The Scotsman published an article by Gareth Moore titled Inner Hebrides Cruise. In fact it’s more a travel report about a cruise in November, a time when the first winter storms hit the west of Scotland which, as the author confirms, results in alterations in the schedule. Gareth choose not just a cruise ship but embarked on the Hebridean Princess, a familiar sight in the Inner Hebridean waters and according to the writer a floating palace of pampering. I myself never had the pleasure of making such a cruise but if I would I know that the Inner Hebrides would be my nr1 choice for making a cruise in Scotland. To share this fantastic experience I’ll offer you a quote of this highly interesting article. With impeccable service, an intimate atmosphere and heart-stoppingly beautiful scenery, a cruise around the Inner Hebrides recharges body and soul: Continue Reading »
Cruising the Inner Hebridean Islands on the Hebridean Princess
Jan 27th, 2010 by Ron
Crew from Calmac Ferry MV Hebrides Make Video
Dec 5th, 2009 by Ron
I have posted this article on my Islay Blog earlier today and I want to share it with the readers here as well: “Ever wondered what the Calmac crew were up to when you arrived safely on your destination and drove off the ferry? Well the answer can be found on Youtube. The crew from one of Calmac’s vessels created a video called ‘Heb Madness’ imitating the band Madness on board one of their vessels. The video is big fun and now they are challenging the crews from other vessels to try and beat them. This is going to be an interesting competition and I can already picture a couple of titles. How about ‘One Sail Beyond’ ‘Nightboat to Oban’ ‘Our Boat’ or ‘It must be Calmac’. For now enjoy the video, it’s great!”
Mull Tips from a Visitor
Nov 14th, 2009 by Ron
When I wrote the travel report about Mull a while back one of the readers sent me an email with some additional information. It’s always good to get some “inside information” and I have decided to publish vicky’s comments here on the blog: “Of the countless castles I’ve visited in Western Scotland, Torosay Castle rates the most visitor-friendly. No ribbons barring tourists from sitting in the parlor chairs and one vast room devoted to library tables piled with scrapbooks inviting you to delve into the life and history of the resident family. I could have spent an entire day looking at vintage photos and reading old newspaper clippings. And how cool is this(?): A hand-written sign at the bottom of the staircase said (as best I can recall), “These stairs lead to our living quarters. You won’t find us all that interesting but if you want, do come on up.” That was in 2005. I really hope it is still as wonderfully quirky and accessible.”
Duart Castle from the Mull Ferry
Vicky also mentioned something about fish and chips: “The best fish and chips in all of Scotland are served daily from a food caravan on the Tobermory Pier. to convince you have a look here. The site has an interesting article: “The Prince of Wales gave a fish-and-chip van the royal seal of approval as he paid a visit to Scotland yesterday.” They report that, “The Prince tasted fresh scallops from the Fisherman’s Pier chip van in Tobermory, Mull, and declared them “delicious”,” before adding that, “Owners Jeanette Gallagher and Jane MacLean were delighted to serve the royal visitor with some local produce.” According to Vicky The line starts forming a good half hour before they open. Bring your own napkins and plan to eat standing up unless you can find a curb or lobster pot to sit on.
Hidden treasures of Scotland’s seas to be explored
Nov 2nd, 2009 by Ron
Some of the secrets and mysteries surrounding Scotland’s rich marine heritage could soon be revealed according to the Scottish government. The Scottish Marine Bill aims to improve the protection of Scotland’s treasured marine heritage and our understanding and enjoyment of it. It is hoped that technological advances and opportunities for closer co-operation on survey and data collection, will help locate undiscovered marine heritage sites such as historic shipwrecks. And under the Bill, a new Historic Marine Protected Area provision will allow a broader range of historic assets to be protected in a proportionate manner. Continue Reading »
A Land that Lies Westward Book Review
Oct 10th, 2009 by Ron
The eighth International Conference on the Languages of Scotland and Ulster was held at the Columba Centre (Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle), Isle of Islay in July 2006. Although papers from the entire field of Scottish and Ulster language study were included, a special focus was on the areas of Islay, Jura and coastal mainland Argyll. The languages, place-names, culture, history, literature and culture of this distinctive area of Scotland were examined in papers which are revised and edited for this publication by Derrick McClure, John Kirk and Margaret Storrie, presenting a fascinating collection of new studies by leading scholars.
