The Adventures of Hjalmar Bjorge - Season 3, Episode 4

The Continuing Adventures of Hjalmar Bjorge

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Eilean Mòr Mhic O' Charmaig

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

Monday, June 4 - Island #4 - Eilean Mòr Mhic O' Charmaig

On Monday morning we left Scarba behind as we sailed 15 miles due south, passing along the way the old jetty at Keills on the mainand, where cattle from Jura were landed many years ago.

Keills Jetty - Jura in the distance (photo from 2010)

Just past the jetty we came to Rubha na Cille (the point of the chapel), where we made a hard turn to port to enter tiny Loch na Cille (loch of the chapel). Near the head of the loch the anchor was dropped off the small settlement of Keillmore (the great chapel). There are certainly a lot of 'chapel' place names here, and they all refer to what stands on the hillside above the shore, Cill mo-Charmaig, the chapel of St Charmaig.

Cill mo-Charmaig (photo 2002)

Just above the landing place we passed by HMS Cheddar Cheese. She looked like a sturdy Kraft; but I don't think I'd venture out on her sister ship, HMS Swiss Cheese.

It was a short road-walk to the restored chapel, which stands on the site of a settlement founded by St Charmaig in the 7th century. There is nothing left of St Charmaig's cell, although it would be a good bet that some of its stones were used to build the chapel in the 11th century. The chapel stood roofless for centuries until re-roofed in 1978, when all the elaborate medieval tombstones, and a high cross (dating to the 8th to 9th century), were moved inside. See this CANMORE link for a photo of the chapel in 1898.

Our visit to Keills was an appropriate precursor to our next stop, the island of Eilean Mòr Mhic O’Charmaig (the great isle of St Charmaig). This little island lies only three miles south of Keills, and had once been a pilgrimage destination, the pilgrims paying their respects to the hermitage cave, and the grave, of St Charmaig.

Eilean Mòr landing

Once ashore we paid a visit to St Charmaig’s Chapel. It is thought to date to the 13th century, and was used as an inn in the 1600s (perhaps for pilgrims). 

Inside the chapel is an elaborate effigy stone that may have once covered the tomb of St Charmaig.

Effigy of St Charmaig?

From the chapel it was a short hike to a knoll, the highest point of the island. Atop it stood an ancient cross pedestal. The 14th century cross that once stood on it was moved to the National Museum in Edinburgh in 1937, and a well-made replica stands in its place.

The two sides of the replica cross - and the original

The cross in 1900 (photo MEM Donaldson) - the head was found on the shore below the knoll

Our next stop was St Charmaig's Cave, which lies in a small gully below the cross.

My last visit to Eilean Mor was in 2002 (see the January 2005 issue of Scottish Islands Explorer). At that time I had considered dropping down into the cave to take a look at its mysterious hidden side chamber. Tradition says there was a tunnel from the chamber that allowed access to the cave, and I was curious to look for it. But I was alone at the time, and as there was no way I could pull myself out of the pit, I decided not to try.

Even though on this visit I had a lot of helping hands if I needed assistance getting out, the very narrow mouth, and the drop of eight feet, led me to make the same decision I'd made 16 years ago: not to drop down into the pit. I did, however, examine the terrain all around the site, and there was no sign of a tunnel exit anywhere. If there was a tunnel, its exit is either cunningly camouflaged, or it does not exist.

The cave floor - and the opening to the mysterious side chamber (right)

We ended the day with a two-hour sail down to Gigha. The anchor was dropped off Ardminish, well out of the ferry route, and then we were treated to a meal of Chicken Balmoral. I don't think the skipper of the Calmac ferry liked where we were anchored, because he made a point of coming quite close to us several times that evening at full throttle. (The skipper of the morning ferry gave us a much wider berth.)

The next morning would see us visiting two amazing things; the garden of Gigha, and the Brownie's Chair of Cara.

The Gigha Ferry comes calling

Eilean Mòr of St Charmaig

On our upcoming cruise in June, one of the islands I hope we can land on is tiny Eilean Mòr, which lies a quarter-mile off the coast of Knapdale.

For such a small island (a half-mile long, a quarter-mile wide), it has a large history. There are three sites of interest: the chapel and grave of St Charmaig, the high-cross on the summit of the island, and St Charmaig's hermitage and cave (8th century).

The cave lies at the head of a gully - a dark slot marks its narrow entrance. More pit than cave, it extends ten feet into the rock of the cliff. Its floor lies at the bottom of a vertical drop, six-feet below the entrance. Tradition has it that there was once a passageway from the pit to St Charmaig's cell, some 25 feet to the south.

My only visit to the island was back in 2002. I wanted to see for myself if there was a passageway out of the pit. But I was alone at the time, and after slowly lowering myself about three feet down into the pit I changed my mind and climbed back out, as I did not think I'd be able to pull myself out if I dropped all the way in. I did set a camera up to record my descent - just in case I never got back out (see photo below).

As far as I got before climbing back out of the cave

If we manage to land on Eilean Mòr this coming June there will be 10 of us, so perhaps we'll attempt to drop into the cave.

Below the cave stands the remnants of a dry-stone structure that may have been a beehive cell (with a passage into the pit) that was later altered into pilgrimage chapel for those visiting St Charmaig’s Cave.

