Yumpu_ May_June 2017_02

SCOTTISH 

ISLANDS 

THE UK’S ONLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO EXPLORING THE ISLANDS OF SCOTLAND 

EXPLORER 

Colonsay 

Ruined Village 

Hideaways 

Outer Hebrides 

MAY/JUNE 2017 £3.95 

Orkney 

SPECIAL PLACE 

DVD 

SKYE HIGH 

Monachs 

PAST TIMES 

Plus: Flying Duchess - Atlas Arts - Machair - and much more ...

Inverness 

9-11 Bank Lane, Inverness, IV1 1WA 

01463 719171 | inverness@struttandparker.com 

Machair 

Page 28 

Colonsay Hideaways in the Outer Hebrides 

Page 16 

Page 20 

SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER MARCH/APRIL 2017 Volume 18 / Issue 3 

Ross-shire | Gairloch | Melvaig Offers Over £450,000 

A truly wondrous B listed property located in a timeless and enchanting location amidst majestic landscape 

and wild seascape of the North West Highlands of Scotland. 

First Officers Quarters: Entrance hallway | Dining kitchen | Lounge | Master bedroom with en suite | 2 Further bedrooms 

Shower room. 

Keepers House: Ground Floor: Entrance hallway | utility room | Cloakroom | Kitchen | sitting room | conservatory | double 

bedroom with en suite | home office/study. 

Upper Level: Galleried landing | bathroom | 2 en suite bedrooms | Further 2 bedrooms. 

Staff Accommodation: Separate block with a bedroom, dressing room, shower room/WC and wildlife viewing hide. 

Outside: Various outbuildings | Former stables | Storage space 

EPC - G 

facebook.com/struttandparker 

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60 offices across England and Scotland, including prime central London 

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John Humphries 

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Tom Humphries 

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Regular Contributors 

Tom Aston 

Roger Butler 

Marc Calhoun 

Richard Clubley 

James Hendrie 

Mavis Gulliver 

Jack Palfrey 

James Petre 

Stephen Roberts 

Andrew Wiseman 

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Front Cover 

A ruin at Riasg Buidhe, Colonsay, 

by Roger Butler 

CONTENTS 

4 Editor John Humphries and Guest Columnist Shona Grant 

5 Vision for 2020 with Walks and Rides and the Quiz on Ferries 

6 Insights One covers Cycling, Walking, Bothying and Lighting Up 

7 Insights Two recommends Richard Clubley’s new book on Orkney 

8 Five Weeks on the Monachs 

Rosa Baker recalled them vividly 

13 Bute has Four A-rated Attributes 

Jack Palfrey particularly enjoyed the Bute Backpackers Hotel in Rothesay 

15 Islands Beyond 

Tom Aston looks to the left of Australia, to Heard and McDonald Islands 

16 Colonsay’s Ruined Village 

Roger Butler explores the ruins of Riasg Buidhe 

20 Hideaways in the Outer Hebrides 

Kenneth Steven plotted a journey to include them 

24 Readers’ Opportunities One 

Socks, Covers, Backpack and ... Skye-high 

25 Readers’ Opportunities Two 

Souvenirs of Skye 

26 Centrepiece 

Tanera Ar Dùthaich - Kevin Percival’s Exhibition at the Rhue Art Gallery 

28 Machair 

Mavis Gulliver has witnessed a decline in abundance 

32 A Quiet, Natural History 

Stephen Roberts discovers several aspects of Orkney 

36 The Flying Duchess 

David Saunders traces the life of an avian- and aviation-enthusiast 

40 Skye Excites the Emotions 

Ron Hill shows how past events can add to our experience 

43 Fibre Optic Broadband 

Gordon Eaglesham assesses its transformative progress 

46 Island Castles 

Tom Aston considers aspects of extensive conference proceedings 

48 Responses 

Jennifer Flynn reflects on a day and night on Arran 

49 Crossword Sponsored by the Islands Book Trust 

Tom Johnson provides crossword enthusiasts with his 28th challenge 

50 Island Incidents 

Roger Butler recalls winning a cruise on the Hebridean Princess 

MAY / JUNE 2017 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER 3

Editor’s Welcome / Guest Columnist 

VISION FOR 2020 

Editor 


on vital elements 

of choice 

There is an awful lot happening around us and we are in a 

position, thanks to modern communicating, to be aware 

of it. Much of the stimulus to which we are exposed is awesome 

and has never been available to so many people before. 

Products that were not imagined, let alone devised, are now 

available at the click of a button or the swipe of a credit card. 

The process of shopping has been radically changed with the 

customer in a crucially powerful position of being able to 

locate goods remotely, compare prices, select within seconds, 

request them to be delivered the door and, if necessary, 

returned without that much additional effort. In some ways, it 

has become too easy, with shopping by indiscriminate whim 

rather than by considered judgement. 

Time has taken on a different perspective, with fifty as the 

new thirty and families growing up with children knowing all 

four grandparents. Three of mine were long dead before I was 

born. Getting older will always have its problems, but expectations 

do have a higher anticipation of excitement than in 

previous generations. There is also a tendency for old precepts 

to take on new aspects. 

I learnt the other day that the first purpose-built lido - from 

the Italian for beach - was not constructed in Britain until 1935. 

Then a fad was underway and 169 were built. Their heyday is, 

of course, over, but there has been a recent revival of interest 

and some re-construction undertaken to satisfy a new 

demand. If you feel compelled to encourage this open-air 

activity and learn more, consider the Lidos History Society! 

So whether we are, in cultural terms, a ‘leaver’ and want to 

move on to new activities or a ‘remainer’ and stay to cherish 

existing pursuits, the choice is ours. There are islands, like 

Colonsay, which has a remarkably high rate of returners and 

those, like St Kilda, where so many visitors are first-timers. What 

matters is that we can travel to recapture memories or 

adventure to conceive concepts. 


For the Editor’s daily item on Scottish islands, go to 

john-humphries.blogspot.com 

Guest Columnist 

Shona Grant recalls 

a photographic 

upbringing 

Growing up on the island of South Uist has greatly 

influenced my work both as a photographer and 

as an artist. I was surrounded by the sight and sound of 

the sea every day as a child and I find that as an adult I 

am now naturally drawn to it and return each year to 

Uist, particularly in the winter months to capture its 

many moods. 

The colours in winter can be so striking with slate grey 

tones in both the sea and the huge skies that are so typical 

of the Outer Hebrides, together with the ever constant 

wind. The beaches run the length of the west coast of the 

islands and stretch on and on, broken only by the 

occasional rocky promontory such as at Bornish Point 

or Stoneybridge. 

These places are fantastic if there is a big sea running in 

a winter storm. Making photographs in these conditions 

can be really challenging with sea spray everywhere and 

simply trying to stand is difficult. There are calm days too 

when I tend to focus on the movement of the waves as 

the tide washes in over the shore. It leaves the most 

wonderful wave trails when I put a dark filter in front of 

the camera lens to slow the motion down slightly. 

Another favourite place to go is Howmore with the 

river full of peaty water flowing down the beach to the 

sea. The rocks there have some wonderful shapes and 

patterns which are accentuated when soaked by the 

waves breaking over them. I have always had an interest 

in photography which, I think, came from watching my 

father taking photographs of the landscape and of the 

people of Uist and Eriskay. 

I remember standing on a chair holding the cameraflash 

as he took photographs of a local wedding, and I 

often watched him work in the darkroom processing and 

making prints. It’s lovely to return to Uist now to make 

my own photographs and with all the memories the 

island holds for me. 

Shona Grant 

www.shonagrantphotos.com 

The title of this regular item is a reminder that the year in question will, all being well, mark 

ten years under the same editor, when he aims to have mastered running the publication. 

Time has a way of catching us unawares. At least the year 2020 is flagged when new and 

renewing three-year subscribers are entered on the database. 

Walks and Rides 

The name of Cumbrae derives from 

the Old Norse, Kumry. Viking settlers 

were probably more absorbed in 

matters of domination to consider 

walking around the eleven-mile long 

coast for pleasure. They would have 

had to wait around a thousand 

years for the bicycle to evolve. 

Coincidentally, Great Cumbrae is now 

known as ‘The Island of a Thousand 

Bicycles’ - for it is a paradise of cyclists 

and encourages them. 

The range of machines from the 

renters in the only settlement of 

Millport is wide - from standards to 

mountain models, adult and children’s 

tricycles, electric bikes and even a 

seven-seater conference variety. Their 

availability helps to boost the all-round 

year population of 1,376 on the 4.5 

square-mile island. It’s a place that 

attracts, with an additional 23,000 

vehicles to the average arriving on the 

ferry during 2016. 

Cumbrae has interesting rock 

formations, with the fault lines 

creating some highly-visual 

‘sculptures’, and the raised beaches 

and Horse Falls plunging from the 

old sea cliffs providing geological 

interest. Near the highest point, the 

417’ Gladstone Hill, is a natural pond 

used for curling and the venue for 

the Dumfries Cup back in 2010. It is 

also in the area for walkers to 

acquire some astonishing views on 

clear days. 

Quiz: Ferry Connections 

The major ferry routes which connect 

the larger islands of Scotland with 

towns such as Oban and Aberdeen 

are very well-known. However, many 

ferries come and go between less 

populated places. Identify the settlements 

with which the following places 

are linked by ferry. 

The Cathedral of the Isles, the UK’s smallest cathedral, is on Great 

Cumbrae, situated behind the Millport esplanade where the cycle 

shops are to be found. Photograph from Andrew Wright. 

To the north are the Upper Clyde 

Estuary, Ben Lomond and the 

Arrochar Alps. Turn right around and 

the views extend to Bute, Arran, out to 

Ailsa Craig and occasionally to 

Northern Ireland. Come back a little 

and there are the Paps of Jura. 

Walking is a special way to see 

Cumbrae, with the golf course 

extending close to the summit. 

However, maybe wait to fly over 

from Edinburgh or Glasgow on an 

Atlantic crossing! 

1. Feolin (Jura) 

2. Fishnish Mull) 

3. Ulsta (Yell) 

4. Clachan (Raasay) 

5. Ardminish (Gigha) 

6. Rhubodach (Bute) 

7. Ellenabeich (Seil) 

8. Port Ellen (Islay) 

9. Maryfield (Bressay) 

10. Fionnphort (Mull) 

Answers on Page 50 

4 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER MAY / JUNE 2017 


Page 

INSIGHTS 

Index Header 

Cycling, Walking, Bothying and Lighting Up 

walking, 

show all 81 of 

INSIGHTS 

Page Index Header 

Orkney - A Special Place: A New Book by Richard Clubley 

Tom Aston suggests you buy into the author’s astute observations 

Cycling The Hebridean Way 

by The Offcomers - Janet Moss 

and Pete Martin 

£14.00 Published by the Authors 

978-0-9956770-0-5 

The Hebridean Way has caught on, all 180 

miles of it, from Vatersay to The Butt of 

Lewis. The authors have researched with 

both diligence and imagination to 

minimalise the challenges of long-distance 

cycling and maximise the interests and 

pleasures en route. Here, in a brilliantlypackaged 

book, are directions; background 

information; advice on supplies, services 

and 

If you 

accommodation; 

regard cycling 

detours 

The Hebridean 

to excite. 

The End to End Trail 

by Andy Robinson 

£16.95 Cicerone 

978-1-85284-512-4 

Way as an ultimate, then consider this 

guide on walking from Land’s End to 

John O’Groats on footpaths. The 1206 

miles are broken down into 61 sections 

of 20 miles each. So put aside two 

months, train, prepare and, above all, 

consult this reference book and pack it. 

Here is a blend of 40% established 

long-distance paths and 60% thoughtfully-described 

routes. 

When on the topic of long-distance 


Another Shore - Six Longdistance 

Walks 

by Roger Legg 

£13.99 Xlibris 978-1-4797-6964-3 

enthusiasts should consider following in 

the footsteps of the author and his treks 

across Wales from Rhoose Point to Great 

Orme Head; Scotland from 

Ardnamurchan to Peterhead; England 

from the Isle of Wight to Allendale; 

Scotland from Allendale to John 

O’Groats; Orkney and Shetland; Norfolk 

to the Fens. 

Peter Edwards knows his way around 

Walking on Rum and the 

Small Isles 

by Peter Edwards 

£14.95 Cicerone 978-1-85284-662-6 

and how to communicate local history, 

geology and wildlife. Here are 16 

routes across and around Rum, Eigg, 

Muck, Canna, Coll and Tiree. The 

range of walks are from days out for the 

family to endurance events for the 

initiated. The juxtaposition of OS 

maps and eye-catching photographs 

gives a sense of sound direction and a 

compulsion to explore. 