Earra-Ghaidheil, ‘the coast of the Gael’, was where the Gaelic language was first established in Scotland, and the collection begins with an account of the Gaelic of South Argyll by scholar and researcher, George Jones. Concentrating on Jura Gaelic and its differences from Islay Gaelic, Jones provides a detailed linguistic examination and calls for further research to be done while native speakers remain alive, for sadly Jura Gaelic appears to be in terminal decline.
The theme of place-names is continued in papers by Peter Drummond of Glasgow University and Paul Tempan, researcher in the Northern Ireland Place-name Project. They present complementary studies of place-names, the first concentrating on mountain names in Islay and Jura and the second extending the discussion in time and space by tracing ancient Indo-European roots of the word structures, and examining instances of it in Ireland. Continue Reading »
Tobermory Distillery Isle of Mull in 1885
Sep 30th, 2009 by Ron
Tobermory Distillery late 1800s
Nowadays the Tobermory distillery website states the following: “It takes something unique to create an Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky. There is a unique blend of location, ingredients, timing and people. Just as Mull is a special place, nestled on the West Coast of Scotland and Tobermory is a unique distillery, as the only one on the island, the people who craft our island spirit are artisans of their craft.” It’s interesting to see what Alfred Barnard wrote of his visit of the Tobermory Distillery back in the late 1800s.
THE voyage from Oban to Tobermory in fine weather is one of the pleasantest imaginable; the scenery is described in many of the guide hooks, but none of them have ever done it justice. After passing the ruins of Aros Castle, we obtained a fine view of Benmore, 3,097 feet above sea level, the highest mountain in Mull, and for the next two hours we feasted our eyes on scenery of surpassing beauty. Steaming round the island of Calve, we entered the bay, at the head of which stands Tobermory, “the well of our Lady St. Mary.”
Small Islands Film Festival Isle of Islay
Sep 23rd, 2009 by Ron
Columba Centre Bowmore Islay
The programme for this years festival is as follows:
Friday 2nd October
7.15pm – 9.30pm Session A
I Know Where I’m Going Revisited (dir. Mark Cousins, 1994) 30min
I Know Where I’m Going (dir. Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, 1945) 91 min
Saturday 3rd October
10.00am – 12.15pm Session B
Blackman’s Houses (dir. Steve Thomas, 1992), 58 min
Being Rapanui (dir. Susan & Santi Hitorangi, 2007) 56 min
4.30pm – 6.00pm Session C
The Island Tapes [St Kilda (dir. David Allison, 2008); A New Way to A New World (dir. Peter Murray, 2008] 16 min + 15 min
Act of War: The Overthrow of the Hawai’ian Nation (dir. Puhipau & Joan Lander, 1993), 58 min
7.30 pm – 9.45pm Session D
Home and Away (dir. Mike Alexander, 1974) 30 min
The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (dir. Luis Bu?uel, 1952) 90 min
On Saturday a selection of Gaelic documentaries and Film G shorts will also be available for viewing in the Library Resource Centre. All Sessions: £15(£10 con.) Individual Session: £4 (£2 con.) Full Festival & film details on: eileananbeaga.wordpress.com
Tiree Wave Classic Surfing Video
Sep 17th, 2009 by Ron
In less than a month the world’s best windsurfers will compete against each other at the UK’s premier windsurfing competition, the 2009 Tiree Wave Classic. Running from 10 to 16 October, the 6-day event gets dedicated worldwide TV coverage as competitors brave the full Atlantic furies of wind and waves off this remote and exposed Hebridean island. If you like to stay up to date on the latest news check out the official website or follow them on Twitter. To get you in the mood of this windsurfing event I can suggest to watch the video below. It’s part one of two and if you are interested to watch part two have a look here. Enjoy!
Isle of Coll
Sep 12th, 2009 by Ron
I’m happy to announce another new page on the Southern Hebrides website. This new page is about the most north-westerly island in the Southern Hebrides, the Isle of Coll. The islands neighbours to the east are Mull and Ardnamurchan Point, and Gunna and Tiree to the south-west are Coll’s closest neighbours. Coll is a relatively flat island compared to Mull and some of the other islands but has plenty of beautiful sandy bays and an interesting coastlines ready to be discovered. The new page is made in cooperation with Susan Campbell, a friend from Islay. The new page is available from the following url: www.southernhebrides.com/isle-of-coll.html.
