The Monach Islands

There are still a few spots available for the May 21 cruise. If the weather and sea cooperate, one of our stops will be the Monach Islands. They lie five miles off the coast of North Uist, which they were once linked to by a sandbar. The sandbar was destroyed by a tsunami in 1607, but the three main islands of Ceann Iar, Shivinish, and Ceann Ear are still linked together at low tide.

The Monachs (The Monk's Isles) are also known as Heiskeir, and were once called Heisgeir nan Cailleach (Nun's rock), as there was said to be a nunnery on the east island in the 13th or 14th century. Small Shillay, the westernmost island, was said to have had a monastery. But if there was one, it would have been small, for the island is tiny (200 metres across).

After Kilda was evacuated in the 30s, the Monachs were the most westerly occupied part of Scotland for a while. They had a population of over 100 at one point, but were abandoned in 1947. The usual anchorage here is Croic Harbour, between Shivinish and Ceann Iar. Croic, per Dwelly's Gaelic dictionary, can mean 'abounding in cast seaweed', which it certainly is. Another definition I came across says that Croic simply means 'harbour'. I remember my first time anchoring there, watching the seals surf the tide as it rolled over the sandbar between Shivinish and Ceann Iar.

Looking across the sandbar to Shivinish from Ceann Iar

I'd been to the Monachs several times before I managed to set foot on Shillay. The landing there is more difficult, as the old lighthouse jetty is very exposed to the swell. Shillay lighthouse, said to be built on the site of the monk's beacon, started operating in 1864. It was decommissioned in 1942, and re-commissioned in 2008.

Ceann Ear (East End) has a freshwater loch, Loch nam Buadh (loch of the virtues). Named, perhaps, in honor of the nuns who once lived here. Next to the loch is the site of the village, with some 30 buildings, including a school, post office and church. A kilometre to the NE is Cladh na Bleide, an old burial ground, and the possible site of the nunnery.

The School

Mission Hall?

On my last visit to the  Monachs I managed to cross over to Shivinish from Ceann Iar just before the tide covered the sandbar. Someday, maybe this coming May if the tide is right, I hope to see if I can cross between all three islands. The Monachs are a special place, the abode of hundreds of seals and birds, only occasionally disrupted by the occasional boatload of appreciative island hoppers. There is not a lot of literature on the Monachs, but Alasdair Alpin Macgregor did dedicate a chapter to them in his book The Farthest Hebrides, which you can read here. If islands like these interest you, consider joining our cruise this May.

Looking to Shivinish from Ceann Iar as the tide rises

The Farthest Flannans

Those who are lucky enough to get ashore on the Flannans usually only set foot on one of the Seven Hunters: Eilean Mor, the lighthouse island. Due to the mystery of the missing lightkeepers, Eilean Mor gets all the publicity. But the three farthest Flannans, Brona Cleit, Roareim and Eilean a Ghobha, are also amazing places, as they host a large gannetry nearly as impressive as Sulaisgeir.

Eilean a' Ghobhar, Brona Cleit and Roareim seen from atop Eilean Mor

In 2004 I was on a trip that sailed past these outliers on the way to St Kilda. I have never read anywhere that there were bird-hunter bothies on Roareim, but I did see some sort of stone structures on the island (see last photo). It was a wet, grey, dreary day, and all my photos turned out wet, grey and dreary. I hope to return in the future to get some better photos. 

Eilean a' Ghobhar, Brona Cleit and Roareim seen from the sea

Natural arch on Roareim

The white dots are gannets

Bothy ruins on Roareim?

Uidhe Bothy - Taransay

It was back in 1992, while perusing the dusty shelves of a second-hand bookshop in Vancouver BC, that I first saw Seton Gordon's book Afoot in Wild Places (1937). The second chapter in the book is on Taransay, and in it was an amazing photo of St Taran's Cross at Uidhe; a 4-foot-tall standing stone with a large cross etched deeply on one side. The photo also showed a roofless, derelict croft house nestled at the base of the hill behind the cross.

I had to see the cross, but back then Taransay was, for me, as out of the way as the moon; I had no idea how I'd ever get there. But six years later, in 1998, I found myself on Harris after a planned trip to St Kilda fell apart. I was desperate to get to some remote islands, and so I managed to get to Taransay (see book 2, chapter 13).

