LaterEarlier |
Having, up until this point, had a clear direction of travel, we were now faced with an enticing array of destinations ahead of us in all directions, making route planning particularly baffling. We had 3 weeks to get to Craobh – our wintering marina – less than 50 miles by the direct route – but where to start? Then of course, there was the weather, which ended up more or less dictating when and where we went. This was a period of extremely unsettled weather and unsettled forecasts which, after the quiet of July and the first few days of August, came as quite a shock to the system. So our ‘plan’ was effectively a list of destinations which we hoped to get to when the time for each was right. Never planning more than half a week ahead, we went hither and thither, frequently changing even short term plans as conditions demanded. Our first Scottish landfall was Port Ellen on the island of Islay which, having a marina and supermarkets, enabled us to prepare for a period of time in remote anchorages and small islands - filling water and fuel tanks, getting in good food supplies, doing laundry etc. Islay was formerly capital of the Western Isles – seat of the Lord of the Isles. 25 miles from north to south and 15 miles east to west it has around 3,000 inhabitants, about a quarter of whom speak Scottish Gaelic, concentrated mainly in and around the villages of Bowmore and Port Ellen and a few smaller settlements. The rest of the island is sparsely populated and mainly agricultural. One of the major commercial activities is, of course, malt whisky distillation - the dark waters from the extensive bogs giving rise to the distinctive peaty taste. There are 7+ distilleries on the island, dotted around the coast. Today’s annual production is about 4,000,000 gallons. An interesting feature of these waters is the ‘amphidromic point’ near Islay, where the tidal range is zero. Despite this, tidal currents in the straits between islands are some of the strongest in the British Isles – yet another factor in passage planning. Generally Islay seemed easier to explore by land than sea – its southern shores facing straight into the Atlantic with no deep or sheltered harbours or anchorages. We started exploring with a walk out along the extremely rocky eastern shore to pop into the distilleries of Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg, before hiring a car to explore further afield - managing to drive 109 miles – no mean feat on such a small island. We visited the delightful present day ‘capital’ of Bowmore on Loch Indaal – a very gracious village with wide streets of white houses, main street leading up to circular church of Kilarrow - designed so that the devil could find no corners to lurk in! – and another distillery. We went north to Port Askaig for a first look at the Sound of Islay, and south west to Portnahaven – calling in at the settlements of Bridgend and Port Charlotte - purpose designed and built to provide for workers for distilleries.
Our plan to visit Gigha next was stymied after a night there, when conditions required us
to find protection from easterlies for a day or so. Gigha - ‘God’s Island’ or ‘the Good Island’ - 3 miles off the coast of Kintyre is just 6 miles long and 11/2 miles wide. After many decades of stagnation under a series of private owners, the local community bought their island in 2002 for £4 million, since when it has flourished with several private businesses springing up boosting the local economy and seeing an increased population. With 25% arable land, relative to its size, Gigha is the most fertile and productive island in Scotland.
After a couple of days on Gigha, we thought we spied a ‘weather window’ suitable for
venturing out to the more exposed waters to the west of Islay and Jura. Having just missed the north west going tide through the Sound of Islay, we anchored for a night off Craighouse – the main settlement on the island of Jura. Jura had been looming large in view during all our comings and goings, usually shrouded in mist/cloud. It is a wild and mysterious island – mountainous, bare and largely infertile, covered by extensive areas of blanket bog. 27 miles long by 2-8 miles wide its mountain range runs the length of the island, culminating on the southern end in the Paps of Jura – three rounded peaks the highest 785 metres – which, when not in cloud cover, dominate the landscape of these islands. The one main road runs part way up the east coast linking a number of small settlements north of Craighouse. The west coast is deserted and it is one of the least densely populated islands of Scotland. Much of the land is good only for deer stalking - there are about 5,000 deer on the island – outnumbering the human population by 25 to one. Jura seemed an incongruous location for George Orwell to have written his novel ‘1984’ - while living in a remote farmhouse on the island in the late 1940s.
Finally time for the sound of Islay – the 11 mile long, narrow strait between Islay and Jura with fast running tidal currents We timed this to perfection with 5+ knots of tide under us as we passed no less than three more distilleries. The passage which started in disappointingly misty and murky conditions, miraculously morphed into brilliant sunshine at the other end! Our summer voyage culminated in 10 days of gloriously sunny, settled (if rather windless) weather – perfect for exploring those locations more at mercy of Atlantic lows, which can really only be done in such conditions. Patience rewarded! Emerging at the northern end of the Sound of Islay, with the island of Colonsay on the
horizon, we turned to starboard for Loch Tarbert, Jura. And finally to the island of Colonsay – which had acquired the status of a holy grail, following previous thwarted hopes to get there. Eleven miles across a glassy sea with views out to Mull to the north looking very close, and 60 miles away to the south, the coast of northern Ireland - it didn’t disappoint – at least in this weather. Our marvellous guide on the Scottish Islands states baldly of Colonsay: ‘There are no good anchorages’. We peeked into the harbour at the main settlement and ferryport of Scalasaig, but this was too tiny, too rocky and too dominated by the huge pier for us to feel comfortable there so we moved on to Loch Staosnaig, round the next headland to the south which had plenty of space and good holding.
Our final flourish was the passage through Corryvreckan. This passage – just 2 miles long and ½ mile across is one of the most notorious stretches of water anywhere in the British Isles, caused by the speed of the current, the extreme turbulence at each end and, of course, the presence of the 3rd largest whirlpool in the world – caused by a pillar of rock rising from the sea bed. Even with absolutely no wind and a glassy sea we felt some trepidation regarding the timing – not helped by the fact that the calculations given in different guides result in slightly different times, some suggesting that the only ‘window’ may be the 15 minutes of slack water. Needless to say that in these quiet conditions, although there was obvious turbulence in the water, the passage was almost disappointingly uneventful with no sign of the dread whirlpool.
Now, 789 miles from Bristol and with 101 miles of walking achieved this year, we have ended our voyage. All very good – and not a single lifeboat was involved! Julia and Chris |