Here is the first guide that endeavours to 

The Scottish Bothy Bible 

by Geoff Allan 

£16.99 Wild Things Publishing 

978-1-910636-107 

the Mountain Bothy Association 

buildings and many other bothy cabins 

and mountain huts in Scotland. Two are 

on Rum and 12 are on other islands. This 

reference book is sturdy, with pagemarkers 

in the extended covers; 

informative about facilities and routes; 

illustrated in a way that takes you to the 

accommodation in spirit. 

Scottish Lighthouse 

Pioneers 

by Paul A Lynn 

£16.99 Whittles Publishing 

978-1-184995-265-1 

The author successfully places the 

lives and work of the world-famous 

Stevenson lighthouse engineers in their 

social and historical context. It draws on 

accounts by literary figures, Walter Scott 

and, inevitably, Robert Louis Stevenson. 

The focus is on Orkney and Shetland 

with the climax being the rock on which 

the ‘impossible lighthouse’ was built, 

Muckle Flugga. 

Richard Clubley is no stranger to these pages and it has 

been obvious here, for at least the past ten years, that he is 

in a love affair with islands, in general, and Orkney, in particular. 

In fact, he fell for Orkney some 30 years ago. 2017 will 

see his new book, Orkney - A Special Place, published and 

he and his wife moving there to the house that they are 

having built. 

What is the appeal of the 400 square miles of land within 

the 3,500 square miles of sea? Many of the 21,000 

residents are enthusiasts for the area which is often rated 

highly in surveys asking about ‘the best place to live in the 

UK’. Perhaps the reasons include - the variety of different 

aspects of life, the fresh and invigorating air, a sense of 

history and a feeling that technological changes are 

supporting its future. 

The author takes his readers on a series of journeys in 

which the focus switches between time, place, people and 

events. It all started there in Mesolithic times, some 10,000 

years ago, with the first settlers. By the Neolithic era, 

Orkney was something of a cultural and 

enterprising hub, with present-day 

archaeologists revealing more about its 

thriving culture, treasures and 

complexity of buildings. 

This is where a theme appears in the 

book, with an emphasis on innovation. 

Such diverse topics as the techniques 

employed at The Ring of Brodgar, the 

exploits in the Arctic of Dr John Rae, the 

expertise shown by furniture-makers, 

food manufacturers and musicians, the 

building of fine churches for peaceful 

worship and robust causeways for wardefences. 

The ways in which the young reveal their 

attitudes to island-life is unexpected. They 

may not have travelled far ... yet, but one 

senses that they will go places. Richard 

himself ventured further than Orkney 

Mainland and looks at causeway construction 

on Hunda, how an enterprising pair of 

ladies walked from Clevedon to Cava, 

school-pupils’ responses on Westray and 

how Papa Westray has the oldest of 

houses. 

Lighthouse-keeping has its chapter and 

this is timely for the human skills in this 

profession have only recently been 

supplanted by the ‘robotic staff’ of mechanisation. 

Cruise-liners arrive safely and their 

passengers will have a brief introduction to 

the ancient landscape and cultures. 

However, their duration ashore will be ephemeral, at best! 

Richard and Beverly Clubley will soon be permanent 

residents. They will not, however, be ‘Know Nothings’ - for 

the knowledge conveyed in his book will make them 

‘special people’, brilliantly-informed and interesting. They 

have a head start in having experienced the attractions of 

the place for years. Purchasing the book will set you on a 

comparable path in which pleasures have been distilled. 

Send a 50-word account to editor@scottishislandsexplorer.com 

describing how you have been / or think you will 

be inspired by Orkney. You may win one of the three copies 

of Orkney - a Special Place being given away. 

Further Information 

Luath Press Ltd www.luath.co.uk £9.99 978-1-910745-95-3 


Five Weeks on the Monachs 


‘One could spend a whole week sharing the 

island with 5000 seals and their pups ...’ 

Five Weeks on 

the Monachs 

Rosa Baker recalled them vividly 

In the Autumn of 1981, my husband and I spent almost five weeks on the Monachs 

studying seal-pup mortality. Although it was neither the first nor the last of many island 

visits, it was probably the most magical. Heisker is an island like no other and depending 

on one’s criteria, scarcely an island at all. It has two names, Heisker and the Monachs. 

Actually it is one island at low tide; three at high tide; five if one includes Shillay and 

Stockay; and six if one includes the unfortunately-named high rocky islet of Scrot Mor. 

Those normally included are Ceann Iar to the west and Ceann Ear to the east, with Shivinish 

suspended between them. Some would reckon Heisker to be less an island, more a very large 

mobile sand-dune. 

In fact, until the 16th Century when a tsunami struck the Hebrides, it was joined to 

North Uist by several miles of sand. It is to me, however, an island without peer, my 

favourite. Apart from seeing the occasional fisherman, we had it almost to ourselves for 

those five weeks in ’81. By the end of our visit, I felt it was ours and definitely did not want 

to go home. 

Swelled by Some Thousands 

We were kept on the island by storms (this was late October) and the seals we had come 

to study had all gone to sea, their numbers swelled by some thousands of pups. So vivid are 

the memories that it is hard to recall that many seal-breeding seasons have passed since that 

year when I felt that the Monachs were mine and the memories just that, memories with 

no physical reality. 

Here is a National Nature Reserve owing to its machair, seals, wintering ducks and geese. 

The wildfowl were arriving during our occupancy and roosted on the little lochan, our only 

source of drinking water, filling it with down and droppings. Since then the lighthouse has 

been brought back into use and the school-house has been restored. 

It certainly needed repairs. One of the first things we learned was that if living in a building 

with window glass missing or replaced by cardboard, the best way to keep warm is to pitch 

a tent inside the building. People had lived here from pre-history, with a nunnery in the 

Middle Ages, to crofters and fishermen until their evacuation in 1942 since when only two 

buildings had a roof, the school-house and its privy. 





Like Watered Silk 

In spite of being almost featureless, the highest point is only 

62’ above sea level, great beauty features, both on a large-scale 

and in its details. For example, in high winds the sand-dunes 

re-arrange themselves in stripes like watered silk. In storms 

the sand has it unwanted side when a gently sloping beach 

could become a 30’ high cliff, impassable for new-born seals 

that were swept out to sea. 

One could spend a whole week sharing the island with 5000 

seals and their pups and, occasionally, with a feral cat which 

a visiting zoologist had left behind. No one but us went to 

the north and west, though the south-east and school-house 

would fill with lobster fishermen if the weather turned. We 

would then move out of the school-room, with its graffiti of 

ships, to the larder, with its powerful odours. 

They were lovable fisherman, bringing us fresh supplies and 

the occasional crab or lobster. In exchange we unravelled old 

nylon rope to make lobster-pots and brought firewood from 

the beach. Oakum or tarred fibre was picked out on the 

Sabbath because it was an indoor activity and therefore not 

visible to the Free Church minister, allegedly on North Uist 

... with binoculars! 

Working-lives 

The fishermen had varied life-stories. One was a native 

of the Monachs and had attended the school until evacuation. 

We had not appreciated that most of them had spent 

their working-lives in the Merchant Navy until one usually 

silent individual startled us by joining the discussion 

with “The last time I went through the Panama Canal 

...” 

Most were crofters from Grimsay and Benbecula, but 

one was Glaswegian, formerly a bouncer in a Paisley 

dance-hall before taking up a new life as a fisherman on 

retirement and entering public life as a community 

councillor. The army personnel connected to the 

Benbecula rocket range widened his social contacts and 

he was known to almost everyone by his conversational 

line, “So I said to the Brigadier ...” 

It was he who took us out for a day’s lobster fishing, 

thwarted by the few, undersized catches. As a bonus he 

took us to the then derelict lighthouse on Shillay where 

we saw Scotland’s only black white-coat seal pup - not 

melanistic, but born in the former keepers’ coal-house 

and thick with coal-dust. The ascent and descent of the 

lighthouse was made in total darkness for a torch had 

not been taken for fishing. 

Our Memories 

Here was quite a terrifying experience, with the steps 

treacherous from bird-droppings and the twigs of their 

nests as well as our memories from literary sources 

concerning the wicked uncle trying to kill Alan Balfour in 

Kidnapped. The writer was, of course, the really 

appropriate author, Robert Louis Stevenson, a member of 

the lighthouse-building dynasty. 

We recalled our personal space being 

invaded when at one sunrise a Sea King 

helicopter landed a few yards from our 

door landing a doctor wearing a wet-suit 

and carrying his medical bag. The reasons 

are too complicated to explain, although 

connected to Ceann Ear being the only 

uninhabited island to have a solarpowered 

telephone. 

On another occasion a Zodiac inflatable 

was run onto the beach, disgorged two 

telephone engineers and half-a-dozen 

squaddies who spent the afternoon 

building a large and ambitious sandcastle. 

This was quite a contrast to the time spent 

afterwards at home with our reference 

books, which provided such information 

that the Monachs were an official reserve 

because of the quality of the machair 

flowers. 

Exists in the Minds 

As autumnal visitors we could have been 

forgiven for asking, “What flowers?” Would 

someone who visited in June say, “What 

seals?” Would we have known about 

migrating geese if we had not stayed extra 

days because of bad weather? Every 

visitor to an island has a different picture 

to take home and arguably the island 

only exists in the minds of those experiencing 

it. 

Equally the memories in the minds of 

visitors and the images depicted in their 

photographs bestow immortality on the 

seals, the geese and on such as the infinite 

re-arrangement of sand grains to make 

ever-differing patterns. 

Rosa Baker (1940 - 2016) was born in 

Hereford, brought up in the Welsh 

Marches and lived for most of her life in 

North Wales. Her first Scottish island 

was Tiree (excavating with the 

Hunterian Museum, Glasgow) and then 

Orkney. With her family she continued 

excavating and holidaying in Scotland. 

She joined her husband on seal-research 

field-trips to such as the Monachs and 

North Rona. She visited 83 Scottish 

islands, as well as 91 others worldwide, 

and was in Orkney just two months 

before her death despite infirmity caused 

by Parkinson’s Disease. 

Page 8 Top: The school-house, 

Caenn Ear. 

Below: The author being rowed 

ashore, Ceann Ear. 

Left: Cutting up driftwood to burn. 

Below: A sleeping week-old seal 

pup on Ceann Ear. 

The photographs were taken by 

John Baker. 



Bute has Four A-rated Attributes 

MILLPORT 

GREAT CUMBRAE 

Cathedral of the Isles 

Britain’s Smallest Working Cathedral 

Accommodation for Groups & Individuals 

Programme of Retreats and Creative Workshops 

cathedraloftheisles.org 

office@cathedraloftheisles.org • 01475 530353 

Garrison House Café 

Food … for Thought 

Open 10.00 - 17.00 

School-holidays 9.00 - late 

Hearty Breakfasts 

Lunches and Dinners 

Healthy Options 

garrisonhousecafe.com 

lynne.fitnut@gmail.com 

Bute has Four A-rated Attributes 

Jack Palfrey particularly enjoyed the Bute Backpackers Hotel in Rothesay 

Bute is the place to be - with access, activities and accommodation, 

all attracting an A-rating. Access from Glasgow is 

fast, with direct rail and road routes, taking in a scenic journey 

along the Clyde and an hourly, 35-minute ferry-ride from Wemyss 

Bay. Alternatively there is a similarly-frequent service from 

Colintraive to Rhubodach in the north of the island, involving a 

500-yard crossing in only five minutes. 

Activities are multiple with daily events in the season and 

various festivals focused on such attractions as music, cycling, 

motor-cycling, flight, sailing, gin and beer. Accommodation is 

plentiful with a range of accredited hotels, guest-houses and 

bed-and-breakfast establishments, together with individual 

properties connected with Mount Stuart. My attention, 

however, was drawn to the Bute Backpackers Hotel. 

Here is a capacious hostel-style residence, with space for 50 

guests housed in private rooms rather than dormitories. Located 

on the esplanade, with sea-views, it offers kitchens, common 

room and even conference facilities. Bathrooms and showers 

are to be found on all floors, adjacent to the bedrooms. This is 

generous accommodation that is available at the equally 

generous bargain-price of £20 per night. 

A warm welcome is assured by the proprietor of over ten years, 

Sandy Johnston, who understands the needs of guests and 

strives to provide them. His interests are wide - in property 

development, classic cars, writing poetry and music as well as 

performing in bands - and his local knowledge means that 

sound advice is available for island-explorers. 

