Gemini - 4

Another voyage on Gemini took me to the Slate Isles of Belnahua and Fladda. Belnahua is now a shell of an island, much of it quarried out to roof buildings around the world. Tiny Fladda lies a quarter mile from Belnahua, and its lighthouse and large walled garden cover almost all the available land. These days a sign on Fladda warns against landing on the island, so as to not disturb the birds. The sign was not there when I visited in 2004.

Below are a few photos from that trip. See book 1, chapter 10, for a description of the visit to the Slate Isles.

Gemini arrives in Crinan Harbour

Landing on Belnahua - Scarba in the distance (left)

Flooded quarry on Belnahua - Fladda in the distance (right)

Inside ruined quarry building - Belnahua

Gemini at Fladda

Fladda Light

Fladda light and walled garden

Belnahua of the Slate Isles

This is a view of Belnahua of the Slate Isles, visited in chapter 10 of book 1. The name means either the mouth of the cave, or the place of the tomb. The island was a slate quarry for centuries, and the pool you see in the photo is one of its flooded quarry pits. If you ever get the chance to set foot on Belnahua be careful. The terrain is crisscrossed by small tunnels, and one wrong step could be hazardous to your health.