Scottish Islands Explorer 45: Sep / Oct 2017

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ISLAND AND WILDLIFE CRUISES OFF SCOTLAND’S BEAUTIFUL HEBRIDEAN COAST Museums of Mull Page 36 Colonsay Raasay House Page 8 Page 28 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER September / October 2017 Volume 18 / Issue 5 NORTHERN LIGHT CRUISING COMPANY Exploring St Kilda, Mingulay, The Shiants, North Rona and many other Hebridean Islands. Small groups - maximum 12 guests • From long-weekends to 10 nights aboard. Great Food • Birds • Cetaceans • Walking • Photo Opportunities Call Michelle on 01599 555723 info@northernlight-uk.com northernlight-uk.com Editor John Humphries editor@scottishislandsexplorer.com 01379 890270 Publisher Tom Humphries publisher@scottishislandsexplorer.com Production Design Deborah Bryce production@scottishislandsexplorer.com Proofreader Melanie Palmer Circulation and Enquiries Steve Tiernan www.magazineworkshop.co.uk 01422 410615 Regular Contributors Tom Aston Roger Butler Marc Calhoun Richard Clubley James Hendrie Mavis Gulliver Jack Palfrey James Petre Stephen Roberts Andrew Wiseman Administration Ravenspoint Press Ltd Kershader Isle of Lewis HS2 9QA 01851 830316 info@scottishislandsexplorer.com www.scottishislandsexplorer.com Published bi-monthly Printed by Buxton Press Ltd Palace Road Buxton SK17 5AE 01298 212000 Next issue on sale: 18 October 2017 ©Ravenspoint Press Ltd All rights reserved. ISSN: 1476-6469 Distribution Warners Group Publications Plc The Maltings West Street Bourne Lincolnshire PE10 9PH 01778 391000 Front Cover Mid Thundergay Old Cottage and Kilbrannan Sound by Vivien Martin CONTENTS 4 Editor John Humphries and Guest Columnist Cara McKinnon 5 Vision for 2020 with A Tidal Walk and the Quiz 6 Insights One from the Arctic to Eriskay with Climbing and Walking 7 Insights Two on Transport, Relics, Sound and School Subjects 8 Colonsay Roger Butler attracted by Kiloran Bay 13 Ardanaiseig Hotel Jack Palfrey found a centre of hospitality on the shore of Loch Awe 15 Islands Beyond Tom Aston delves into the discovery of Dundee Island 16 Coire Fhionn Lochan Vivien Martin recalls one of Arran’s finest walks 20 Stromness Lifeboat Station 1867 - 2017 Richard Clubley reflects on aspects of its 150th Anniversary 24 Readers’ Opportunities One Bags (and) a Seat 25 Readers’ Opportunities Two The Pahar Trust Nepal for Secure and Spacious Schools 26 Centrepiece Michael Steciuk sees Arctic terns as ‘angelic sea swallows’ 28 Raasay House Mavis Gulliver visits an impressive residence on an active island 32 Touring the Hebrides Stephen Roberts considers the Boswell & Johnson style 36 Museums of Mull James Petre finds three of them to be remarkable and rewarding 40 A Piece of Australia on Mull James Hendrie visits the Macquarie Mausoleum 43 Living in Shetland Geoffrey Blackman sums up seven years there 46 The Island Lighthouses of Scotland Tom Aston thoroughly recommends a highly-informative account 48 Responses Richard Evans recalls trips to Aran and Arran 49 Crossword Sponsored by the Islands Book Trust Tom Johnson compiles his 30th challenge 50 Island Incidents Roger Butler recalls the effects of a large pothole on Mull SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2017 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER 3
Editor’s Welcome / Guest Columnist VISION FOR 2020 Electorates throughout the free world have to make weighty decisions every few years or so. There are times when wonders quite how it’s done - for political thinking, social engagement and moral crusading are not popular pastimes at present. Everyone, of course, has opinions, but even the waving of banners is undertaken by the few, not the many. The Great Leaders of the past two millennia can probably be counted on our fingers and toes. Yet there is a demand to know more about ‘leadership’. Apparently some 200,000 books are available on the topic and yet, in the end, the advice and values conveyed by the authors should have been absorbed by the end of attendance at nursery school. It’s an area when intuition plays as vital a role as tuition. Time can be saved in reading volumes by trying to simplify the volume of advice given. Weigh up, for example, the guidance given by dieting. Since food products have become both plentiful and skilfully marketed, many people need to heed just four words - ‘eat less; exercise more’. When it comes to endeavouring to lead a fulfilled life, we need to be able to take stock of situations, prioritise what we value, engage our energies and, perhaps, above all to heed the advice of the American thinker, Henry David Thoreau, who observed: ‘Affect the quality of the day - that is the highest of the arts.’ Conscious endeavour is required, to hone the details of living to lift the everyday to the elevated. For those of us who like the exploration of islands, effort is required to fulfil our aspirations to visit them or to participate through the experiences of others. For the former it’s about selecting, planning and preparing for that journey; for the latter it’s simply a matter of renewing your subscription to this magazine and encouraging others to do likewise! John Humphries Editor John Humphries tries to see simple solutions For the Editor’s daily item on Scottish islands, go to john-humphries.blogspot.com Guest Columnist Cara McKinnon Crawford on ‘Islands in the Sun’ Iwas born in Campbeltown and brought up in the Highland village of Strathpeffer. This has, undoubtedly, fuelled my love and connection to water and islands. Lochs, rivers and the