Bute is certainly an island that invites explorers of all sorts - 

from riding the buses operated by West Coast Motors, cycling 

both on- and off-road, walking a variety of footpaths, playing 

golf on a course with dramatic views, fishing waters from 

chartered boats, discovering its six beaches and the fabled 

architecture of the Victorian Gothic mansion, Mount Stuart, 

with its gardens and woodland. 

This was an island famed for providing pleasures. Many took 

advantage of the fleets of steamers available in their heyday to 

sail down the Clyde to Rothesay. In 1938, the Rothesay 

Pavilion was opened on the Promenade and attracted visitors 

and residents alike with its grand ballroom, concert hall, wedding 

venue and civic centre. It is now a £12 million restoration project 

that is due to be completed in 2019. 

The map shows that there is much open country between, 

ironically, Buttock Point at the top end and Garroch Head at the 

bottom. Lochs Fad and Ascog are centrally situated, landlocked 

from an extensive coastline. There is even its own off-shore island, 

Inchmarnock. So consider Bute as a ‘must’ to visit and experience, 

with a fourth ‘A’ word to be included - ‘Adventure’. 

Bute Backpackers Hotel, Rothesay. 


Bute Backpackers Hotel www.butebackpackers.co.uk 

Sandy: 01700 501876 / 07746 794935 

butebackpackers@hotmail.com 


ISLANDS BEYOND 

Small-group expeditions to Arctic Norway, the 

Solovetski Islands of Arctic Russia, Greenland and Kamchatka 

• Arctic and Antarctic voyages by ship 

• Dog sledding, cross country skiing, boating, kayaking, hiking and wildlife trips 

• Tailor-made Iceland and the Faroes - flights from Scotland 

• Greenland - East and West coast: Wildlife and natural history 

• Wildlife of Russian Far East - by ship 

• Wild Scotland: Oban - Aberdeen 13 - 23 June 2017 

• Aberdeen, Fair Isle, Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen 22 - 31 May 2017 

• Across the Artic Circle: Aberdeen to Longyearbyen 23 June - 6 July 2017 

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Ninestone, South Zeal 

Devon EX20 2PZ 

Tel/Fax (44) 01837840640 

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In the previous edition my eyes were drawn to the right of 

Australasia, beyond New Zealand towards the 

International Date Line and the Antipodes Islands. Going 

there would have involved a voyage of well over 500 miles from 

populated settlements. Look at the image of part of the globe 

and cast your eyes to the south-west, beyond Perth in Australia’s 

lower left corner, by some 2500 miles. 

Here are Heard and McDonald Islands, some 2600 miles to 

the south-east of South Africa and about 1000 miles north of 

Antarctica. They are part of the Australian External Territories 

and contain that country’s only two active volcanoes. In fact, 

Mawson Peak, Heard Island, is higher at 9006’ than any other 

part of the Mainland. This is just a small exposed part of the vast 

Kerguelen Plateau in the Indian Ocean. 

Heard Island group measures 142 square miles and is 80% 

ice-covered, with 41 glaciers. McDonald Island is 27 miles to 

the west and even with Flat Island and Meyers Rock is only 

one square mile in extent. The former group has volcanic 

activity with the last eruption on 2 February 2016. The latter 

was dormant for some 75,000 years and then, in 1992, 

showed its active tendencies. 

An Open Window 

They are distinct and rare places for here are pristine island 

eco-systems with an absence of alien plants and animals as 

well as virtually a complete lack of human interference. The 

conditions that prevail have been described has providing ‘an 

open window into the earth enabling observations of 

geomorphic processes and glacial dynamics.’ 

Visitors were not recorded before the second-half of the 

Well to the south-west of Australia - Fotosearch. 

Tom Aston looks to the left of Australia, to Heard and McDonald Islands 

19th Century, although the first sighting of Heard was 

apparently on Wednesday 27 November 1833 by a British 

sailor, Peter Kemp, while journeying from Kerguelen to the 

Antarctic. On Friday 25 November 1853, however, the 

American, Captain John Heard, sighted the island, reported 

it and had his name linked. 

A short time later, on Wednesday, 4 January 1854, Captain 

William McDonald, of Scots descent, was the first to see the 

islet subsequently to be named after him. The first landings 

were some years apart. Captain Erasmus Darwin Rogers led a 

party to Heard in March 1855. Then in February 1971 came 

the first individuals to record being on McDonald when two 

Australian scientists were helicoptered there. 

World Heritage Site 

There were parties of sealers who temporarily resided on 

Heard, under appalling conditions, from the 1850s with a 

peaking of their numbers at 200. Since then it has been 

occasionally ‘home’ for small groups of scientists whose work 

has involved observation, not massacre. The British passed 

ownership to the Australian Government in 1947 and the 

islands became a World Heritage Site in 1997. 

Amateur radio enthusiasts have been to Heard occasionally 

and Cordell Expeditions were there last year. The abbreviation 

for the two island groups is ‘HIMI’ and the authorities 

have conferred internet domain status with the suffix ‘.hm’ 

This unused facility matches the ‘.bv’ of Bouvet or Bouvetøya 

Island, another peri-Antarctic island, the most remote place 

on Earth that makes HIMI sound ‘homely’! 


Colonsay’s Ruined Village 

Colonsay’s 

Ruined Village 

Roger Butler explores the ruins at Riasg Buidhe 

The ferry is nosing along the east coast of Colonsay and excited travellers peer through 

binoculars at the rugged coastline and a knobbly horizon of hills. The pier at Scalasaig 

sneaks into view and the pontoons around the new fish farm wobble in the waves. A heron rises 

lazily from the shore as a seasoned visitor grabs someone by the shoulder and points to a wedge of 

rising moorland. 

It takes a moment or two to spot the row of small roofless houses which effortlessly merge into 

the heath and the heather. This is the ruined village of Riasg Buidhe and the view from the ferry 

shows how its former inhabitants were quite isolated from other parts of the island. Their walls 

and gables, now empty for almost a hundred years, are slowly merging back into the bracken. 

Passengers have already started to make their way towards the car deck as the line of houses at 

Glassard, on the north side of the harbour, comes into view. There have been some recent additions 

here, but the original pebble-dashed properties were built to re-house the people of Riasg Buidhe 

(pronounced ‘risk-booee’) after the First World War. The ferry groans as it manoeuvres towards 

the pier, but the ruined village has now completely disappeared behind a long low headland. 

‘Riasg Buidhe includes the remains of a chapel, 

which may indicate that an earlier settlement 

pre-dates the row of houses.’ 

270 Million Years 

The walk from Scalasaig to Riasg Buidhe passes the houses at Glassard, wriggles across half a mile 

of moor and drops towards patches of salty marshland with views to the Paps of Jura. A black dyke, 

interspersed with sparkly crystals and dating back 270 million years to the Permian period, runs 

along the north side of Port a’ Bhàta, which was the landing place for the old village. 

The people of Riasg Buidhe were fisherfolk and, during the week, the men would hole-up in one 

of the big caves on the west coast of Jura, possibly near Ruantallain by the northern entrance to 

Loch Tarbert. They would return with their catch, under sail or using oars if necessary, though 

these trips came to end with the outbreak of war and by the 1920s the inshore fishing had all but 

ceased. Yet until the 1970s, the remains of old fishing equipment could be found in a crevice above 

the tideline. 

Several decades ago, an islander was able to recall: ‘On Sunday you would have thought these men 

came out of a mansion. Every one of them had a blue suit, with the trousers beautifully creased, and 

even though they had walked across the rough ground to get to the church there was never a mark 

on their clothes. Then, when the service was over, they would walk home and away would go the 

blue suit, back into the chest until next Sunday. They would then put on their navy blue jerseys 

once again, which were almost a uniform amongst them’. 

16 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER MAY / JUNE 2017



declined throughout that century and mirrored the change 

in numbers on Colonsay as a whole. In 1841, 68 people 

were recorded living in 14 households. The residents even 

included incomers from Mull and Jura, but 30 years later 

there were only 49 inhabitants in nine houses. 

Ten years on, it appears only five houses were still 

occupied and numbers had fallen to just 19. They rose in 

the next census but, by then, the island population had 

dramatically fallen from its peak of 979 in 1841 to less than 

400 and only 25 residents remained on the eve of the First 

World War. 

face peers out from the top of the monument and the two 

arms of the cross contain carefully shaped spirals. 

The base terminates in the shape of a fish-tail and the age 

of the cross implies that the vicinity may have had special 

significance before settlement. King Edward VII and 

Queen Alexandra visited Colonsay House in 1902 and 

planted commemorative rhododendrons in the subtropical 

woodland around St Oran’s Well. The King 

apparently caused some amusement by noting that the face 

on the cross “Was a very good likeness of the chief engineer 

on the royal yacht.” 

Page 17 l-r: The ruins of Riasg 

Buidhe seen from the hill to the 

south of the village. Colonsay’s 

new fish farm can be seen offshore, 

with Scarba beyond. 

This house stood at the western 

end of the village row and, in its 

later days, was fitted a roof of 

tarred felt. 

An old rusty bedstead is slowly 

engulfed by grass. 

This man-made basin, used to 

grind barley, can be seen on the 

top of a rock in the graveyard. 

Above: Stone walls once formed 

small enclosures in the area 

between the houses and the 

church. 

Right: Half a mile of moorland 

lies between Riasg Buidhe and 

the scattering of houses at 

Scalasaig. Glassard, where the 

villagers relocated in the early 

1920s, lies at the foot of the hill. 

Photographs taken by the 

author, Roger Butler. 

Tragic Visitation 

Today, the row of empty houses is 

reminiscent of the village street on St Kilda 

and the writer, Alasdair Alpin MacGregor, 

thought the ruins looked like the result of 

some tragic visitation. Eight single-storey 

dwellings survive and one or two still 

retain traces of high-level slots which 

supported wooden crucks. 

Early photographs show thatched roofs 

on the row of the houses which formed the 

main ‘street’. This sloped gently eastwards 

in the direction of the sea and other 

pictures, taken in front of some of the 

properties, reveal whitewashed walls, small 

windows and well-used panniers. Barefoot 

children stand outside a doorway and 

washing hangs near two detached buildings 

at the west end of the village. 

The pictures show that the thatch had 

deteriorated and a later photo (taken after 

the move to Glassard) reveals that the two 

cottages furthest from the sea had been 

refurbished with roofs of tarred felt, while 

the rest of the terrace now stood empty and 

roofless. The houses are known to have had 

earthen floors and one of the two basic 

rooms would have contained simple beds, 

while loft spaces were often spread with 

bracken or twigs to make sleeping quarters 

for children. 

Pioneered Improvements 

The two cottages with felt roofs now 

stand proud from the rest of the row and 

retain chimney-breasts that appear to 

have been added after they were built. 

However, not everyone seems to have 

taken to the new-fangled chimneys. In 

1829, Baron Teignmouth reported that 

the laird of Colonsay had pioneered 

improvements to the island’s housing 

stock, but found it was easier to build 

chimneys than to get tenants to use them 

- even with the incentive of rent 

allowances. 

The ruins seem to date from around the 

start of the 19th Century, though it is 

known a small farm was already established 

in the vicinity. The population of the village 

Uninscribed Gravestones 

Riasg Buidhe includes the remains of a chapel, which may 

indicate that an earlier settlement pre-dates the row of 

houses. A number of uninscribed gravestones lie within or 

near the boundary of a crumbling enclosure. A distinct 

round basin, cut into a rock in the graveyard, would have 

been used to grind barley and the remains of a well can also 

be seen to the south of the old chapel. The windswept larch 

tree next to the chapel is now showing its age. 

The most remarkable remnant from Riasg Buidhe is the 

distinctive 7th or 8th century carved cross which was 

relocated from the old burial ground to St Oran’s Well, 

within the policies of Colonsay House, sometime in the 

1870s. This stood almost four feet high, though ten inches 

were broken off when it was moved. A mystical sloth-like 

Safe-keeping 

In 1974, a small cross was discovered in the wall of an 

old out-house. This appeared to be part of an old 

flagstone and its slightly irregular shape, which was 

pecked rather than carved, led some historians to 

consider it may have been of relatively recent origin. 

Nevertheless, it was taken to the National Museum in 

Edinburgh for safe-keeping. 

Today, the ruined village would be the perfect setting 

for a children’s adventure story. But what happened to the 

islanders who moved over the moor towards Scalasaig? 

The first of their four semi-detached houses was ready by 

1922 and, nearly a century later, descendants from those 

families at Riasg Buidhe still live at Glassard. 