Another reason for this blog post has something to do with the population on Coll, which is currently around 200 people. There is an interesting story to tell about the decline and growth of the islands population. The following article appeared in the Oban Times titled Isle Of Coll Population Explosion and was written by Moira Kerr:
Touring the North of Mull
Aug 19th, 2009 by Ron
It was the last week of February 2009 and we stayed with friends in Lochaline on the Morvern Peninsula. A remote and lonely area with only a few villages, lots of mountains and great scenery, although we missed most of that when we arrived the day before when we took the Corran Ferry to cross Loch Linnhe. The weather was horrible, pooring rain and almost zero visibility. Luckily the weather changed and on a Thursday in the last week of February we saw ourselves on the Calmac ferry from Lochaline to Fishnish on the Isle of Mull. It was bright and sunny with an occasional shower presenting great light conditions and dramatic skies, fantastic.
Lochaline Morvern seen from the Calmac Ferry
The ferry crossing takes about 10 minutes and when you head for Tobermory you enter the longest stretch of “normal road”, the A849, which stretches all the way from Tobermory in the north to Fionnphort in the south-west, gateway for Iona. All the other roads on Mull are single track. The first stretch of our trip took us from Fishnish passing Salen Bay to Tobermory. We had great views over the Sound of Mull towards Morvern and when a heavy rain shower passed we were rewarded with a beautiful rainbow.
Rainbow Sound of Mull
Tobermory is a colourful town, very picturesque and well equipped for visitors and locals alike. Important buildings in the town include Tobermory Clock Tower, a museum, the Tobermory Scotch whisky distillery, the Isle of Mull Brewery, and an arts centre. We had a nice stroll and were lucky that the rain stayed away, in fact the sun came out and we decided to continue our journey to the west.
Tobermory Isle of Mull
The road out of Tobermory to Dervaig is magnificent with Mishnish Lochs on the left while the road climbs higher and higher to Achnadrish. The views are sometimes breathtaking and you feel like being alone on the island. It will probably be different in the summer but in late February it was so very quiet, which was an added bonus. Dervaig is a wee village with a remarkable church tower, all white and rounded off. I haven’t seen anything like it elsewhere in Scotland.
Calgary Bay in the North of Mull
We headed for Calgary Bay in the far north-west of Mull and were lucky that a huge shower had passed just before we arrived. Calgary Bay is beautiful with it’s magnificent sandy beach, blue-green water and surrounding hills. Well worth a visit! We continued south over the B8073 towards Ensay and Tresnhish, probably named after the Treshnish Isles, a couple of miles south-west of Treshnish Point. Usually you get to see the Isle of Coll but another shower arrived so we headed south-east and enjoyed the magnificent road and views.
Mull Loch Tuath and Treshnish Isles in the distance
When you arrive at Tostarie you get to see dramatic views of Loch Tuach and the isles of Gometra, Ulva and further out to sea, to the west, the Treshnish Isles. We enjoyed this stretch of road immensely with its ever changing light, moods and views. There are several places here where you can stop and enjoy the scenery which is what we did as well.
Dramatic Light Sound of Ulva
Just passed Lagganulva which is nothing more than a couple of houses and a school, is a road to the right that takes you to the Ulva Ferry pier. There is no access for cars to Ulva which makes the island even more interesting for a visit, unfortunately we had to save that for some other time. Heading back for the main road towards Salen we stopped on a passing place overlooking the Sound of Ulva with more breathtaking views to the isles of Eorsa, Inch Kenneth and the high cliffs on the left which I believe belong to Creadh Bheinn. The sun broke through some dark clouds which gave extremely dramatic views somehow fitting to the stunning landscape.
Loch na Keal Isle of Mull
The road from Killiemor to Kellan along Loch na Keal usually offers splendid views of Ben More, with 966 metres the highest mountain on the Isle of Mull. Today however clouds covered the summit but the views of the loch and the light conditions made up for that. It was now 4pm and we headed back to Fishnish to catch the last ferry to Lochaline. It was a memorable day and we had a magnificent tour over the most beautiful part of Mull. I’m sure there is a lot more to discover which is all the more reason for a return visit.
