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.

Rona Lodge - Before and After

Here are two views of Rona Lodge (South Rona). The first is from a day trip my wife and I made in 1995, the second is from 2004. As you can see, a lot of improvements had been made since Bill Cowie became island manager in 2002. My wife and I returned to the island to stay for a week in 2004, and again for a week in 2007. We dearly want to go back.

Cave View - 8

The first photo is the view from inside the Nun's Cave on Mull. Supposedly, when the nuns were evicted from Iona, they came here. What's known for certain is that the cave was a centre for stone carving, and some of the stone used in the 1875 restoration of Iona Abbey came from here.

It is a beautiful walk along the south coast of the Ross of Mull to get here, and the cave marks the halfway point of the path to Carsaig Arches described in book 1, chapter 13. There are many crosses carved into the cave wall, some are ancient, but most are vandal-scratchings. The most interesting thing to me was the whale font-stone, which you can see at the left of the first photo. The last photo shows some of the flotsam that accumulates in the cave.

The whale font-stone

The Font

Amy of Muck

Both times I've been to Muck I was adopted by Amy. The last time, in 2009, she went with me all the way from Port Mor to the MacEwan graves at the northwest tip of the island. The folks in the Tea Room in Port Mor told me she regularly adopts a day-tripper. Here are a few photos from my day with Amy in 2009.

MacEwen graves - Horse Island in the distance

Amy of Muck

On the road with Amy - Eigg in the distance

Amy leads me past the Muck horses

Amy on the road at Gallanach

Great Cumbrae - To the Top

To get to Great Cumbrae I left my car in Largs and walked onto the Loch Shira for the short crossing.

Once ashore I found the start of the Broomy Knowles footpath that climbs up the spine of the island.

The grassy path ended a kilometer short of the summit of the island. Then a 15 minute road walk led to the top where I found the trig pillar and view indicator.

From the top I could see Wee Cumbrae (next photo). If you look closely at Wee Cumbrae you can see the old coal-burning light tower at its highest point, and Wee Cumbrae Castle can be seen on the small islet to the left. I could also see the spire of the Cathedral of the Isles in Millport (at far left of the photo). My next stop would be Millport, where I hoped to find someone who could take me to Wee Cumbrae.

Lion Rock - Great Cumbrae

This is Lion Rock on Great Cumbrae. It does indeed look like a lion climbing up the island on the lookout for a tasty tourist to eat. I ventured over to Great Cumbrae a few years ago hoping to find someone who could take me to Wee Cumbrae. I did find someone, and in the process spent two days wandering around Great Cumbrae. Over the next few posts I will share some of the sights I saw along the way.