The cross-stone was magnificent, and the derelict croft house behind it now had a roof, and had been fixed up as a bothy. I would later learn that this had been done by the Mountain Bothies Association in 1985. The Castaway TV show would invade Taransay after I visited, and the bothy was locked so that only participants in the show could use it. These days it remains unlocked, and below are some photos I took during visits in 2004 and 2011.

Note: The Mountain Bothies Association does not maintain the bothy. Uisinis on South Uist is the only one they have in the Western Isles (see Sept 18, 2013 post).

St Taran's Cross (2004) - Uidhe bothy in the distance

Uidhe bothy (2011)

Inside the bothy - 1

Inside the bothy - 2

Inside the bothy - 3

Mingulay - Up Top

One of the great Hebridean walks is to climb up the central glen of Mingulay to the saddle between MacPhee's Hill and Carnan. Along the way you pass the ruins of a mill (first photo). From the saddle you climb the steep hillside above the cliff-edge of Biulacraig to the summit of Carnan, 900 feet above the sea. The following photos show some of the sights along the way.

Next time we'll make a 12-mile jump to Barra, where we'll visit a lady who also stands 900 feet above the sea, and has graced the slopes of Heabhal for 60 years. 

The Mill

Mingulay Bay seen from the central glen

The highlands of Mingulay - Barra in the distance

The stacks

Barra Head lighthouse seen from atop Mingulay

Trig pillar atop Carnan - looking north to Barra

Mingulay - The Cliffs

Here are some views of the Mingulay cliffs seen from the sea. Twice now I have had the privilege of being on a boat as it threaded its way between the stacks and through the caves. Both times were aboard the boat Boy James, operated by Donald Macleod. Watching Donald pilot the ship through the narrow channels and into the caves is something you will always remember. On my second trip I saw something unexpected: several dozen climbers descending the cliffs, which you can see in a few of the photos. The last photo shows the inner sanctum of the cliffs, the spot I believe inspired Neil Munro's 'Long Gallery', where the climax of his novel The Children of Tempest took place (see Book 2, chapter 9).

Note the climbers in red

I don't think she was expecting an audience

Climbers starting down the cliffs

Under the cliffs and into the caves

In the Long Gallery - Is this where Col of Corodale drowned?

Mingulay - The Village

After St Kilda, Mingulay is probably the most desired deserted island destination in Scotland. Although I prefer Mingulay, as it has been allowed to age gracefully. To me Kilda village looks like an old movie star who has had too much plastic surgery: the fixed-up houses and the blight of the military buildings giving it an artificial look. That said, the island is still an amazing place.

There are many reasons Mingulay attracts: The story of how the people lived here until the island was abandoned; the village ruins gradually being buried in drifting sand; the story of Big Kenneth MacPhee being stranded after finding all the people dead. And then there are the puffins and the cliffs. Seen from above, the cliffs are astounding, and even more so when seen from below on a boat threading its way through the stacks and sea caves. We will visit those cliffs and caves next time, below are some views of the sand-engulfed village.

Mingulay - The Priest's House

When I first visited Mingulay in 2003 I was surprised to see that the priest's house had lost its roof. The house, built in 1898, had living quarters on the ground floor with a chapel on the upper floor, and I was expecting it to look as it did in some old photos I'd seen. But I would learn that the roof was lifted off by storms in the winter of 1996-97, which started the inevitable total collapse of the building.

The first three photos show how the house looked in 2003. Both gables stood complete, but the roof had collapsed, as had the front wall (facing the bay). The third photo was taken from atop the outer stairs looking into the chapel. As you can see, it was a sad mess.

The fourth photo was taken 10 years later in the summer of 2013. You can see that the gable shown in the third photo has completely fallen. A few more winters and there will be nothing left.

Back of the Priest's House and Mingulay Bay (2003)

View showing the fallen front wall and the steps to the chapel (2003)

Looking into the upper floor chapel (2003)

The Priest's House as it is - 10 years later in 2013

Mingulay Bound

The image below is a stitched composite of two separate photos. It is of Mingulay, and was taken from the top of nearby Barra Head. Mingulay can be a challenge to get to, for even if you base yourself on Barra for a week, you may not get there. Not only does the weather need to cooperate, but there also has to be a boat trip on offer during the week. Another way to see it is to take one of the many cruises on offer that visit the area. That's how I first visited the island in 2003 on the ship Poplar Diver operated by Northern Light Charters. Over the next few posts we'll be visiting Mingulay.

