Island Phone Boxes - 1

Although I have seen a few, I've not seen all the 'unique' western-island phone boxes. By 'unique', I mean where there is, or was, only one phone-box on the island. Rum, Muck, Canna, Scarp, Tannara Mor and Soay come to mind. Over the next few posts we'll see some of those, along with other island boxes I've found in interesting spots. How I wish I'd taken a photo of the box on Rum. I am not sure if it is still there, but when I last tried it I wasted a few coins unsuccessfully trying to call the mainland.

We'll start with the abandoned red-box on Tannara Mor. There is a new box on the island, located a half mile north by the post office, but it is not quite as picturesque. Next time we will visit the most famous red-box in the Scottish Isles: the one above Carsaig on Mull that appeared in the movie 'I Know where I'm Going'.

Tannara Mor - 2

I love the old William Daniell prints. One of them from his book 'A Voyage Round Britain' depicts the pier on Tannara Mor as he saw it in 1815. In the second photo, even though it was a gray day, you can see the mountain Suilven, 12 miles away on the mainland. Compare its actual appearance to Daniell's depiction; it illustrates how he often exaggerated terrain for dramatic effect. You can see several examples of this here. The final photo is of a plaque that commemorates Fraser Darling's restoration of the pier in 1939.

Suilven in distance

The pier seen from the walk to Garadheancal

Plaque on the Pier

Tannara Mor - 1

I've only been ashore on one of the Summer Isles: Tannara Mor. Someday I hope to set foot on 'An Cleireach' (Priest Isle), Isle Martin and Tannera Beag. As with most people, I first learned about the Summer Isles from the books of Fraser Darling. 

Over the next few posts we will explore some of Tannara Mor. We will start with two photos of the interior of the island. It is interesting terrain, dominated by two large lochs: Loch Ard and Loch Allt a' Mhuilinn. Loch Ard is very strange, one loch divided in two by a large humpy hill that has the look of being a man-made dun. The photos are a bit dark. It was a drizzly day, and a thick layer of gray cloud hovered over the sea.

Divided Loch Ard  - if the water level was higher the hill might be an island

Divided Loch Ard in foreground, Loch Allt a'Mhuilinn in distance at left