Western Isles Hotel - Tobermory

On our first trip to Scotland my wife and I wanted to stay at the Western Isles Hotel. It is an historic hotel, built in 1882, high on the hill above Tobermory. A more scenic place to stay would be hard to find. 

Tobermory Bay - Western Isles Hotel at upper right

But they only had one vacant room. And so my parents, who were travelling with us, were able to stay, but my wife and I had to find a B&B on the other side of town. Since then my wife and I have stayed in the hotel twice, and I stayed there by myself for a few winter days in 2000 (see book 1, chapter 13). The price has gone up quite a bit since then, and now costs something like 200 a night in the summer. But it's well worth it to stay in this amazing place, which made an appearance in the 1945 classic island film 'I Know Where I'm Going' (see this link).

I happen to like the old building, but this excerpt about the hotel, from Frank Walker's excellent  book Argyll and the Islands, is not complementary:

A ponderous building constructed in whinstone rubble with red sandstone dressings...was erected at a time when it seemed that Victorian tourism might make Tobermory one of the most fashionable watering places in the west. High above the Mishnish pier ...its grim skyline dominates the bay.

It can be grim; on a wet and windy day. But on a bright spring day, with the harbour below full of ships, it is anything but grim. I have found myself 'stranded' in Tobermory several times over the years. By stranded, I mean on a cruise where the fellow passengers wanted to go ashore to visit the shops. I am not a shopper, so to pass the time I'll go for a walk east to Aros Park, or west to the Rubha nan Gall lighthouse. Then I'll spend whatever time is left enjoying a beer, along with the view, up on the patio of the Western Isles. Try it, I think you'll like it.

View from the bar patio

Ewen Little Head

Crannogs, man-made island strongholds, are interesting structures. The first I remember seeing is possibly the most seen crannog in Scotland. It lies in Loch Sguabain (Mull), a quarter-mile off the A849, and is easily seen from the tour buses that take thousands of people every year to Iona.

This particular crannog is more interesting than most. It has a name, and some of its history is known. Called 'Caisteal Eoghainn a' Chinn Bhig' (the castle of Ewen little head), it was last occupied by Ewan Maclaine in the 16th Century. You can read about Ewen, and how he lost his little head, in Thomas Hannan's The Beautiful Island of Mull, and in Alasdair Alpin Macgregor's The Ghost Book. Ewen was killed during a battle nearby (some Maclean/Maclaine infighting), and his head was cut off.

Macgregor includes Ewen's tale in chapter 3 of The Ghost Book - a chapter entitled  Haunted Lochbuie - because Ewen's headless ghost, riding atop a horse, is said to haunt Lochbuie House and the surrounding area. Seeing (or hearing) Ewen ride by was said to mean there'd be a death in the Maclaine family. Ewen was said to have been heard the night that Murdoch Maclaine, the 22nd chief, died in 1909. See the December 9, 2014 post for more on the death, and funeral, of Murdoch Maclaine. And see this CANMORE page for more on Ewen's Fort.

Ewen's Fort - Loch Sguabain

A mile and a half northeast of Loch Sguabain, on the hillside below the ruin of Torness cottage, you will find a small cairn that marks the spot where Ewen was decapitated in the battle of Glen Forsa. Every time I pass by I like to stop and add a stone to this memorial to Ewen Little Head, the Headless Horsemen of Lochbuie.

Ewen's Cairn - Glen Lussa

Neil MacGillivray of Burg & Inchkenneth

I first read about Neil MacGillivray in Alasdair Alpin Magregor's book Skye and the Inner Hebrides (1953). Neil was the island boatman for Inchkenneth when MacGregor met him. MacGregor does not say too much about Neil, but you can read a good account of his life in Timothy Neat's When I was Young (2000). The chapter about Neil begins as follows (in his own words):

Looking at a photograph of me when young and looking at me now, aged 84, you'd never think I was a man who often danced with Hitler's mistress. That was Unity Mitford. Both she and her mother were very fond of me. They lived here on Mull, on the island of Inchkenneth. I was boatman and general manager of the island - but it's a long story and it seems a very long time ago.

Photo of Neil in his 20s - unfortunately later editions of the book have a different cover 

I won't repeat the story of the Mitfords on Inchkenneth. But it is one of the strangest tales of the Hebrides. Unfortunately I only met Neil MacGillivray once. That was in 2003 when I visited him at his home, Aird of Kinloch, near the head of Loch Scridan on Mull. Over a dram of Grouse he told me some stories about his life on Inchkenneth, and showed me one of his treasured possessions, Unity Mitford's swaztika arm band. I tried to get him to talk about Alasdair Alpin MacGregor, but he did not remember much other than "he had holes in his trousers."