Lighthouse Cruise 3 - Scarp

After our visit to the Monachs we headed north to Scarp. There is no lighthouse on the island, but it would make a good starting point to try for the Flannan Isles the next day.

As it turned out, the visit to Scarp was one of the major highlights of the cruise. I had visited the island a few times before. On the last occasion, in 2010, I met two Scarp residents, Brian and Sheila Harper. Brain is a subscriber to Scottish Islands Explorer, so in a sense he knew me, and I was invited in for tea. Since then I've met Brian and Sheila twice, including one occasion in Huisinish that was the subject of the August 6 post.

So when we visited Scarp on August 9, only a few days after I'd last seen Brian and Sheila I was delighted to come across them on their way to the island. I had spent the day ashore, climbing to the summit of Sron Romul, the highest point of Scarp. After descending to the village I knocked on Brian's door, but no one was home, so I left a note saying we'd be anchored here for the night, and to visit us when they returned.

I then had a chance to see the restored church. When I first visited Scarp in 2004 (see Book 2, chapter 30) I had wandered through the ruined church after chasing several sheep out. The first photo is from that visit. The second shows the chapel as it looks now. Beautiful.

Scarp church  - 2004

Scarp church  - 2013

After seeing the church we returned to the boat for the night. As we were doing this we saw Brian and Sheila returning to Scarp from Huisinish. Their boat, from a distance looked odd. And as they neared us the reason was clear. They were ferrying a mattress over to Scarp.

Mattress delivery - Scarp

We had an enjoyable dinner on Halmar Bjorge with Brian and Shiela. And afterwards watched them motor back to Scarp in the twilight.  The next day we set our sights on the Flannan Isles.

Moy Castle 5

Leaving the pit prison we ascend a narrow circular stairway to the top of the tower. From the crumbling parapets you can see down into the overgrown interior of the castle. And looking out over the wall an old galley slip can be seen slicing into the shore. Moy castle played a prominent role in the movie I Know Where I'm Going, and it was up here that the fictional stone engraved with a 'curse' was mounted on the wall. If you ever have a chance to get inside Moy, be sure you see the movie first. For although there was never such a stone, it will be a memorable experience for you to stand on the parapets here while recalling the scene when the Laird of Kiloran realizes the true meaning of the words on the stone.

Galley Slip?

Moy Castle 4

After exploring the ground floor I was led up a narrow stairway to a small side chamber. On its floor lay a plywood panel, set there to prevent anyone from inadvertently falling into the pit. That had actually happened to one of the owner’s dogs (but they’d managed to rescue it). The panel was lifted up to expose a narrow hole in the floor. Looking down into the dark pit I could make out a flat surface of pitch-black water. The water level was high so I could not see the rock at the bottom where a prisoner could stand to keep their head above the water.

Entrance to the prison

Looking into the pit (the bright spot is the reflection of the camera flash on the water)

Moy Castle 3

This ground floor room in Moy castle is what may have been the chapel. Just around the corner a small flight of stairs leads up to the Hall. You can find photos of the hall, and of several other rooms in the castle in this link. Sadly, none of my photos of the hall turned out. This was back in the days of film cameras, when you had no idea what your photos were like until a few weeks after you got home. What a disappointment it was to open an envelope of developed photos only to discover a bunch were underexposed. Of course the challenge these day of having camera cards that can hold hundreds of photos is to not spend all your time taking pictures.  

Tomorrow we'll climb a narrow stairway to peer down into the pit prison.

Moy Castle 2

It was in 1991 that I first visited Moy Castle. I had not done any checking, and assumed I could get inside to see its infamous pit prison. But when I got there I was greeted with this padlocked door. So close, yet so far. As recounted in chapter 30 of book 2, I returned in 2003 after making arrangements to see inside. Tomorrow we'll get this door unlocked and go in.

Moy Castle 1

The last time I saw Moy Castle, on the shore of Loch Buie, was in the summer of 2010, when an Icelandic volcano stranded me in Scotland for a few weeks. But where better to be stranded!

It was then that I took this not so picturesque photo of the castle, for as you can see it was under renovation. The second photo was taken seven years earlier during a visit in 2003, when I was fortunate to be given a tour of the inside of the castle, which we'll see over the next few days.

PS: I just learned that Kindle and eBook versions of the books are now available. See links on the right side of the blog.

Moy Castle - 2010

Moy Castle - 2003