On our
May 21st cruise we hope to visit Canna. One of the best, but difficult, walks on the island is the seven-mile round trip hike to the Celtic Christian cashel of Sgorr nam Ban-naomha. The place name 'Sgorr' is used for a level shelf of land below a cliff and above the sea, and so
Sgorr nam Ban-naomha means something like 'the cliff-girt terrace of the holy women'.
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| Sgorr nam Ban-naomha |
Getting to Sgorr nam Ban-naomha requires descending the 300-foot cliffs via a narrow sheep track. It's been 14 years since I last walked down that path, but if it's still there, and looks safe, we'll try to do it.
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| The Sheep track down the cliff (marked with arrows) |
The ruins are extensive, and include an oratory, altar, and what may have been a bathhouse or mill. See
book 1 chapter 29, and this
CANMORE page, for more on this fascinating site, which was also selected as one of
Scotland's Treasured Places.
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| Two-chambered beehive ruin |
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