The Adventures of Hjalmar Bjorge - Season 3, Episode 7

The Continuing Adventures of Hjalmar Bjorge

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Erraid and Eorsa

Exploring the Isles of the West Cruise    June 2-11, 2018

Thursday, June 7 – Islands 9 & 10 - Erraid and Eorsa

Thursday morning saw us storming the beach at Balfour Bay on the south side of Erraid. The island is best known for Robert Louis Stevenson’s use of it in the novel Kidnapped, and it also makes an appearance in Treasure Island; for if you look at the map in the book, you will see that the island has a striking resemblance to Erraid. In his Memories of an Islet, written in 1887, Stevenson had this to say about Erraid:

I put a whole family there, in one of my tales; and later on, threw upon its shores, and condemned to several days of rain and shellfish on its tumbled boulders, the hero of another. The ink is not yet faded; the sound of the sentences is still in my mind’s ear; and I am under a spell to write of that island again.

Balfour Bay, where we stepped ashore, is named for David Balfour, the hero of Kidnapped, who washed ashore here after the ship Covenant went aground on the nearby Torran Rocks.

From the beach we made the climb to the top of the island, where we took turns sitting on the Wishing Stone. The stone is difficult to get onto, as it is surrounded by a moat. I have visited Erraid in the past and, a bit leery of falling into the moat, I’d never tried jumping on it to make a wish. This time, with some helping hands, I got onto the stone. But the wish I made did not come true. (As I was sliding off the stone I fell into the moat.)

A 15 minute hike then took us over to the observatory; built to monitor the Dubh Artach lighthouse, which sits in the sea 15 miles to the southwest. The observatory was an excellent place to have lunch, and so under brilliant sunshine, surrounded by sea views in all directions, the packed lunches were quickly devoured. Off to the west Hjalmar Bjorge could be seen motoring around to the north of Erraid to collect us in a couple hours.

From the observatory it was a short walk down to the row of lightkeeper's houses, now used by the Findhorn Foundation for retreats. The houses were built between 1867 and 1872, and it was in 1869 that RLS first saw Erraid from a porthole of the lighthouse steamer Pharos. He wrote at the time about a small house that stood on the island; peat smoke rising from the cottage as the daughters of the cottar waded along the shore. He was nineteen at the time, and would later write that the steamer had come to Erraid because:

Fifteen miles away to seaward, a certain black rock stood environed by the Atlantic rollers, the outpost of the Torran reefs. Here was a tower to be built, and a star lighted. 

On this black rock the Stevensons were building the Dubh Artach lighthouse, (the dark, deadly one) which became operational in 1872.

I was happy to see this iconic sign hanging on the gate that leads to 'Main Street'.

I was happy to see the sign because on my last visit to Erraid (2010) it was missing, and I'd assumed someone had stolen it. But it was apparent that the sign has seen some love during its absence, as the last time I saw it (in 2007) it was rusting away.

We still had a half hour to wander, so most of us made our way to a small beach east of the village before heading back to the pier.

Mark and Anna picked us up in the inflatable at the massive Erraid pier, also built by the Stevensons, and then we motored up past Iona to turn into Loch na Keal. At the head of the loch a calm anchorage was found off Eorsa island, where we went ashore to climb to the top.

Eorsa

Eorsa landing

Eorsa summit

Eorsa is a beautiful little island, and I was delighted to set foot on it as I'd never been there before. The views from its summit were spectacular: we were nestled in a sea-nook, cradled by Mull to the north, east and south; and under a clear blue sky to the west lay Iona, Inchkenneth, Ulva, Gometra and the Treshnish Isles. All of which we would be visiting in the coming days.