Hideaways in the Outer Hebrides 


‘An adventure it was indeed and a privilege 

to get a sense of the sheer distinctiveness 

of all the islands ...’ 

Hideaways in the 

Outer Hebrides 

Kenneth Steven plotted a journey to include them 

It was Kristina who gave me the idea, because she had 

never been to any of the Outer Hebridean islands 

before. We live on Seil, which is best described as a semidetached 

island with its Bridge over the Atlantic. The 

best of both worlds: the romantic notion of an island 

with the practicality of easy access to the mainland. 

We have pottered about the other islands close to us, 

and been on holidays to Coll, Colonsay and Iona. But it 

was Kristina who reminded me last year that we had never 

yet been to the Outer Isles, and the beginnings of a plot 

began to form in my mind. She is the photographer: I am 

the writer. And what I realised was that we could travel 

the length of the Outer Hebridean chain - that curling 

tail of islands - telling the story of the journey in words 

and pictures. 

We would begin at the bottom and work our way north: 

that made sense because our home-island is only half an 

hour from Oban and we could get one of the Hopscotch 

ferry tickets that greatly reduces the price of the combined 

ferry journeys. All we would have to do was pray for good 

weather, for I had plumped for March to stay at our special 

hideaway locations. 

Early Childhood 

I visited corners of the Outer Isles with my parents in early 

childhood and had memories of huge gusting skies, black and 

white flurries of sheepdogs, Gaelic phrases taught by crofters 

and endless beaches. But we had gone in the summer, when 

the promise of blue sky was almost always there. 

The crossing to Barra was gentle enough, and many are the 

stories of appalling experiences getting over the infamous 

Minch. We had fine views of Rum and Eigg and the legendary 

Ardnamurchan beaches, as we left the mainland and Mull 

further and further behind. It’s somehow wonderful to think 

you have to plough a whole five hours west to these outer 

isles, for the CalMac ferries fairly storm their way across 

once out into open water. 

We arrived in Barra much later than scheduled to be 

welcomed warmly at the Castlebay Hotel. There was 

Kismul Castle, little more than itself and its rock, right out 

in the bay before us when we opened our curtains the next 

morning. There were tempting hints of scimitars of 

beaches too on Vatersay, but we knew the forecast was 

warning of gales and we did not want to risk missing the 

Eriskay ferry. 

Still, Calm Channel 

Kristina had sufficient time to capture a few quick images 

of the vast strand that serves as the island’s airfield, boasting 

the only scheduled flights landing on a tidal beach in the 

world, before speeding the last mile of bumps and bends to 

begin the crossing of the still, calm channel between the 

islands. 

As soon as we had begun navigating the steep Eriskay 

road there were ponies, at one point half a dozen 

wandering without a care in the world from one side to the 

other. Barra, Eriskay and South Uist are all strongly 

Catholic islands (in stark contrast to the strictly 

Presbyterian Harris and Lewis). There were sudden 

glimpses of little shrines, and once we had crossed the short 

causeway to South Uist we visited a much larger Catholic 

church only yards from the main road. 

This was Bonnie Prince Charlie’s first stop in Scotland - 

deliberate indeed his landing in what was and remains such 

staunchly Catholic country. Appropriate too that South 

Uist should have been the birthplace of Flora MacDonald, 

who disguised the Prince as a maid and rescued him from 

the clutches of the Hanoverians after Culloden. 





Page 20-21: Blue Reef Cottage, 

Harris. 

Above: Corrodale Cottage, 

South Uist. 

Opposite: Abhainn Cottage, 

Breasclete, Lewis. 

Photographs taken by Kristina 

Hayward. 

Worthy of Any Prince 

By mid-afternoon we had reached the north 

end of the island and the community of 

Iochdar, where our first hideaway awaited us, 

an old thatched cottage transformed into a 

little jewellery box of cosiness. Corrodale 

Cottage comprises a room that is kitchen and 

living room in one with a little dragon of a 

peat-burning stove, a bathroom with a spa 

bath and a single bedroom with a four-poster 

worthy of any prince. 

The west side of South Uist is almost one 

unbroken beach and there are places where 

you can drive down almost to its edge. There 

is all the difference in the world between this 

and the little sheltered coves to be found on 

Inner Hebridean islands like Colonsay and 

Coll and Iona. This is land and waterscape 

teeming with birdlife for as soon as we 

opened the cottage door we heard peewits 

and greylag geese and curlews. 

When we drove inland too beside one of the 

wandering lochs and close to its incredible 

blueness, we were under the ramparts of the 

Uist hills with their many ravens and eagles. 

On another day we went east to find the 

settlement of Lochmaddy and the gem 

of its arts centre and museum, Taigh 

Chearsabhagh. Beside us grandparents sat 

with their grandson chatting in Gaelic, 

though what often is spoken today is a real 

mixture - a sentence of English followed by 

one of Gaelic. 

Blue Reef Cottages 

When Kristina and I crossed the Sound of 

Harris to the township of Leverburgh we 

could not have wished for a better day. I have 

seen it miraculously clear with the water often 

shallow and the most beautiful liquid blue, 

the sea simply alive with birds. Just ten 

minutes beyond Leverburgh are the Blue Reef 

Cottages where we were to stay. 

Here they are almost sculpted into the 

hillside, little rock fortresses covered by soft 

green grass affording priceless views out over 

the bays for which Harris is so famous. Only 

minutes beyond the cottages are Scarista and 

Luskentyre. They meld into one as the road 

twists and turns around the coast. 

The sands are almost pure white at times with vast shores 

pounded by great thunderheads of sea that spill coral-white 

vastnesses of water over their miles. I had been foolish enough 

to suggest to Kristina that we might swim. There was not the 

slightest hope of such a thing. Perhaps on a truly gentle June 

day there would be the chance of it, but this is water to be 

taken seriously indeed. 

The Beaches 

Around our cottage skylarks twirled and sang. We sat by the 

astoundingly fine windows of our cottage like children simply 

gazing at the blue-green back of the Atlantic as it breathed 

and swelled hour after hour. One day we negotiated the single 

track road to Rodel, but almost always it was the beaches that 

drew us back and back once more. 

Then we drove north through the glens and hills that 

separate Harris from Lewis. They are a real surprise for they 

are truly high and wild. Then down at last into the long 

moorlands and loch country that is Lewis with scattered 

townships and peatstacks, and the wind scurrying over all of 

it as surely it has done from time’s beginning. 

Our final cottage was in the village of Callanish, a 

hideaway with an open fire and a little sauna in the 

bathroom. What I had sought in all the places we were to 

stay was cosiness, for there’s nothing more important when 

coming back from a windy, rain-swept day, tired and hungry 

and truly cold. And that was what we found in each of the 

exceptionally lovely hideaways. 

Eerily Powerful 

Abhainn Cottage could not have been better placed for 

proximity to all the major sites on the Isle of Lewis. We were 

five minutes from the eerily powerful Standing Stones of 

Callanish, the Carloway Broch was close by as was the 

Blackhouse of Arnol. It was near enough to Stornoway too, 

and the ferry back to Ullapool. 

An adventure it was indeed and a privilege to get a sense of 

the sheer distinctiveness of all the islands that make on the 

map a spine of landfalls which might appear similar enough. 

Will we be back? Of course, just for longer. 


Corrodale Cottage, Iochdar, South Uist 01870 610361 

stay@uistholidaycottage.co.uk 

Blue Reef Cottages, Scarista, Harris 01859 550370 

info@stay-hebrides.com 

Abhainn Cottage, 2 Breasclete, Isle of Lewis 01851 621397 

stay@luxuryhebrideancottage.co.uk 

Island Hopping with CalMac: 

www.calmac.co.uk/hopscotch 



Page 

READERS’ 

Index Header 

OPPORTUNITIES 

Socks, Covers, Backpacks and … Skye-high 

Christchurch Airfield, Dorset, was, until 

1964, renowned for aviation design and 

manufacture. Now Foxwood - 

www.foxwood.co.uk - uses the site for the 

innovative craftsmanship and production of 

cases for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. The 

construction, which includes leather and soft 

micro-fibre, gives protection, durability, grip 

and the attribute which complements Apple 

products - elegance. Pictured here is the 

black hardshell model. Go to the website to 

see the range on offer. 


Corrymoor Socks - www.corrymoor.com - is a company founded in 

1992 that produces truly durable socks made from the mohair fleece 

of angora goats. This fibre does not trap bacteria, cause foot odour 

nor create discomfort. They are ideal for those who are travellers or 

individuals with sensitive skin. So they are for ‘every walk of life’ or, 

alternatively, make great bedsocks. Socks do remain an item of 

clothing that goes missing in the wash. These have minimal washing 

requirements. 

The Samonsite Zalia 

backpack is stylish and 

practical for the working lady 

on the go. Its elegant design 

meets business requirements 

and its capaciousness suits 

individual needs. The front 

pocket in saffiano leather is 

perfect for storing personal 

belongings; the main compartment 

fits laptops up to 14.1” 

and has room for a tablet. 

Its high-tenacity polyester 

provides strength, the feminine 

beige and trendy black 

offer alternative colours and 

www.samsonite.co.uk gives 

details. 

Join the internationally-renowned 

artist, Scottish Colourist, Cara McKinnon 

Crawford on a spectacular flight, Skye 

High. Her pilot, Hamish Mitchell, took a 

Cessna seaplane on the clearest of days 

to shoot film footage for a dramatic 

eagle-eye view of mountains, lochs and 

settlements. The sights are accompanied 

by a unique sound track from Mick 

MacNeil (formerly of ‘Simple Minds’). 

Contact 

www.caramckinnoncrawford.com for 

details of the 17-minute DVD for £10.00. 

READERS’ OPPORTUNITIES 

Page Index Header 

Here is something to celebrate the spectacular Inner 

Hebridean Isle of Skye. With thousands of tourists 

visiting each year, ATLAS seeks to develop this market as 

a means to become a more sustainable charitable organisation 

and offer alternative, unique souvenirs. Since 2012, 

ATLAS has invited a range of artists to visit and explore the 

landscape with fresh eyes. 

J Maizlish Mole created editions of his maps as part of the 

project, Mapping Skye and Portree. The maps are both 

objects of art and playful, navigational tools for Skye in 

general, and Portree, in particular. By incorporating 

elements of local oral knowledge and culture, the prints 

show how stunning locations can be brought to life for 

residents and visitors. 

In 2015, Frances Priest explored the nearby island of 

Raasay with expert local botanist, Stephen Bungard. She 

created a series of ceramic artworks for permanent installation 

within the historic clan-house. She also turned her 

original botanical drawings into a limited-edition, colouringbook, 

Patterns of Flora, so that tourists can take something 

of the local botany away with them. 

Last year, David Lemm climbed Sgurr Alasdair, the highest 

island-summit in the UK. This experience provided the inspiration 

for Landshapes, a limited-edition series of seven 

postcards depicting his journey, alongside a poster and sticker 

set, packaged together in a signed, screen-printed box. Each 

postcard draws attention to the different aspects of the climb. 

Photographer, René Jansen explored some lesserknown 

viewpoints - and in the vein of traditional 

Dutch-engraving - created a series of three digital archival 

prints which draw attention to the intricate beauty and 

textures of the ancient island. 

Souvenirs of Skye 

From the Portree-based organisation, ATLAS Arts, with its affordable art works 

Every Road on the Isle of Skye by J Maizlish Mole. 

We are also excited to be launching two new additions 

in 2017, another limited-edition object, a silver fish-slice 

by eminent Scottish artist, Will Maclean, and a silk scarf 

from Skye-based artist, Caroline Dear, who is inspired by 

the distinctive botanical landscape. 

Members of Own Art, a scheme which makes buying art 

easy and affordable, can spread the cost of a purchase 

over ten months with an interest free loan. ATLAS hopes 

that next time you visit Skye you consider supporting the 

arts and purchasing an alternative-style souvenir. 

Please feel free to contact or visit our office (01478 

611143) to find out more about our artworks and 

projects. We are in the basement of the Skye Gathering 

Hall, Bank Street, Portree, Skye IV51 9BZ and are open 

from 10.00 - 17.00 from Monday - Friday. Alternatively, 

you can visit our website and shop online through 

atlasarts.org.uk 

Within View | 57°34’58” N 6°19’32” W by René Jansen. 

Below: Landshapes by David Lemm. 


