The western isles of Scotland showed us their very best today, offering something for everyone under bright blue skies as we visited three different islands and finished our day on a remote corner of the mainland.
We woke up alongside in Tobermory, on the island of Mull. This small town, home to the Tobermory Distillery, is one of the most beautiful of all the communities that dot the shores of the Hebrides. The waterfront curves in a long sweeping arc of brightly colored buildings and boats, from the back of the bay out to the point where the Lord of the Glens was moored. The town faces east, so as the sun rose the old stone steeples, piles of lobster traps, and pink storefronts were all lit by a magical golden-orange light. Many of us were out with our cameras before breakfast and after a quick bite we were right back out again, learning about the history of the town from Steve and Konia or practicing our photography with Jim and David.
By 10:30 we were on our way, with time for a presentation from Steve on our next destination, the little island of Eigg. The people of Eigg worked for many years to arrange the buyout of their home, purchasing it from the local laird after a long and difficult campaign. Now the island is administered by the residents and stands as an excellent example of careful modern management of a beautiful historic place. We came ashore at the large modern quay and walked or rode in a local van up past the little hydroelectric power plant into the lovely woods and brilliant green fields of the island’s interior. After spending the morning in a town, even such small and welcoming one as Tobermory, it was a delightful contrast to find ourselves in such a bucolic landscape, a symphony of greens, glowing in the sunshine.
Mid-afternoon found us underway again, this time to the large Isle of Skye. The Lord of the Glens tied up at the dock in Armadale and we walked or rode a short distance to the Clan MacDonald Center where we learned more about the history of the highlands in an excellent small museum and took some time to stroll through the extensive gardens, stopping to photograph the ruins of Armadale Castle where we could look out over the wide lawns and across the Sound of Sleat to the Knoydart Peninsula.
Recap and dinner gave us a chance to rest a bit and chat over the events of the day so far, but the day was not yet over. During the meal our ship came alongside and secured at a small quay once again, this time outside the tiny village of Inverie. Inverie is nearly impossible to reach by road and is deservedly famous as the home of the Old Forge, the most remote pub in Britain. Although it is genuinely remote, the pub is very popular and we joined a lively crowd there to down a few pints of good ale and cider and continue our conversations about the delights of our long day in the western isles.
