The Adventures of Hjalmar Bjorge - Season 3, Episode 8

The Continuing Adventures of Hjalmar Bjorge

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Inchkenneth, Gometra, Ulva

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

Friday, June 8 - Islands 11, 12 & 13 - Inchkenneth, Gometra, Ulva

Friday morning we went ashore on Inchkenneth, where we were quickly greeted by the caretakers, who had just dashed over from Mull when they saw we were going to land. They were friendly enough, but very quick to direct us along a path to the church that kept us well clear of the mansion house. The house has quite a history; once being home to Harold Boulton, known for writing the lyrics to The Skye Boat Song; and then to the Mitfords. (It is unlikely, but there is a rumor Hitler visited them here.)

Inchkenneth House in the 1920s - from Thomas Hannan's Iona and Some Satellites (1928)

It was a short walk to the site of St Kenneth's monastery. Nothing is left of the original monastery, but a 13th church stands on the site. Inside it there is an amazing collection of medieval tombstones that date from the 14th to the 16th century.  

Just above the church ruin stands the Inchkenneth cross, which dates to around the year 1500.

After seeing the chapel we made a circuit of the island, climbing to its highest point, and then heading north to a sheltered stone seat the owners call Poet's Corner; not that any poets are buried here, it is just a beautiful spot that should inspire poetry. I started to compose something, but then duty called. It was time to leave the island, and I so I had to set my epic work aside. This is as far as I got:

There once was a dentist from Inchkenneth,

Who longed to play tennis in Venice...

Liz, Mike and Debbie at Poet's Corner

Dave, Jane and Hazel at Poet's Corner

From Inchkenneth we made the short crossing to Gometra Harbour - one of my favorite anchorages. Just as we were approaching the harbour a pod of bottlenose dolphins came to play, bow-riding with us until we had to slow down at the harbour entrance – it was great fun (for us, too).

The clearance village in the center of Gometra was visited; a beautiful sheltered spot a half mile up in the hills above the anchorage.

From the village ruins I decided to lead the group directly back down to the shore, instead of backtracking the way we'd come. That was a mistake; seemingly endless tall grass and bracken bashing followed by a fence climb. When we did reach the road we realized someone was missing. Uh...Oh... As a guide, your Prime Directive is to not lose a guest (it does not look good on your CV). Even worse, my yearly performance review would not go well. 

And so, as the group headed off along the Gometra road to visit Ulva, I retraced our route back up the hill in search of the missing Liz.  

Where the Gometra road reaches Ulva

Old causeway crossing to Ulva

Gometra Bridge - no toll

Looking north from the Ulva side of the crossing

I did eventually find Liz. What with all the tall grass, and rolling hills, she had not seen where we 'd went, and had returned along our route in. When I found her she had retraced her steps and joined Mike, who had decided not to visit the village. Knowing that the rest of the group was on an easy road walk to Ulva, I decided to walk with Liz and Mike to Acairseid Mhor, an sheltered anchorage at the northwest corner of Gometra.

It was a long-ish walk, several ups and downs across two miles, that passed by Gometra village. At the west end of the village stood Gometra House. We could not get close to it, as a signed detour path intentionally took us well away from the house.

Gometra House

A bit past Gometra House we came across a sheep with a horn stuck in the bars of a steel gate. It panicked as we approached, but could not get itself unstuck from the gate. We gave a quick push on the tip of the horn (from the other side of the gate) to set it free. This was deja vu all over again, as on last year's trip we'd freed a sheep stuck in a bog on Pabbay Mor.

After reaching road's end at Acairsaid Mor, a very sheltered anchorage, but far too shallow for Hjalmar Bjorge, we returned to Gometra Harbour. 

Mike and Liz on the Gometra road

Back near the landing we took a look at Jane Ann's Bothy. No one was currently in residence, and it looked like a quiet place to stay (see this link). For more info on Gometra see their island website.

Jane Ann's Bothy

Once back aboard Hjalmar Bjorge we discovered a treat was in store for the evening meal. Mark had been diving for scallops, which made an excellent starter. Then a calm, uneventful night, was spent at anchor. Even though it was an uneventful, there was excitement in the air. In the morning we'd be setting foot on Puffin Island (AKA Lunga).