Cill Earnadail - Jura

This is the burial ground at Keils on Jura. Somewhere in it once stood Kil-fhearnadail, the Church of St Fernadal. Keils is one of the contenders for the site of St Columba's monastery of Hinba, the others being Canna, Colonsay, Lurach Bay (Scarba), Jura, and Eileach a Naoimh of the Garvellachs. 

The Keils burial ground is a fascinating place to spend a few hours. Here and there you'll encounter exquisitely carved medieval tombstones, like the one shown below. You can read all about Jura in Peter Youngson's excellent Jura: Island of Deer.

Cara International

Cara International Airport - Gate 1A

The last post about Gigha reminded me of an odd, and memorable experience I had during a long stay on the island. While there I managed to get over to nearby Cara of the Brownie for a few hours. Sitting on the south end of Cara is the Brownie's Stone; a giant stone throne that is either a glacial erratic or, as I read long ago in a book I've forgotten the name of, a chunk of stone blown out of the hillside by a meteor.

It was wanting to find a way to get over to Cara and sit on the stone that had brought me to Gigha. But as sometimes happens, an experience you plan on is often surpassed by reality. For while sitting on the stone I had one of the most surreal island experiences ever. It was a hot spring day, and I'd just finished a red-tinny of MacEwens, when a tiny airplane swooped overhead and landed behind me on a swath of grassy terrain. Cara itself is tiny, just a mile long and a quarter wide, and the last place you'd expect an airplane to land.

There wasn't a Brownie at the controls, but a fellow I envied dearly for his ability for such daredevil island hopping. Maybe I'll try it myself someday.

The Bodach & Cailleach

This is the Bodach and Cailleach on the God's Isle of Gigha; a pair of ancient stones that have stood watch over the island for centuries. 

Unlike their better known cousins in Glen Cailliche near Loch Lyon, who have a house and are surrounded by their children, Gigha's old man and woman stand alone on their hillock. In times past offering were left to this pair to insure fertility and that the island would thrive. 

A few years ago their cousins in Glen Cailliche were threatened by a hydro project that would have run high voltage lines over them, and at this link you will find a discussion on the threat some believe is posed to such sites by electricity coursing through wires. If you find the subject of interest you can read more in Ley Lines and Earth Energies by David Cowan and Chris Arnold.  Fortunately, for the Glen Cailliche stones and all who care about such sites, the project was called off.

But the Gigha stones have not been immune to such development. Since my photo was taken a wind farm has sprung up next to them, and on windy days they bathe in the electric noise that once threatened their cousins far away in lonely Glen Cailliche.

When Bonxies Attack

Visiting an island like North Rona can be an experience to remember. As you walk across its grassy terrain, 50 miles from the mainland, the only sounds are the sough of the sea, the wind rustling the tall grass, and the piercing screeches of attacking bonxies trying to get a piece of your scalp.

Millstones 3 & 4

On the island of Scarp two mills lie in the stream that flows from Loch Uidemul to the sea. Unfortunately I've only ever had a few hours at a time on Scarp. Someday I must figure out how to stay for several days, as the island is far too big to explore in a short time. But if you can only visit for a few hours be sure to ascend Beinn fo Thuath, drop down to Loch Uidemul, and then follow the   stream that flows to the great stone beach of Mol Mor (aka Treasure Beach). Along the way you will encounter the two mills. 

The first mill

Inside the first mill

The second mill

Inside the second mill

Millstones 2

One of the most remote mills is near Hamanavay on Lewis. It lies in the Allt Grunavat, and unless you can manage a boat ride to Loch Hamanavay, it's a long eight mile hike to get there. The track to Hamanavay starts above the Uig Sands, and you can drive it a short ways, but a locked gate means you have to continue on foot. It's a daunting track to follow, with lots of ups and downs. The photo below gives you an idea of just how twisty it is, as it zigzags to the crest of Bealach Roansagail.

Once the pass is conquered the track plummets 1000 feet to sea level, and then comes to an end at Hamanavay Lodge.

Even though you have now hiked seven miles, there's still one to go. You cross the footbridge over the Hamanavay River, and then follow the river east until you reach the Allt Grunavat.  From there start climbing the hillside to Loch Grunavat. You will find the mill halfway up.

Amazingly, the millstones are still there.

Now that you've seen the mill you can either make the long hike back to Uig or, as I did last summer, continue on into the deserted hinterland of South Lewis to camp on a hilltop high above Loch Reasort.

Millstones 1

While wandering on an island it is always fascinating to come across an old mill. The Norse mills at Hamanavay and on Scarp, which we'll see in the next two posts, are the most interesting. But this one at Cragaig, on the south coast of Ulva, wins the contest for the most massive millstones I've seen. Some four feet across, their weight probably prevented them from being rolled off to decorate someone's garden.