Tanera Ar Dùthaich 

Kevin Percival 

His Exhibition at the 

Rhue Art Gallery 

My project depicts the intricacies of living 

and working in a rural community as well as 

exploring the continually-evolving relationship 

between people and the landscape in 

such areas. Tanera refers to the Summer 

Isles archipelago, familiar to regular readers 

of this magazine. Ar Dùthaich is a Gaelic 

term concerning territory that is homeland 

to a clan or kinship group. 

I started this work while living and 

working on the island. Now five years later, 

I have gathered sufficient images to tell the 

story. My intention was to elaborate on the 

difficulties associated with living in remote 

communities typical of the Highlands & 

Islands, exploring widely-held romantic 

notions about the Scottish landscape, 

while also trying to get under the surface 

of everyday experiences. 

The images attempt to show a ‘portrait of 

place’ through views, details and portraits of 

the people who contribute to the location. 

I have long been fascinated by the ways in 

which humans leave marks evident within 

the landscape; a calling card of their 

existence. Over time these traces build-up, 

layered on top of one another forming a kind 

of catalogue of existence, like a palimpsest. 

This becomes particularly evident in 

smaller, self-contained or continually 

re-populated areas, such as Tanera Mhòr. 

With this work I am exploring its rich past 

as a Viking sanctuary, as a fishing and 

crofting community and with the people 

who are currently leaving their traces, as 

miniature landmarks. 

The project goes on display at the Rhue 

Art Gallery, Ullapool IV26 2TJ from 

Saturday 17 June until Friday 25 August 

2017. There is also a Kickstarter campaign 

to fund a special edition art-book 

www.rhueart.co.uk 

Ard na Goine Pier 

Workshop at Roslyn Pier 

Wildfire on Tanera Mòr 

Dead Razorbill at Ard na Goine 

Mol Mor Beach 

Eleanor - Artist & Course Tutor 



Machair 

Machair 

Unfortunately, the words of Bob Dylan - 

‘Times they are a-changing’ - applies to the 

machair as well as to many other areas of life. 

Machair 

Mavis Gulliver has witnessed a decline in abundance 

At its summer best the machair is a miracle. All 

winter long it endures the worst of Hebridean 

weather. It lies dormant through gales when salt-laden 

winds tear across the Atlantic Ocean. Every loose 

blade of grass is stripped and yet more sand is added 

to a substrate that has its origins in the sea. 

In wet winters, burns that run through the machair 

fill to overflowing. They gouge their way down to the 

bedrock and return sand to the sea in a headlong rush. 

At the landward end of the machair plain, the land 

becomes marshy or dotted with pools. It is then that 

birds flock in, winter visitors boosting the numbers of 

resident birds that feed on invertebrates. 

In addition to soil invertebrates, seaweed, thrown up 

by the sea, shelters small creatures that provide huge 

flocks with the sustenance they need. Ringed plover, 

oystercatcher, lapwing, redshank, turnstone, sanderling, 

purple sandpiper, whimbrel, golden plover, grey 

plover and bar-tailed godwit make the winter machair 

a paradise for birdwatching. 

Good Times 

Not limited to winter months, the machair is also 

renowned for the number of wading birds which visit 

each summer. They breed among dune slacks, on drier 

areas and on tussocks in wetter parts. In addition to 

waders, corn buntings, twite, skylark and corncrake 

make their nests. So spring and summer are equally 

good times for birdwatchers to visit. 

But what is machair? It is a Gaelic word for the flat 

land that lies above the shore. First adopted in the 

1940s by naturalists, it is now a recognised scientific 

term. The beaches and dunes of the Hebrides are 

partly composed of mollusc shells broken down by 

wave action. Wind deposits this shell-rich sand 

beyond the dunes. It is one of the rarest habitats in 

Europe and occurs mainly in the Outer Hebrides. 

There are entire books on the subject and it is only 

possible to skim the surface in this short article. 

‘Machair grassland’ is used for the flat sandy plain 

while ‘machair system’ refers to areas that include 

dunes and lochans. With a relatively low mineral 

content of silica sand, machair supports plants that 

are able to exist in alkaline conditions. 

Vital Resource 

Not only of importance to wildlife, machair is useful 

for the cultivation of crops such as oats and potatoes. 

In the past it was a vital resource for people who eked 

a living from land and sea. With shops now supplying 

all their needs, there is less incentive to keep up the old 

ways, although a few people still tend their plots by 

hand and feast on potatoes that taste much better than 

those from retail sources. 



Machair 

Machair 

Page 28 top: The brown sign points 

to The Machair Way which starts 

near The Polochar Inn at the southwest 

corner of South Uist. Forming 

part of The Hebridean Way, this 

rural pathway runs for 22 miles 

along the machair. 

Below: Above Traigh Varlish on 

Vatersay, the ungrazed machair is 

carpeted with Sea Pinks. The 

effects of sheep grazing beyond 

the fence are plain to see. 

Below: A small potato patch on 

Barra, managed in the traditional 

way, shows the sandy nature of the 

soil. 

Opposite: Near the scattered 

settlement of Peninerine on South 

Uist the author admires Longheaded 

poppies in fallow machair. 

Beyond the fence, sheep are grazing. 

Photograph by Richard Gulliver. 

Photographs by the author 

Mavis Gulliver. 

Traditionally machair was grazed in 

winter. Dung enriched the soil and 

harboured invertebrates, another food 

source for birds. The stock, formerly mainly 

cattle, was taken to hill pastures in summer. 

Left ungrazed the permanent grassland 

machair flowered profusely with perennials 

such as daisies and buttercups. Annual 

plants, by contrast, germinated among 

cereals and potatoes as well as on recent 

fallow land. 

In order to improve fertility, washed-up 

seaweed is added to the land. In addition to 

providing nutrients, the decaying matter 

helps to bind the soil together. During the 

kelp boom, when seaweed was burnt to 

produce soda ash, the machair system 

looked very different with many people 

tending rows of kelp kilns. 

Coarser Vegetation 

The machair has changed again. Together 

with modern management the number of 

active crofters has reduced. Now, in areas 

where cultivation has been abandoned, 

coarser vegetation is taking over with the 

subsequent loss of much of the floral interest. 

There is a growing tendency to fence areas 

of machair so that they become fields for 

growing grain, or for confining stock. Where 

much of the work used to be undertaken by 

hand or with horses, tractors and other 

modern machinery make short work of 

former back-breaking tasks. But modern 

machinery digs deeper and increases the risk 

of wind erosion. 

Unfortunately, the words of Bob Dylan - 

‘Times they are a-changing’ - applies to the 

machair as well as to many other areas of life. 

On a trip through the Outer Hebrides in the 

1980s my husband and I travelled from 

Vatersay to the Butt of Lewis and were 

bowled over by the sheer numbers of 

wildflowers. We had only previously seen 

such abundance in Alpine meadows. 

The Sights 

In June 2016 we visited many sections of 

coast in South Uist. We drove down every 

side-road and walked sections of The Machair 

Way which forms part of the 185-mile long 

Hebridean Way. Unfortunately we did not see 

anything as spectacular as the sights we had 

seen 40 years earlier. We hoped that we were 

too early for the full flush of flowers, but 

feared that this was not the case. 

Here are a few examples of what we found. At Stillgarry, 

only one potato patch lay between strips dominated by 

creeping buttercups, daisies and silverweed. At Smeircleit, 

there were six potato patches and only one fallow strip was 

home to the only corn marigolds we saw on our entire trip. 

This is a far cry from the 13th Century when it was such a 

serious weed that any farmer allowing a plant to set seed was 

fined a sheep. 

At Snesebkal, only one fallow strip was rich with poppies, 

charlock and lesser bugloss, stork’s bill, field and wild pansy, 

scarlet pimpernel, black bindweed, groundsel, sun spurge, 

tufted vetch, field forget-me-not, silverweed and yellow 

rattle. Most of the Lochdar machair was fenced and lying 

fallow. And on our walk from South Boisdale to Baghasdale 

cattle and sheep were grazing in fenced areas while unfenced 

areas were either lying fallow or growing grain. 

The Best Show 

At Garrynamone, sheep were grazing rough grassland on 

enclosed strips, and ungrazed areas in wetter ground had been 

taken over by reeds, iris and cotton grass. The best show of 

wildflowers seemed to occur where seaweed was still being used 

to fertilise small potato patches in enclosed gardens. 

Our journey also took in the islands of Vatersay, Barra, 

Eriskay, Benbecula, North Uist and Berneray. In addition, 

and just for the fun of it, we crossed every causeway and 

walked on every tiny island that is attached to South Uist. 

We cannot claim to have visited every area of machair. Nor 

can we criticise the change in agricultural practice which, in 

many areas, appears to be to the detriment of nature. 

However, it is not all doom and gloom. There are still fine 

areas of machair systems where there is as much natural 

history interest as ever. Traigh Varlish on Vatersay, one of my 

favourite places in the Hebrides, has a wonderful system 

where a burn runs through to the sea. Here, in June it was 

impossible to walk without treading on the wonderful pink 

carpet of thrift. 

Two Ruff 

The cultivated machair on Berneray was rich with the small 

yellow blooms of wild pansy, and on Barra, near Allasdale was 

brighter yellow with the flowers of common bird’s-foottrefoil. 

Balranald RSPB Reserve on North Uist was scattered 

with orchids and a bonus was my first ever sighting of not 

one, but two ruff. 

Whenever you visit the machair there will always be 

something of interest. If there are no flowers in bloom, there 

will be birds. There will always be spectacular scenery. Vast 

skies, immense seas, wonderfully clear air and sand between 

your toes have the makings of a holiday which I can 

recommend most highly. 



A Quiet, Natural History 


‘Owing to its position, it attracts a 

startling variety of wildlife to a 

setting that is peaceful and harmonious.’ 

A Quiet, 

Natural History 

Stephen Roberts discovers several aspects of Orkney 

Peace and quiet is what I associate with Orkney. 

I have rarely found that ambience in the 

modern world, somewhere I was so far removed 

from that I could hear wind and birdsong and little 

else. On the island of Hoy I drove for several miles 

without seeing another soul; it was the native flora 

and fauna that accompanied me. I have to say that 

I missed the human race not one jot. 

Orkney’s 70 islands lie only eight miles north of 

Caithness. Some islands, such as the two I visited, 

Mainland and Hoy, ring the famous Scapa Flow, 

the UK’s principal naval base during the two 

World Wars. 6,000 years’ worth of human 

endeavour, from stone circles and chambered 

tombs, to gun batteries and the latest renewable 

energy technology, are part of this landscape. 

The natural landscape is predominantly 

moorland, bog and heath, with an almost 

complete absence of woodland, one notable 

exception being Happy Valley, consciously 

created in the second half of the 20th Century to 

give the islands something they lacked, a clump 

of some 700 trees. Colour is provided by 

wildflowers, which take root almost anywhere. 

Only Found 

Once or twice I stopped to admire sweeping 

collections of poppies growing on verges. The 

rare Scottish primrose, with purple flowers 

(yellow centre), is only found on Orkney and 

northerly parts of mainland Scotland. The 

equally rare great yellow bumblebee inhabits 

the same kind of area. 

Off the north-western tip of Mainland is 

Birsay, a tiny island, once Orkney’s most holyplace, 

where patron-saint, Magnus, was 

buried before being exhumed and carted off 

to Kirkwall. Reached at low tide via a 

causeway, the islet’s turf is sometimes covered 

with pink Armeria (thrift or ‘sea pink’ due to 

colour and location). 

Sea-birds nest on cliffs, including a colony of 

Arctic tern and the Atlantic puffin, one of 

Orkney’s trademark birds. The best place to see 

this colourful but often elusive creature is on 

Westray, one of the outliers. Orkney is a fine 

UK’s haunt for seabirds, with 21 breeding 

species. There are 13 RSPB reserves where 

resident and migrant birds can be observed. 





An Island Apart 

Hoy means simply High Island, so named by Vikings who 

provide much of its ancestry. It does indeed contain Orkney’s 

highest peak, Ward Hill, measuring 1,578'. Here is an island 

apart, with huge red-sandstone hills and impressive cliffs. At 

Rora Head, in the north-west, is the Old Man of Hoy, where 

you experience a wilderness dominated by black-backed gulls 

and great skuas. 

The whole land is wild and desolate, better suited to those 

hardier than man: birds, sheep and mountain hares. There are 

hen harriers, flying low over fields, merlins, peregrine falcons 

and short-eared owls, all hunting for prey. It is unspoilt, 

somewhere to tarry and breathe deeply, but not somewhere for 

your car to break down. You might have a long wait. 

I reached Hoy using a car ferry from Mainland (Houton to 

Lyness) which took 30 minutes. The fact that Orkney’s main 

island is called ‘Mainland’ tells you something about the 

independent spirit which pervades here; departing Hoy I was 

aware that I was leaving somewhere untamed and heading 

back to relative civilisation. 