ocean are the source of much continual stimulation for me as an artist and for my painting. Across from Campbeltown sits compelling Arran with its highest mountain, Goat Fell, rising out of the sea and a wee taster of what’s to come further north. The Cuillin ridge, Skye, has been a subject for me many times and the panoramic view from Loch Coruisk is, perhaps, my most inspirational. What a privilege it is to gaze over two stretches of water, crossing the sea from Elgol, with Eigg and Rum in the distance, and then to discover the great secret ahead. Over the small stretch of land and river on a cloud-free day is this most majestic of mountains perfectly reflected in the waters of Coruisk. Back on Kintyre, and just to the right of Campbeltown Loch looking out from the town, is the tidal islet of Davaar, famous for, on the walls of a cave, an almost life-size painting of Christ on the Cross. My father, the late John McKinnon Crawford, was an artist, who restored it in the 1960s. Further around the Kintyre peninsula, to the north, is the island of Gigha (‘God’s Island’) and there, right at its tip, is the islet of Cara, after which I was named. So my connection to the islands has been evident from the beginning! However, most of my childhood was spent in Strathpeffer. The West coast is an hour away and I spent many of my weekends playing on the beaches of Applecross, looking across to the islands of South Rona, Raasay and Skye. We also visited Ullapool and Achiltibuie, and I have vivid memories of the enchanting Summer Isles, basking in the glistening sea. Wonderful inspirations are imprinted on my soul, finding expression, through my painting, of how I feel about the visual world. ‘Islands in the Sun’ have provided so many happy memories. Cara McKinnon The phrase ‘Indian Summer’ refers to a warm spell of weather later in the year and derives from a thread of vocabulary associated with North American Indians. It first appeared in literature in 1778, but was not widely used in Britain until the 1950s. Etymology is one thing; meteorology another - especially when considering where and when to travel. Consider how the Scottish islands often experience attractive aspects of the Gulf Stream well into autumn. Think north and west; plan routes; pack for the worst; perhaps enjoy the best. Walk with a Tidal Awareness Getting to Vallay is relatively simple so long as walkers realise that the expanse of sands is, in effect, a tidal causeway. The first thing to do is to consult the local tide timetables. Then it’s to head to Aird Glas, west of Malacleit, North Uist, and to the spot marked Cladach Bhalaigh on the OS Map. This is the start for the route that has to be completed before the fastmoving tide returns. Aim for the islet of Torogaigh, with the dilapidated Vallay House on the left and its ruined farm buildings on the right. You will be walking towards an island which once was the home of 60 people and where, from 1902-05, the wealthy linen-manufacturer from Fife, Erskine Beveridge, built a baronial residence with Quiz: Puffins The puffin is perhaps our most recognisable and popular sea bird. Its population may be in decline, but colonies are still to be found on many Scottish islands. Identify the following ‘puffinaceous places’. 1. A National Nature Reserve east of Bressay 2. An archipelago four miles south west of Mull 3. The highest island in Orkney Vallay - To be crossed with care - Fotosearch central heating, 365 panes of glass and a different design of fireplace for most rooms. He was a social historian and an archaeologist who led research on his island, Vallay. Head across to the sandy bay on the north side and explore Orasaigh and the ancient chapel, with four-foot thick walls, at Teampull Orian. Erskine died in 1920 and his son, George, 25 years later in a boating accident. Their home is classified as ‘a building at risk’ - something of an understatement. Here is a walk to somewhere that can be encompassed. Vallay has approximately the same land area as the City of London. So the square-mile is there to be explored; the return walk to be planned in advance; and the total distance to be covered is some five miles. Traipsing across the sands can be heavygoing, but the elevation to be reached is only 70ft. 4. A coastal island north west of Scourie, Sutherland 5. An island west of Mull, also notable for its geology 6. A World Heritage Site forty miles west of North Uist 7. A small archipelago five miles south east of Lewis 8. A National Nature Reserve in the Firth of Forth 9. The UK’s most northerly inhabited island 10. An island connected to Canna by a bridge Answers on Page 50 4 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2017 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2017 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER 5
Page 1: SCOTTISH ISLANDS THE UK’S ONLY MA
Page 5 and 6: Colonsay ‘Many will recall crashi
Page 7 and 8: Iona’s Argyll Hotel Ardanaiseig H
Page 9 and 10: Coire Fhionn Lochan Coire Fhionn Lo
Page 11 and 12: Stromness Lifeboat Station 1867 - 2
Page 13 and 14: Page READERS’ Index Header OPPORT
Page 15 and 16: Raasay House Raasay House Raasay Ho
Page 17 and 18: Touring the Hebrides Touring the He
Page 19 and 20: Museums of Mull Museums of Mull Mus
Page 21 and 22: A Piece of Australia on Mull A Piec
Page 23 and 24: Living in Shetland SCOTTISH ISLANDS
Page 25 and 26: RESPONSES Responses CROSSWORD Page
Page 27: ‘Incredible wildlife and breathta

Scottish Islands Explorer 45: Sep / Oct 2017

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