that I watching it but autocomplete kicked in to say I was watching the ‘grief’ piano concerto. Autocomplete for once got it right!

I got a call at 8:30 this morning from Friendly Donald at CalMac! We’re on first name terms already. He told me that if I could be at the Oban ferry terminal for 9:20 I could join the Staffa and Treshnish island tour. I peered out of my window and a vibrant rainbow was framing the town. All systems go. There would be no food or drink available for the entire day so I had make sure I packed well.

View from my window

It wasn’t until I reached the terminal and picked up a brochure that I discovered that I’d actually be sailing to Mull, to Craignure, then getting a minibus across the island’s narrowest point, and picking up a small excursion boat for the rest of the day.

All aboard for Staffa on Hoy Lass

Another rainbow was present as the huge car ferry set off on its 50 minute journey to Mull. I’ll be doing this same ferry trip on Sunday morning!

Approaching the Treshish islands

So as I stepped foot on Mull for the first time the minibus was waiting. Apart from the driver, who was from Somerset of all unlikely places, no-one else was speaking English as their first language, and, of course, I was the only one traveling alone, a fact that did not escape the driver.

My view from Hoy Lass

It was about 40 minutes drive to Ulva and I was able to see the narrow road with passing places that we’ll have to contend with in a few days. The sun was out and the landscape of Mull was laid out before us, like something from a movie. There were plenty of Sea Otters Crossing signs!

On Lunga

Boarding the tour boat the captain informed us that because of the strong wind we’d be following the proposed tour in reverse order. He assured us that the first 30 minutes would be calm but after that, when we reached the open sea ‘all hell will break loose,’ it was at that point I decided to take a sea sickness tablet, or two. After throwing up for 4 hours going to St Kilda two years ago I didn’t wish to repeat that scenario! AND the captain was absolutely right. A young teen near me was looking decidedly green so I called for a sick bag – and got one for myself at the same time.

By the time we reached Lunga I was feeling decidedly queasy, though I purposely hadn’t eaten lunch. We only had a 45 minute stop here- unscheduled because the captain was still unsure if we’d by able to land in Staffa. The swell was amazing. No-one could stand up. My arm constantly bumped against a window sill and quite often we felt the boat free fall into a trough. It was all quite a thrill. Lunga was tiny though it is, in fact, the largest of the Treshnush arcapelago. It’s a famous bird watchers paradise and 1000 grey seal pups are born there each year.

Ruins of what? On Lunga

It was only another half hour to Staffa, an uninhabited chunk of volcanic rock. It’s fame is due to Mendelssohn visiting it and subsequently composing his Fingal’s cave

Basalt columns at Staffa

overture. Wordsworth and Turner also visited this place.  I climbed the steep stairway leading over the basalt columns to the cave. The walkway into the cave was recently destroyed by winter storms but I

could still peer into the gloom and watch the sea causing even more erosion. It’s very similar to the cave I visited with Rachel on Black Sand beach in Iceland in early June. I sat on a barnacle covered basalt column and listened to the overture on my phone, glad that I downloaded it especially for the trip.

Fingal’s Cave

Beautiful colors

Our return trip retraced our steps exactly and we embarked back in Oban at 6. A quick trip to Tesco on the way home provided me with some delicious seafood which I must now go and cook!

A couple of weeks ago I had organized my 5 days in Oban by booking 2 whole day excursions, the first being being a 14 hour trip to the island of Coll, and the second being an 8 hour trip to Staffa. But unfortunately when I was waiting for my train in Glasgow the ferry company informed me that due to a storm both trips had been cancelled. So- this morning I didn’t have any plan in place. I told Peter of my disappointment and he suggested a couple of alternatives. It was a gloomy, wet start to the day and it stayed that way the whole day.

First I took a walk up the North coast to the ruins of a castle begun 1000 years ago. It mainly consists of overgrown ruins today but the family still live on site in a manor house. I explored a deserted beach and walked back into town through an impressive avenue of trees, past an ancient sea stack that is now in the middle of the woods and past some Mesolithic cave dwellings.

After lunch chez moi I headed out for a sail to Kerrera, only 10 minutes on a tiny boat. It’s this island across the mouth of

Oban Bay that protects the bay and make it the Centre if Scotland’s fishing industry.

We even passed Heather Island! The only other 2 passengers were people who either work or live in the island. It has a

population of 30. I hiked up the hill to the monument which commemorates the man who began the CalMac ferry services which are a lifeline to these scattered Inner Hebrides. By now the rain was coming down seriously and I stopped to don my waterproof pants!  Next I tried to hike the length of the island ( it’s only 5 miles long) but when I got to a path through a field full of Highland cattle I

chickened out and retraced my steps, past a Jacob sheep with 4 large horns, some brown spotted pigs, one enormous pig in its own pen, and lots and lots of rabbits everywhere. A glass of wine on the patio of the bar and grill(which operates the ferry) was just the ticket before returning to Oban in the ferry. The rain stopped and I wandered around some of the streets, exploring the modern catholic cathedral and did some window shopping.

I needed to find some food to take back home and Peter had told me of a ‘goat’ track leading from the house to Tesco. I found it, amazingly enough and purchased some supplies.

Back home after dinner and a nice bath it was time to get started on my travel journal- courtesy of Anna.

All set for the journey to Oban  on 4 trains

Playing the piano in Glasgow central railway station

Essentials for my 9 hour journey

It was cloudy and raining all the way- until I stepped off the train at Oban harbour. Suddenly the sun broke through the clouds and there was a golden glow AND a rainbow.

My airbnb was only 3 minutes walk from the railway station and the harbour, in an old traditional stone building, but inside it was all brand new

Peter, host, is a serious Pink Floyd fan and the TV in my bedroom was tuned to a  continuous YouTube channel of Their music- excellent. A great incentive to put my hedgehog covered feet up.