Aspect of a Mirage 

As if the waters surrounding the islands are not enough, 

Mainland is also blessed with considerable lochs, the two 

biggest, Harray and Stenness, a slingshot from one another 

in West Mainland. It is strange to see all this water and not 

see the sea. Mute swans glide across, giving the whole scene 

the aspect of a mirage. 

Between the lochs are standing stones, still prominent after 

all this time, yet denying us their hidden purpose. Close by 

at Brig o’ Waithe you might see otters. Stones may stand silent 

sentinel, but there is plenty of noise from seals, grey and 

common, and their pups, which ‘haul out’ on Hoy, plus a 

myriad of seabirds, noisy waders and geese making their 

presence felt. 

Spring is a good time to see wintering birds prior to their 

return to the high Arctic, whereas in summer, Westray, 

Copinsay and Marwick Head become home to teeming 

colonies of seabirds. Nature rides with the seasons here. 

Autumn is a good time to see storm petrels, the smallest of 

seabirds, which come close to shore for shelter as the seas lose 

their summer calm. 

Rare in Winter 

Of course winter could be memorable for one thing 

alone, a sight of the Aurora Borealis, very much on the 

agenda this far north. The island climate makes frost and 

snow rare in winter, so wintering birds like it here. Whales 

(minke and orca), basking sharks and dolphins can be seen 

around the coasts. 

Inland there is the larger Orkney Vole, unique to these 

islands, a subspecies of the smaller Common Vole. What with 

‘great’ bumblebees and ‘larger’ voles there is something of the 

‘elephantine’ about some of the wildlife on these islands. As 

I wandered around the two islands I frequently came across 

sheep and cattle. 

There is much grazing land and farming has 

been a way of life for 5,000 years. Today 

Orkney beef is famous and its islands have the 

highest density of beef cattle in Europe. The 

Orkney County Show, held in August, 

showcases quality livestock and attracts over 

10,000 visitors. 

In Mind of Human Beings 

Walking the Wartime Trail at the former 

Lyness Naval Base on Hoy, it was pleasing to 

see bovine and ovine creatures in numbers, 

but doing little, as is their wont. They 

wandered about, looking a bit preoccupied 

and gormless, putting me in mind of human 

beings with Smartphones, well, just for a 

second or two maybe. 

The North Ronaldsay Sheep, is an unusual 

domesticate, confined to the foreshore of 

that island, existing largely on a diet of 

seaweed, thereby conserving limited grazing 

inland, also ensuring a virtually fat-free 

meat. North Ronaldsay I did not reach, it 

being one of the outermost islands, so I 

failed to see any of the 3,700 odd sheep 

roaming here. 

Where Second World War defences lie 

dormant, wildlife has taken over. At Hoxa 

Head, where remains of massive gun 

batteries look out across the water, it is 

flowers and fungi that now call it home. 

Black guillemots and porpoises can be seen 

with the same keen eye that observers of 70 

or so years ago needed. 

Abundant Nature 

For me Orkney was a welcome reminder of 

what our countryside was like before man 

overpowered it with noise and development. 

It is a throwback to childhood when less (of 

humankind) was more (of nature). Here 

quiet conditions among abundant nature can 

be found surprisingly easily. 

I was as close as I have ever been to a 

cormorant. It seemed totally unfazed by my 

presence and is the variety that readily grips 

the imagination. Even in towns there was 

wildlife. The largest settlement, Kirkwall, has 

its ‘Peerie Sea’ - small expanse of water - and 

here are terns, waders and in the spring, up to 

a hundred long-tailed ducks. 

Orkney has a unique natural history it seems 

to me. Owing to its position, it attracts a 

startling variety of wildlife to a setting that is 

peaceful and harmonious. Returning again to 

the southern lands of discordant mobile ringtones, 

booming car-stereos and citizens who 

don’t appear to be able to do a single thing 

quietly, I just wanted to go back. 


The Most Amazing 

Places in Britain’s 

Countryside edited by 

Caroline Boucher 

Reader’s Digest 2009 

Orkney Visitors’ Guide 

2014 

Page 33: Roadside poppies. 

Opposite: View of Scapa Flow from 

Scapa Bay. 

Above: Stromness with the massive 

Hoy Hill in the background by Rae 

Slater. 

Photographs taken by the author, 

Stephen Roberts. 



The Flying Duchess 



David Saunders traces the life of an avian- and aviation-enthusiast 

My story starts far from the Scottish islands, when, some 25 years ago I was being 

driven at breakneck speed across the massive Castlemartin tank range, south 

Pembrokeshire. The driver, the Assistant Range Officer - affectionately named the 

‘Monocled Major’ - appreciating my ornithological interest suddenly said, taking his eye 

off the track in front, “Do you know Saunders? Do you know! My great aunt once shot a 

warbler that had not been seen in Great Britain before!” 

I was disappointed that he could not tell me more, other than to say his great aunt was 

the Duchess of Bedford, and the event took place on Fair Isle. The warbler, so I subsequently 

discovered, was first observed skulking among turnips on 29 September 1910 and the 

following day collected, following ‘a great hunt.’ Even then its identity remained a mystery 

and so the skin was sent to the eminent ornithologist, William Eagle Clarke, at the Royal 

Scottish Museum. 

Suspecting it to be a Blyth’s Warbler he passed the specimen on to Ernst Hartert, Director 

of the museum at Tring, Hertfordshire who confirmed identification. Named after Edward 

Blyth, the breeding bird is to be found from southern Sweden and eastern Poland to 

Afghanistan and the Pamirs. Its winter months are spent from the foothills of the Himalayas 

to Sri Lanka. 

‘Among the most enigmatic of birds on the British list’ the next Blyth’s warbler was not 

reported until 1928, also from Fair Isle, then a gap of 51 years until one was caught and 

ringed on Holm, Orkney in October 1979. Since then there have been recordings in most 

years, the majority from Scottish islands. 

Brought up by an Aunt 

Born in 1865, the great aunt in question was the second daughter of the Reverend Walter 

Tribe, vicar of Stockbridge, Hampshire and christened Mary du Caurroy. She was just two 

years old when her father was appointed to a position in India. Mary and her older sister 

would not accompany them, instead were brought up by an aunt in England. 

Her education included Cheltenham Ladies College and a year in Switzerland before, 

aged 16, she sailed to join her parents. Shortly after arriving in Lahore she caught typhoid 

and although making a full recovery, attributed the illness to the deafness which in later 

years increasingly troubled her. 

In 1885, at the Rawalpindi Durbar, Mary met Lord Herbrand Russell, second son of the 

Duke of Bedford. Their engagement was announced two years later at a Viceregal Ball in 

Simla. They were married in January 1888 and their only child, a son, was born the 

following December. 





a question in her diary: ‘Having left the trees to fight against 

the winds of Heaven and the rabbits of Earth, I wonder how 

much will be left of them in ten years time.’ 

Tip of Barra 

Her fears were justified as the following June she found that 

practically all the conifers had died, of the survivors most 

thriving was blackthorn. Subsequently she had a cottage built, 

Sanderling Cottage, just four rooms and a pantry, 

overlooking the shore near the northern tip of Barra which 

she first occupied in November 1911. 

Of equal attention was Fair Isle which she first visited in April 

1909 and where the Duchess rented Pund for £2 per annum, 

renaming it Ortolan Cottage, three rooms and an outhouse in 

which her dog Marquis spent the night. She was accompanied 

by her maid Billingham, though took her full share of domestic 

duties, before spending the day bird-watching. 

As John, Duke of Bedford describes in the biography of his 

grandmother: ‘Whether at Sanderling Cottage, Barra, or 

Ortolan Cottage, Fair Isle, the life was the same, rough and 

primitive in the extreme and eternally satisfying. Everything 

there was subordinated to the main purpose of watching and 

recording the movements and appearances of migrants and 

the collection of specimens.’ 

Page 37: The Duchess of Bedford in 

flying kit in 1934. 

Above: Barra, where the Duchess 

had Sanderling Cottage built. 

Photograph by Roger Butler. 

Page 39: The Duchess of Bedford 

pictured in formal poses. 

Photographs supplied by the 

author, David Saunders, unless 

stated. 

Vast Estate 

Following the deaths in quick succession 

of his father and brother, Lord Herbrand 

became in 1893 the eleventh Duke of 

Bedford, responsible for the vast estate at 

Woburn. Here he was able to expand his 

passionate interest in wildlife by the 

creation of a collection of world-wide 

renown, the Duke being chiefly 

remembered for saving Pere David’s deer 

from extinction. 

The Duchess had her first experience of 

yachting in 1896, yachting in the grand sense. 

She chartered the yachts Catania and Roxana 

to be followed by the Sapphire which was 

subsequently purchased. There were voyages to 

Holland, Germany, the Baltic and Norway and 

becoming more adventurous further afield to 

Iceland and Spitzbergen. 

She even reached Jan Mayen, much regretting 

failing to land because of the heavy surf, 

though she did row to within a few yards of 

the shore. Shortly afterwards an easterly 

gale blew up, with even the Duchess 

describing the sea as dangerous ‘though I 

had seen Jan Mayen and did not greatly care 

what happened’ she later wrote. 

Took her Attention 

Increasingly the Scottish islands, in particular 

Orkney, Shetland and the Outer 

Hebrides took her attention and from 

November 1906 she began a most comprehensive 

bird-diary while staying at Loch Bee, 

South Uist. On 8 June 1908 during a visit to 

Shetland she noted: 

I had an invitation to an evening party at 

Buckingham Palace for today, but walked over 

instead to visit the King of Birds, viz. the 

White-tailed Eagle at Waterfalls, North Roe. 

His Majesty was at home, and gave me a 

splendid view. Unfortunately he is a single bird, 

as the mate was found dead a few weeks ago, 

supposed to have been shot by one of the men in 

the whaling boats. 

This the last pair of White-tailed Eagles in 

Shetland, the last known breeding attempt in 

Great Britain taking place a few years later, in 

1916 on Skye. Then came a return to the Outer 

Hebrides which included a visit to the Flannan 

Isles. Barra was increasingly visited. 

During these visits she planted some 2,100 

trees of a variety of species at Eoligarry House 

with a view that with maturity they would 

provide shelter for migrant birds. She posed 

Diligently Recorded 

This was the age when ‘What’s hit is history, what’s missed is 

mystery.’ Her observations and collections were diligently 

recorded in her diaries, in letters to friends and reported in 

journals like The Annals of Scottish Natural History, British Birds 

and Ibis. A final cruise in 1914 took in North Rona, describing 

it in a letter to a friend ‘as pink all over with thrift.’ 

She rowed around Sule Skerry - ‘one of the great gannet 

breeding-places’ - and having sailed past the great west cliffs 

of Hoy said, ‘I do not think even Sir Walter Scott could do 

them justice.’ She saw her yacht for the last time in early 

August 1914 for it was subsequently requisitioned by the 

Royal Navy. The Duchess never recommenced cruising 

among the Scottish islands, although she continued her bird 

diaries until the end of her life. 

In 1926, aged 61, flying now became her passion. After her first 

flight ending at Woburn, she told the pilot, ‘You must be more 

careful or you will frighten all the animals’. Soon she was taking 

lessons and participating in record-making long-distance flights 

to South Africa and India. By 1937, she was just 55 minutes short 

of two hundred hours of flying solo. 

Taking off from Woburn on the afternoon of 22 March to 

complete a flight of some 88 miles the Duchess, now aged 

71, failed to return. The only clue to her fate being when 

several struts from her de Haviland Gypsy were washed up 

on the East Anglia coast. So died a remarkable woman of 

extraordinary versatility, who, as one obituary concluded, 

‘loved the sea and uncharted sky, and in the end they claimed 

their own.’ 



Skye Excites the Emotions 



Ron Hill shows how past events can add to our experience 

Psycho-geography is a fuzzy concept, but I like 

using the term to connect places to emotions 

and behaviours. In the Braes area on Skye I have 

discovered a range of emotions associated with the 

physical landscape, the remains of shielings on Ben 

Lee, 19th Century croft houses and, importantly, the 

monument on the roadside on the approach to 

Gedintailor which records an event on Tuesday, 18 

April 1882. 

On moving to Camustianavaig, in The Braes area 

near Portree, Skye, I discovered that as well as the 

house and the grounds, there was a book which 

came with the new ownership. The book is The 

Former Days by Norman Maclean, published in 

1945. It is based on personal reminiscences from 

living in the vicinity and includes the events which 

became known as ‘The Battle of the Braes.’ 

