Cairnaburg Chapel

During a trip to Staffa, the boat I was on passed through the narrow channel between the islands of Cairn na Burgh Mor and Cairn a Burgh Beg. Standing atop Cairn na Burgh Mor were two ruins; one was a low rectangular structure known as the Barracks, and the other, a much more intriguing structure, a 15th century chapel. As the boat continued on its way back to Ulva Ferry I promised myself that someday I'd find a way to get ashore on the tiny Cairnaburgs.

There were (and still are) no regular boat trips to the Cairnburgs. If you want to get ashore your options are either to sign up for a cruise that visits that part of the Hebrides, or to pay (a lot) for a charter day-trip. I have tried both methods. On a cruise in the area on Halmar Bjorge, the wind and sea were a bit agitated, and we were unable to land. But I did manage to get ashore to see the chapel by arranging a day-trip from Tobermory on one of the Sea-Life RIBs. Here are a few up-close photos of the chapel, and for a complete description of that visit to both of the Cairnaburgs see book 1, chapter 18.

Sea-Life RIB off Cairn a Burgh Beg

Cairn a Burgh Mor chapel

Chapel seen from the interior of the island

East gable and the altar

The Altar

Cairnaburgs

As you can see in the photo I was fortunate to have had good weather on the day I visited the Cairnaburgs. These two little islands are large in history, each having been fortified in the past to control the sea lanes west of Mull. The photo was taken on Cairn na Burgh Beg, the smaller of the two islets, looking over to Cairn na Burgh Mor. Sitting atop Cairn na Burgh Mor are its barracks and chapel, and in the far distance you can see Lunga. The little peak on the right side of Lunga is Dun Cruit, Harp Rock, home to a large colony of seabirds. Hundreds of people visit Lunga every year to see its Puffins, but only a handful ever set foot on the tiny Cairnaburgs.