Scotland has over 790 off shore Islands, most of which are to be found in four main groups: Shetland, Orkney and Hebrides (Inner and Outer Hebrides) Plus clusters of islands on many lochs and coastal firths. About 95 are inhabited and interestingly, although many have populations that have dwindled, some have maintained a similar population size from the middle 1800’s.
Consequently a large fleet of ferries are crisscrossong from the mainland to all the inhabited islands transporting people and cars all day everyday.
It was bank holiday here in Scotland and the weather is outstandingly good reaching temperatures in the mid 20’s which I believe is pretty uncommon here. Camping seems to be a favoured holiday choice and many are armed with ‘The Picnic’ gear ready for of 3 days of peace and quiet.
Our day out to Isle of Mull departed by ferry at 8.30 am from Oban , which was home base for 3 nights at the gorgeous Glenburnie House. We had a full day and with time on our hands we headed north to the very cute fishing village of Tobermory, along the narrow one lane road with little passing bays. These are the roads of Mull and it involves patience, consideration and tolerance and forget any chance of trying to hurry. The little houses in Tobermory are all painted in bright colours – one of my ladies asked me why? I always believed it was because the fishermen would often be at sea for several days at a time, but if they were close enough to shore, they wanted to be able to identify their home.
But have also read :
- Salty sea air and wind is really hard on wood and buildings. Brighter colours will show fading faster, so they will know when painting is needed in order to keep the wood protected.
- Used the leftovers from painting their boats. It was cheaper than normal house-paint, so painted their house with what they had.
Whatever…. they look wonderful side by side.
Continuing our journey to the small Isle of Iona, our drive took us through the middle of the island and down the coast line beside Loch Na Keal. I could honestly say this was one of the most beautiful trips I have ever done. The long legged black faced sheep were grazing on the foreshore with their little lambs and with high cliffs on our left and vistas of the many outer islands in the distance on our right it was an unexpectedly enjoyable ride before catching another very short ferry sailing to Iona. It is a small, fertile, crofting island, currently inhabited by around 130 people and for many centuries it has been an island of special significance for all Christians. In AD 563, Columba and his followers arrived here from Ireland to spread the gospel in Scotland and the north of England.The medieval Abbey has been restored and our visit coincided with a very informative local guide, which helped put the Abbey’s complicated history in context.
We were back in Oban by 7pm and the ever obliging Graeme from Glenburnie house had picked up our Seafood Platters from the famous Fish Shack. Everyone from my 2017 tour will remember this fun night – eating the biggest selection of local seafood with your fingers, accompanied with a couple of glasses of wine.
Oban sits looking over the sounds of Kerrera and the hotel rooms face the water which has a constant movement of boats, ferries and small cruise ships. We are experiencing the most extraordinary sunny hot weather in Scotland and our second day to the Isle of Gigha to relish a long lunch at the famous boat house was pretty perfect. We are still laughing at the size of Jean and Edith’s meringue dessert. Stopping at the beautiful spring Arduiane gardens late in the afternoon completed once again, for the second year in a row a very unforgettable visit to the Argyle region.