Maclean describes the scene on that day when a 

force of 50 policemen (including 40 drafted from 

Glasgow) marched the seven miles from Portree to 

Balmeanach in Braes to arrest the lawbreakers - that 

is those men who broke the law on 7 April 1882 

when an attempt to evict seven men and three 

women from the Braes for grazing on Ben Lee 

without permission was de-forced. 

Public Embarrassment 

This was when a local crowd burnt the summonses, 

with public embarrassment for the Sherriff Officer, 

his assistant and the Estate Ground Officer. Maclean 

tells us it was a ‘grey dawn’ with poor weather 

conditions. He wrote, ‘Nobody could have wished a 

more forbidding reception on the part of the 

elements. The rain swept down Glen Varagil in sheets 

driven by a south-wester that blew with ice in its 

teeth. No greatcoats could stand up to rain driven by 

such a wind’ 

We must also picture a wagonette rumbling 

behind the marching policemen including Sherriff 

Ivory (Sherriff of the County of Inverness-shire), 

Sherriff-Substitute Spiers (who administered the 

law on the Isle of Skye), and other local officials. 

Roger Hutchinson adds in his Martyrs: Glendale 

and the Revolution on Skye ‘…and several journalists 

set forth from Portree.’ 

The 1880s was an age of mass communications and 

by 1881, 18 daily newspapers were appearing in 

London, 96 in the English provinces, 21 in Scotland 

and 17 in Ireland, (but only four in Wales) according 

to Kevin Williams in his Read All About It: A History 

of the British Newspaper. The actual ‘battle’ took place 

when the police arrested the five law-breakers which 

sparked a reaction from the Braes communities. 

Sharp Flints 

Maclean, in his romantic style, imagined the 15 

minute ‘battle’ as ‘When the invaders reached the 

south end of the pass, they were met with a fusillade 

of stones and clods. Sam (Nicolson) had some 20 

boys and girls under his command. They filled their 

pockets with sharp flints. ‘They have no guns’, cried 

Sam, ‘Let us charge them; throw stones and then 

run back up the brae’. 

This they did, hurling down the slope like a 

mountain torrent. Stopping where Sam stopped, a 

rain of stones descended on the police. Sherriff 

Ivory, the sacred representative of Queen Victoria, 

the embodiment of law and order, was hit with a 

clod on the jaw. For Sam never missed his target’. 

The Glasgow Evening Times of 21 April 1882 

reported, under the banner heading of ‘Return of 

the Glasgow Police’ - ‘The policemen arrived in 

Glasgow this forenoon and with a few exceptions 

have reported themselves for duty in the various 

districts from which they were drawn. They all bear 

traces of fatigue and exposure.’ 

The Unhappy Crofters 

‘Telegraphing last night from Portree the special 

correspondent of The Herald says, the sudden and 

effective, if somewhat harsh, blows inflicted 

yesterday by the constabulary of Glasgow and 

Inverness on the unhappy crofters at the Braes have 

had a wonderful influence on restoring order.’ 

Further in the same report, from the journalist 

who was in the Braes area on the day after the 




‘battle’ ‘At Balmeanach, the results of the fray are more 

apparent today than yesterday. There is in the district an 

almost entire suspension of work. The female relatives of 

the prisoners, clad in the veriest of rags, wander about from 

group to group, seeking sympathy from those who are not 

in a position to give much.’ 

The journalist listed nine of the injured and their injuries in 

some detail. For example, ‘Ann Nicolson - today it was found 

necessary to feed her with a spoon and her life is despaired of. 

According to information given, she is badly wounded on the 

head by blows with a baton’. ‘Mary Nicolson, aged about 70, 

was thrown to the ground and rendered insensible’ 

Power of Journalism 

The story then moves from the Braes, via Portree and 

Stromeferry to Inverness where the five Braes men were 

found guilty of assault. The power of journalism and mass 

communications came to the aid of the ‘Braes Five’. As 

Hutchinson informs, ‘A cheque for the full amount of 

their fines was promptly handed over by their supporters’. 

As a result of the Battle of the Braes and other evidence 

of unrest amongst crofters on Skye, as in Glendale, and 

elsewhere in the Highlands and Islands, a Royal 

Commission was set up by the Liberal Government ‘to 

inquire into the condition of the crofters and cottars in 

the Highlands and Islands of Scotland’. Chaired by Lord 

Napier, it began by taking evidence from crofters at 

Ollach Schoolhouse, Braes. There would be 69 more 

evidence- taking events at various locations. 

The connecting of place and emotion is intriguing, as we 

know from ‘emotional history’. As I travel some or all of 

the route of the police march to and from the Braes on a 

regular basis by car or bike, I often try to connect to the 

local events of the past, only a few generations ago, where 

there was a conflict that had regional and national 

repercussions. 

Fibre Optic 

Broadband 

Gordon Eaglesham assesses its transformative progress 

Page 40: Cover of book by Margaret MacPherson with the jacket designed in 

1972 by Gavin Rowe. 

Above: View of Braes, Skye; Commemorative stone of the event; Snow on Skye. 

Photographs supplied by the author, Ron Hill. 


Dr Ron Hill offers guided walks taking in key events in Skye’s 

history, including the Battle of the Braes. 

Visit www.skyehistory.scot for details. 

Unfortunate 

But it is reasonable to reflect on the anger, survival, fear 

communality, distress, oppression of some/many of the 

residents of the Braes; the duty, determination, discipline, 

bewilderment, agitation by the police; the duty, drive, 

responsibility, status, control of the officials; the excitement, 

enquiry, concern, trauma, humanity of the 

reporters. These events in the Braes area were very 

unfortunate. 

Conflict, particularly violent conflict, is a deep and lasting 

memory for those concerned. Thankfully, the struggle for 

expression and a voice about underlying hardship and living 

conditions by local people in the early 1880s contributed 

to improvements for others in the years and decades that 

followed. That is a good feeling to have about this beautiful 

and now peaceful part of the Isle of Skye. 

Fibre optic broadband across the Scottish islands is 

now ready to transform the region’s economy, with 

far-reaching implications for future generations. It has the 

potential to make a somewhat quixotic notion of island 

development, a reality. By the end of 2014, 250 miles of 

subsea cable had been laid across 20 seabed crossings, 

stretching from Orkney to Kintyre. 

This milestone of a backbone to a vast network was 

set by Digital Scotland which aims to bring highspeed 

broadband to 86% of Highlands and Islands 

premises by the end of 2017. The £410 million project 

soon became the most complex subsea engineering 

feat by BT in the UK, boosting speed and reliability 

across the regions. 

Another objective was to provide the infrastructure 

required to enable better phone coverage. Prior to 

the roll-out of Digital Scotland’s superfast project, 

there were no plans to bring high speed fibre 

broadband to the Highlands and Islands through the 

mainstream commercial market. So it’s had a 

dramatic, albeit sporadic, effect on connectivity 

throughout rural communities. 

Efficiency of Delivery 

The core aim of the Digital Highlands and Islands 

project is to provide everyone in these areas with access 

to download speeds of at least 30Mbps by 2021. Three 

years ago no island premises had access to the service. 

Owing to the strong take-up figures and efficiency of 

delivery, a further £2.3 million is to be reinvested into 

the scheme by the Scottish Government. 

The Western and Northern Isles will benefit directly 

from this - through having their cabling route 



Fibre Optic Broadband 

Fibre Optic Broadband 

extended. The additional funding will also be used to provide 

some locations with fibre infrastructure that were not initially 

included - Duntulm and Sligachan in Skye, Scarista in the 

Western Isles and Sandness in Shetland. 

In all, 6000 additional sites will receive the means to attain 

superfast speed. In 2013, just 4% of premises had access to 

fibre broadband. Four years later the remarkable 86% - from 

Campbeltown in Kintyre, to Brae in Shetland - could be 

attained. Prior to the project commencing, commercial 

operators had identified only eight towns that could be 

reached by the market. 

The World’s Largest 

The infrastructure with massive subsea cabling and wide 

geographical spread, with larger island communities set to 

benefit most. In Shetland, Orkney and the Outer Hebrides 

there will be increases of 80%, 75% and 76% respectively. 

The crossing constructions, with surveys of landing points 

all along the west coast, have been the world’s largest of this 

type. 

The longest cable runs for nearly 50 miles under the 

Minch, from Ullapool to Stornoway. A second link 

stretches over 35 miles between Carnan on South Uist and 

Dunvegan on Skye, improving Western Isles connectivity. 

This was all made possible using a cable ship and its 

submersible plough and ROV which buried double 

armoured cable in the seabed. 

Highlands & Islands Enterprise is also involved indirectly 

with a community-led project supported by Community 

Broadband Scotland, called GigaPlus Argyll. This aims to bring 

a superfast wireless network to areas including Lismore, Iona, 

Colonsay, parts of Mull, Jura, Islay and the Craignish peninsula. 

Considerable Enhancements 

Despite the current patchy availability of superfast speeds, 

businesses that have already benefitted from the roll-out, 

such as the Uig Hotel on Skye, report considerable enhancements 

to the service. With a basic broadband connection of 

5-6mbps, dropping to 1-2mbps during busy periods when 

other properties were logging on, access was severely 

restricted. 

Now with 38mbps at their disposal guests can enjoy 

browsing anywhere in the hotel - and not just public areas. 

As the editor of Stornoway-based, Heb Events, Fred Silver, 

points out, superfast has increased overall capacity. So his 

home broadband service at home is now three times faster, 

while at the office, he is no longer reliant on notoriously 

unreliable mobile broadband. 

However, since mid-December 2016 the service has become 

intermittent. For an enterprise that’s entirely reliant on digital 

technology, with tens of thousands of customers, any 

interruption is a critical issue. The situation in Lewis as of 

February 2017 is one of transition. 

Address the Demand 

Superfast speeds are available to businesses 

such as Heb Events and their immediate 

neighbours, yet much of central Stornoway 

awaits this upgrade and many other remote 

areas of the island are falling well short of 

fibre speeds. It’s a picture repeated 

throughout a multitude of island communities; 

but further developments are afoot to 

address the demand. 

Another Stornoway-based business, Acair 

Books, is benefiting considerably from the 

work of Digital Scotland. Having to stop 

sending emails after 15.30 because the 

network becomes too slow is now a thing of 

the past. The transfer of very large files 

between staff and printers across the world 

is now far quicker. 

Further street cabinets have now been 

installed in North Lewis and subsequent 

excavation work has been taking place in 

central Stornoway. Any tangible social 

advantages from the service are still a long way 

off, but by the end of this year far more infrastructure 

will be in place and active. It’s a fluid 

situation with capacity provisions in flux. 

Core Infrastructure 

As the project reaches more and more 

communities, expectations naturally 

increase in adjoining areas. This expectation 

needs to be managed against the 

backdrop of the enterprise’s fundamental 

aim: to build a core infrastructure, which 

did not exist previously, to reach as many 

properties as possible in the future. 

Further areas of the Outer Hebrides have 

had coverage re-planned so as to optimise 

the reach across these particularly scattered 

communities. Other islands, such as 

Orkney, are feeling the positive impact of 

the roll-out with over 7500 premises 

already reached through 34 new fibre 

cabinets enabling multiple providers. 

It is a similarly improving picture in 

Shetland, Arran and Cumbrae where 87% 

of properties had fibre access by November 

2016. Skye has also seen a comprehensive 

roll-out take place. The islands are just 

beginning to reap the rewards of fibre 

broadband. Provided the work stays on 

target, this year looks set to be a transformative 

one for islanders’ internet. 

Page 43: A fibre-cable cabinet at 

Leverburgh, South Harris, a keycrossing 

point for the subsea-cable. 

Opposite: The landing of the 

longest cable at Stornoway. 

Above: Tobermory is the end of 

another key crossing-point from 

Kilchoan. 

Photographs supplied by 

Highlands & Islands Enterprises. 

44 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER MAY / JUNE 2017 MAY / JUNE 2017 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER 45

Island Castles 

Island Castles 

Tom Aston considers aspects of extensive conference proceedings 

Castles played a central role in the 

heyday of the Hebrides from the 

Norse period through to the end of the 

Lordship of the Isles. They were linked by 

seaways, conduits for those vessels known 

as ‘birlinn’ or galley. The notion of ‘islandcentred 

geography’ (Ian Armit) appeals 

to this magazine and it is pleased to carry 

a review of a new publication from The 

Islands Book Trust. 