Remnants of Cell and Chapel

Eilean Mor is a fascinating island; one far off the beaten path; and I am looking forward to showing our guests on Hjalmar Bjorge St Charmaig's island hermitage in the sea.

The Broken Heads of Eilean Mor

It was the OS map that sparked my initial interest in Eilean Mor. Some 15 years ago I was perusing Landranger 61 (Jura & Colonsay), thinking about possible hikes on Jura. Off to the right of Jura I noticed a tiny island on the map. What caught my attention were two words printed on the island in the font they use for ancient monuments; the words were Chapel and Cross.

Eilean Mor is so off the beaten path that there are no regular boat trips to the island. And so to get there to see this Chapel and Cross I had to arrange a day-charter. That was way back in 2002, when Mike Murray ran the catamaran Gemini out of Crinan Harbour. In addition to Eilean Mor, over the following four years I would charter Mike to take me to Scarba, Northern Jura, Belnahua, Dun Chonnuill, Cuil-i-Breannan, Garbh Eileach, and Eileach an Naoimh.

Gemini at Eilean Mor

The first interesting thing I came across while wandering on Eilean Mor was a headless cross.

This cross is said to have marked the spot where St Charmaig is buried. Seton Gordon, in his Wanderings in the Western Highlands and Islands (1935), describes that the cross was broken during a failed attempt to steal it from the island.

Standing next to the headless cross is St Charmaig's Chapel. It is about forty feet by twenty, and at one time had a second story where the priest lived. The western half of the building contains the nave and the eastern half the chancel where, at some point in time, a fireplace had been installed. The chapel dates to the 12th century, and was operated as an inn in the 1600s; perhaps housing pilgrims to St Charmaig's Cave, which lies on the coast of the island, 300 yards south of the chapel.

St Charmaig's Chapel - summit cross at upper right

In the fireplace of the radically altered chapel there rests a thin, grey-stone coffin lid, with the effigy of a man in a cassock. The stone dates to the twelfth century and may have once covered St Charmaig’s coffin. Pilgrims were said to have dropped coins into his coffin through gaps around the lid. The stone certainly looks like the image of a saint, for in one corner is carved a chalice, and a nimbus surrounds the head.

Coffin-lid effigy

When MEM Donaldson visited Eilean Mor 100 years (or so) ago, she commented on how the effigy in the church was headless. As you can see in the next photo, the 'head' was subsequently found, and cemented back in place. (Note the seams in the stone at the shoulders.)

The repaired (once-headless) effigy

When MEM visited the island she also photographed a cross that stood on the highest point of the island. It, too, was headless for many years. TS Muir, in his Ecclesiological Notes on the Islands of Scotland (1885), describes how the cross-head was found in 1864 when he was on the island, and how he considered taking it away, but in the end set it in the chapel next to St Charmaig's effigy. The cross-head would lay there until it was stolen in 1924.

MEM Photo of the headless Eilean Mor Cross - c. 1900

I do not know how the cross-head was eventually recovered, but it was, and you can see the complete restored cross standing in the National Museum of Scotland. In its place a cement replica was installed on the island. The following composite photo shows the two sides of the replica, and a front view of the restored original.

Eilean Mor Cross - the original at right, and two views of the replica

It was good to see that two of the headless stones of Eilean Mor have been restored, but sad that St Charmaig's cross, the one that once stood over his tomb, will remain forever headless. See this CANMORE page for more on St Charmaig's chapel and cross.

St Charmaig's Cave - Eilean Mor

Tiny Eilean Mor of St Charmaig lies two miles off the coast of Knapdale. If you do not know anyone with a boat the only way to see it is via a private charter. It is a remarkable island, both for the church ruin, and the cave of St Charmaig with its two incised crosses. I wanted to visit the island after reading about it in MEM Donaldson's epic tome Further Wanderings; Mainly in Argyll (1926). In it she describes two visits to the island and her descent into the dark pit of St Charmaig's cave.

I wanted to drop down into the cave, too. But when I looked inside I saw that the cave floor was eight feet below the entrance. It would be an easy drop down, but there was no way I could pull myself back up. (The boatman had to pull MEM Donaldson out of the pit). And so I settled for sitting on the lip of the entrance to take photos of the incised crosses on the cave's wall. Here are some photos of my visit to the cave.

Historic Scotland reader board below St Charmaig's Cave

St Charmaig's Cave

One of the two crosses incised on the cave wall

The two crosses

Gemini - 2

My second time on Gemini we visited remote Eilean Mor, to see St Carmaig's Chapel and his hermitage cave. The island's name, Eilean Mor, is a shortened version of 'Eilean Mor Mhic O' Charmaig', and was once home to Saint Abban Mac ua Charmaig. The island lies off the coast of Knapdale, 15 miles south of Crinan. There are no regular boat trips to the island, so you are on your own to find a way to get there. See chapter 4 of book 1 for the description of a visit to Eilean Mor.

Gemini at Eilean Mor - summit with cross in the distance

Eilean Mor Chapel and the vandalized cross

Pilgrim Chapel and Cave

Standing at the highpoint of the island is this replica of the Eilean Mor cross. The original was severely damaged, and the head of the cross was lost for a while. But the cross has been mended and is on display in the Museum of Antiquities in Edinburgh. See this link for a photo of the 'severed head', and this one for an early drawing of the cross.

Atop the island stands this replica of the Eilean Mor Cross - the original is in the Museum of Antiquities in Edinburgh