Neil lived on Inchkenneth for nearly 20 years, and raised his family there. Their time on Inchkenneth came to an end around 1966, shortly after the Mitford's sold the island. There was some sort of dispute with the new owners, I have no idea what it was, but it was bad enough that Neil's house on Inchkenneth was subsequently knocked down (see photo below). As I was leaving I asked Neil if I could take his photo; here is the picture, which also shows his dog Dileas (which means faithful in Gaelic).

Neil MacGillivray at his home in 2003

The day after visiting Neil I went to Inchkenneth. (See book 1 chapter 12 for the story of that visit). Neil had told me where to find the spot where his house had been. The rectangular patch of rubble in the next photo is all that's left of his house.

Site of Neil's house

I always intended on visiting Neil again, but it was not to be. Neil passed away in March of 2009. In August of that year I paid a visit to his grave in Kilfinichen burial ground.

MacGillivary Tombstone in Kilfinichen

Also buried here is his wife Janet, who passed away in 1989. When I visited the cemetery the tombstone had yet to be inscribed with the date of Neil's death. That has since been done, and the final lines on the stone are now:

Neil MacGillivray, 

who died 30th March 2009

Aged 94 years

Devoted Father and Loving Husband

Next to the Neil's grave is the grave of another MacGillivray, Christina, better known as Chirsty Burg, who passed in 1989. Chirsty was well known to many who hiked through the Burg to see the Fossil Tree, and I wish I'd been able to meet her. An excellent book on Burg, and Chirsty (that also has some information on Neil), is Tea with Chrissie, by Rosalind Jones.

Tombstone of Chirsty Burg

A Walk to Shiaba

The walk to Shiaba is one of the best on Mull. It is usually done as an in-and-out four-mile walk from Kilvickeon Church. But it can also be done as a long through-hike from Kilvickeon to Gorrie's Leap and then north via Airigh Mhic Cribhain to Beach on the north coast of the Ross of Mull. 

At Shiaba you will find a dozen ruins dating to the early 1800s - it was abandoned in 1937. Most of the township lies a half-mile from the sea, but near the shore you will also find the ruins of fisherman's cottages, and the scant remnants of even older structures: beehive cells, a possible chapel, and a couple of standing stones (see sixth photo).

GoogleEarth view of Shiaba

To get to Shiaba leave your car in the parking area above Kilvickeon Church (see the last post) and follow the track to the east past Scoor Farm. I did this walk in 2007, since then Scoor farmhouse has been converted into self-catering apartments.

Scoor Farm - 2007

Once past Scoor continue to the end of the track near a large sheep wash. Then continue along a vague, but easy to follow route east for another mile. The village covers a large area, and it takes a while to see each house. The best preserved house is known as Shiaba cottage, which I assume was the one that was occupied until 1937 (next three photos).

Shiaba Cottage - 1

Shiaba Cottage - 2

Shiaba Cottage - 3

Standing Stone

When I made this walk in 2007 I intended to carry on to Gorrie's Leap (which you can see in the far distance in a few of the photos). I had tried to get there the year before by walking in from Carsaig, but I was not able to make it. (See chapter 13 of book 1 for the story of that failure.)

But a look across the three miles of rough countryside between Shiaba and The Leap persuaded me that it would be too much of a round-trip for one day, especially as my wife was waiting for me to return in time for dinner at the Ardachy Hotel (which is a wonderful base for exploring the Ross of Mull, Iona and Erraid).

So I turned my back on Gorrie's leap and started the hike back to Kilvickeon. Another two years would pass before I would finally stand atop The Leap - also see book 1, chapter 13. For more information on Shiaba, including details on the walking route, see this Mull Historical Society page. This RCAHMS page also has some - but not much - info on Shiaba. 

Looking east to Gorrie's Leap

Shiaba township

Looking south to the sea

Cave View - 8

The first photo is the view from inside the Nun's Cave on Mull. Supposedly, when the nuns were evicted from Iona, they came here. What's known for certain is that the cave was a centre for stone carving, and some of the stone used in the 1875 restoration of Iona Abbey came from here.

It is a beautiful walk along the south coast of the Ross of Mull to get here, and the cave marks the halfway point of the path to Carsaig Arches described in book 1, chapter 13. There are many crosses carved into the cave wall, some are ancient, but most are vandal-scratchings. The most interesting thing to me was the whale font-stone, which you can see at the left of the first photo. The last photo shows some of the flotsam that accumulates in the cave.

The whale font-stone

The Font