The three-day international gathering, 

Island Castles, took place in Barra in mid- 

September 2015 and was a conference 

organised by the IBT, Historic Scotland 

and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. It was 

stimulated by the late Ian R Macneill’s call 

to revisit the study of galley-castles. This 

book is essentially a record of the conference 

proceedings and it will be available 

in June 2017. 

Rory Macneil set out the challenge 

posed by Ian Macneil’s earlier research on 

the topic and that a comprehensive 

approach is needed to study galley-castles 

of the 800 - 1600 period. Vital to an 

assessment is to see the constructions as 

being sea- rather than land-orientated 

and situated directly on the Norse-Celtic 

Seaways. The nearby Kisimul Castle was 

literally shown as a significant example in 

this context. 

Maritime Mobility 

The exploits and seasonal lifestyles of 

‘Svein’ and other Viking compatriots were 

focused on by R Andrew McDonald, who 

stressed how, between 1000 - 1500, seedplanting 

would be followed by plundering 

Irish and Hebridean sites in a ‘Spring-trip’ 

followed by harvesting and further harassment 

in an ‘Autumn trip’. Maritime 

mobility mattered with the galley-castles 

being in commanding locations. 

David Sellar then reminded the 

audience of how many Irish families 

claim descent from Nial of the Nine 

Hostages, High King of Ireland in the 5th 

Century. Recent research has considered 

the findings of DNA links and how a a 

survey of the Macneil of Barra descendants 

worldwide had shown that their 

Y-chromosome was not Celtic, but 

distinctly Norse. 

The galleys associated with the castles 

were used, as Donald McWhannell 

pointed out, for personal transport and 

display, as troop-transporters, as assault 

craft and for trading. They were wellsuited 

to these waters and the style of 

vessel remained in use for 900 years. 

Indeed, their historical longevity and 

multiple uses encouraged them to be 

considered as cultural icons, endowed 

with qualities by Gaelic poets. 

Harbours and Farms 

The Viking colonists who settled in the 

Hebrides came from a venerable tradition 

of fort-building from the Iron Age with 

hundreds of drystone and turfed 

constructions, particularly on hills. Alan 

Macniven considered the nomenclature 

of these together with the adjacent 

presence of harbours and farms. The 

transportation and feeding of armies are 

underlying components in any military 

strategy. 

Tom Macneill contrasted the ‘mottecastles’ 

made of earth and timber, which 

were increasingly regarded as being 

primitive, with the ‘keep-castles’ which 

are defined as having a great tower that 

could be used for safe-keeping when 

retreat was needed and a siege 

undertaken. He also draws an interesting 

distinction between craft built specially 

for war and trading vessels that were 

adapted for military use. 

The material and sources in the construction 

of galley-castles was examined by Jamie 

MacPherson. Normally the stones would be 

as local as possible, but some, with a green 

appearance, at Kisimul were thought to 

have come from a South Uist source. The 

Chairman of the IBT, Alasdair MacEachen, 

who introduced the Conference, was able 

to identify similar in the fireplace structure 

at a friend’s home. 

Whether the Stuely green stone / 

slate source was identical has yet to be 

concluded, but this series of papers of 

the conference will enable those with 

a professional or keen amateur interest 

in Hebridean castles and craft to satisfy 

their interests. After all, the Vikings 

left several aspects of their sea-going, 

siege-seeking, treasure-hunting, namegiving 

culture plus identifying 

chromosomes. 

Barra conference leaflet; Kisimul Castle, Barra, from on high by Roger Butler. 


RESPONSES 

Responses 

CROSSWORD 

Page Index 

28 

Header 

by Tom Johnson 

When you have solved the crossword, transfer the letters from some of the numbered 

squares into the small grid and so discover the town with the UK’s smallest 

cathedral situated on a ‘Great’ island. 

Jennifer Flynn reflects on a day and night on Arran 

Living in Glasgow, I often find myself drawn to Arran. 

So days-off frequently involve boarding the ferry in 

Ardrossan with my partner and our dog, Hamish. On the 

island it is easy to look no farther than Brodick, with the 

Brewery, Isle of Arran Cheese and Arran Aromatics all worth 

a visit. But there is so much more on offer. All our previous 

visits have been day-trips, so this time we decided to spend 

the night on the island. 

Our destination this time was Blackwaterfoot, literally 

meaning ‘Bottom of the Black River’. This peaceful hamlet lies 

on the west coast. On a clear day you can see across the 

Kilbrannan Sound to the Mull of Kintyre and on a very clear 

day, even Ireland. Following concise instructions from our 

friendly bus driver, a Yorkshire man who followed the lure of 

island-life many years ago, we hiked to the King’s Caves. 

His Crusade 

Hugging the coast we trekked along, passing the impressive 

basalt cliffs of The Doon. The caves are believed by many to be 

the location of Robert the Bruce’s fateful encounter while in 

hiding at the lowest point of his campaign against the English 

when he thought that all was lost. His observations of the 

persistent spider spinning a web until his home was complete 

encouraged him to continue the struggle. His crusade was 

eventually victorious. 

Blackwaterfoot by Jennifer Flynn. 

We stopped for lunch at the cave before heading back to 

the village for a rewarding pint at The Kinloch Hotel, 

followed by dinner at the Blackwaterfoot Lodge Hotel 

where we were staying. The next morning we took the bus 

to Lochranza with our fearless bus driver taking on some 

rather hair-raising manoeuvres. Hamish did not like it, but 

I really enjoyed seeing, from a whole new perspective, an 

island I have grown to love. 

Decided to Roam 

Arriving in Lochranza we were met by some deer which had 

made their way onto the stony beach to forage and we 

decided to roam around the castle. The weather had changed 

from bright and sunny to gloomy, leaving the edifice looking 

rather sombre, sitting atop its promontory out in the bay. 

Lochranza Castle dates to the 13th Century and has been 

owned by many families. It is said that Bruce himself once 

landed there on returning from Ireland. 

Jumping back on the bus, we headed south towards Brodick. 

Driving up through the hills we were treated to some spectacular 

mountain scenery. We had time for a quick drink at the 

always welcoming Ormidale Hotel before catching the ferry 

back to the mainland. I cannot wait to see where our next 

spontaneous visit to Arran takes us - for the place has so much 

to recommend. 

ACROSS 

1. Morse or semaphore, eg (4) 

3. Nellie's fruity dessert (5,5) 

10. Terminal point of "the Road to the Isles" (7) 

11. Distinctive flair (7) 

12. Certainly not Morse's offshore area! (4,2,5) 

13. Feel unwell in Baillieston (3) 

14. Birthplace, in 1854, of Sir William Smith, the founder of 

the Boys' Brigade (6) 

16. Stupid fellow's melody with school boss (7) 

19. Largest settlement on the Knoydart peninsula (7) 

21. Make a strongly worded criticism on how to get caught, 

it seems (3,3) 

24. Hostilities in Rowardennan (3) 

25. Eagle legend about location of Islay's airport (11) 

27. Explain in general terms swapping for this rugby 

formation (4-3) 

28. Very briefly (2,1,4) 

29. Canna, Rum, Eigg and Muck (5,5) 

30. Priest going east to seaside village in Fife (4) 

DOWN 

1. Awful crime involving love in Strathearn village (6) 

2. 1968 hit for Tom Jones (7) 

4. Strathaird village overlooked by Ben Meabost with the Cuillins 

across Loch Scavaig (5) 

5. The north-western point of mainland Scotland (4,5) 

6. Maths take-away! (5) 

7. Scotland's longest, narrow stretch of water, in Lorne (4,3) 

8. Resort on the Firth of Forth -- could be Alder Bay (8) 

9. Manual worker (8) 

15. The Merry Widow and Orpheus in the Underworld, eg (9) 

17. Island Royal Burgh and Prince Charles' Dukedom (8) 

18. Central brick structures in Shetland village (3,5) 

20. Porch (7) 

22. Village on the shores of Loch Glencoul, opposite Kylesku (7) 

23. Sewing aid (6) 

25. Dog's angry, low snarl (5) 

26. Get five topped in sea loch (5) 

Send your answer from the small grid to: 

editor@scottishislandsexplorer.com or text to 

07510 127014 or by mailing it to SIE Elm Lodge IP22 1EA 

to enter the competition for a free year’s 

membership of The Islands Book Trust. 

Small grid answer to Crossword 27 was Rothesay 

Winner of Crossword 27: Fred Crawford 

Solution to Crossword 27 



ISLAND INCIDENTS 

Roger Butler recalls winning a cruise on the Hebridean Princess 

Scottish Islands Explorer Store 

It had been a long day. My train was already delayed and I 

killed time by drifting along the magazine racks at 

Paddington Station. Cars, garden makeovers or needlecraft 

did not appeal, but my mood suddenly improved when 

I spotted a glossy Scottish title. 

The content may have appeared fairly lightweight, but a 

special competition caught my eye. I knew all about the 

luxurious Hebridean Princess, partly because I had often been 

on board when she worked as the much-loved Columba and 

partly because I often received brochures that revealed how 

she now carried more staff than guests. 

I could but dream, but now here in front of me lay a chance - 

albeit very slight - to win a four-night cruise in a style to which I 

was not wholly accustomed. There were a few questions, but if 

you knew the Hebrides, you could not really go wrong. Where 

will you find the famous Singing Sands? Easy - Eigg! 

Top-notch Cruise-ship 

I posted an entry and forgot all about it until Claire, my 

wife, rang me late one afternoon. A magazine had been on 

the phone and someone had tried to explain that my name 

had been drawn out of a hat. She was not sure what they were 

talking about in confirming arrangements with a certain topnotch 

cruise-ship. 

I felt light- headed. I never thought people won competitions. 

Dates were set, our suite was booked and the itinerary 

was confirmed. In the meantime, just to oil the wheels, we 

had planned a backpacking- trip to the islands. This was our 

usual way of doing things, with a small tent, a tiny stove and 

plenty of midge repellent. 

Imagine our shock and surprise when we unzipped the door one 

morning and saw the Hebridean Princess moored just offshore. 

The luxurious Hebridean Princess is moored off-shore while an inflatable 

ferries passengers to a remote-island beach. Hebridean Island Cruises Ltd. 

Half an hour later, a red inflatable zodiac brought passengers onto 

a sandy beach and we smiled as we saw foldaway steps being used 

to avoid the slightest chance of wet feet. 

Would they really allow rough campers like us on board, 

even if we had won a competition? The great day came 

towards the end of October and, as usual, we strode through 

Oban carrying our hefty rucksacks, unusually packed with 

fancy dining-attire. We joked that any welcoming staff might 

point us in the direction of the ferry to Mull. 

For Drinks? 

That’s exactly what happened! We explained our predicament: 

“We’re not used to this, please excuse us if we don’t fit 

in. We won a competition …” The purser held out his hand 

and escorted us to a warm lounge, “Please come this way, the 

official photographer will be here in five minutes. Will you 

join me for drinks?” 

We soon settled in and never stopped smiling - or eating - 

for the next four days. We called at Tobermory and Portree, 

clambered over hills in Torridon and Knoydart and dashed 

around dazzling autumn colour on the Ardnamurchan. One 

banquet followed another and a captain’s reception seemed 

to take place every night. 

We’re still camping, of course, but if you only ever win 

one competition ... make sure the prize involves the 

Hebridean Princess. 

In the Next Issue … 

Mull - Ulva 

Seaweed - Discover 

Outposts - Depicted 

Community - Shops 

Rum - Castle 

Blind - Piper 

On Sale 18 June 

1. Port Askaig (Islay) 2. Lochaline 3. Toft (Mainland Shetland) 4. Sconser (Skye) 5. Taylinloan 

6. Colintraive 7. Easedale 8. Kennacraig 9. Lerwick (Mainland Shetland) 10. Iona 

Stocked with items for you, 

family and friends 

• One-year subscriptions from £24.97 

with discounts for longer terms 

• Back numbers for £4.00 each 

• Archive CD from 2000-2015 

• DVDs on islands , areas & topics 

• Binders at £12.45 (inc. p&p) 

scottishislandsexplorer.com 

01379 890270 or 07510 127014 

Cheques to ‘Ravenspoint Press Ltd’ 

c/o Elm Lodge Garden House Lane 

Rickinghall Diss IP22 1EA 


ISLAND AND WILDLIFE CRUISES OFF SCOTLAND’S BEAUTI- 

FUL HEBRIDEAN COAST 

NORTHERN LIGHT 

CRUISING COMPANY 

Exploring St Kilda, Mingulay, The Shiants, North Rona 

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Small groups - maximun 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

Yumpu_ May_June 2017_02

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