Mull and Iona

We woke up for the first morning in Scotland, yesterday didn’t really count as morning if you don’t sleep the night before.  We had breakfast in the hotel and grabbed the car to head over to the Isle of Mull on the ferry.  It was a big car ferry for the 45min trip over.  We spent a bit of time up on deck watching the islands go by. 

The day seemed a bit overcast, but not miserable so we decided to drive to Iona that morning. It was a 35 mile trip from where the ferry docked in Craignure. Though almost immediately as we left the little village the road dropped to a one lane track with a 60 MPH speed limit.  It was a little intense for just getting started.  The road was well paved with lots of laybys for passing spots.  It was just a little intimidating to try and keep up a decent speed with the winding roads and keeping a close eye for any oncoming traffic.  Likely my job literally includes defensive driving.  Usually you could spot the oncoming car with some warning, but there were a few times where one of the vehicles would have to reverse back to the closest layby!

We made it safely to Fionnphort though, for a ferry over to Iona. This one was much smaller as cars are not allowed on the Island without a specific permit.  So it was a walk on for us, and by this time the sky’s had cleared to a glorious blue with almost no clouds.  The crossing was held up as we waited for the passengers of two coach buses to join us.  I am so glad i didn’t have to deal with a coach on that road!

History lesson for those who don’t know about Iona.  People have probably lived on or visited Iona since the Iron Age, but an Abbey was founded on the island in 563 by the Irish monk St Colomba who is credited with bringing Christianity to much of the northern British Isles.  It is said that the Book of Kells was produced there as well, before being taken away for safe keeping during the decades of Viking raids.  There has been some form of a religious community there since, the site now has the Community of Iona that lives and works on the site of the abbey. 

The church that stands on the site is a structure from the Middle Ages that has been repaired. There is a cloisters that was added on recently that is said to stand where the original cloisters were, but is mostly a reproduction.  The small chapel next door with a graveyard is said to hold the graves of many Scottish and Danish kings, including the first king of Scotland, Kenneth McAlpin.   Just down the road is the ruins of an augustian nunnery that declined after the Scottish Reformation. 

The island has a very small permanent population, a couple small hotels, and is just a gorgeous peaceful spot.  If I was up for hiking, I think it would be an amazing spot to stay for a few days and explore more of the small island on foot.  The old abbey and the ruins were just amazing to see, and to have a glorious sunny day was just the cherry on the sundae for us. 

After a couple hours we headed back across the little ferry to the car and started the winding drive home.  A few more vehicles, and coaches, on the road this time. Though they did not give much trouble.  We had spotted a nice little lookout on the drive in along the Ross of Mull, so we kept watch for it on the way back and pulled in for a moment.  It was a beautiful spot, with the soft rolling hills that you picture when you think of the highlands.  There was a small loch along the river and it was so stunning, and amazingly we spotted two deer grazing not very far away!  They seemed a bit nervous as they were downwind, but they never bolted so we could watch them for a bit. 

As we got closer to Craignure, we turned off the main road to find the Lochbuie Standing Stones.  On another, narrower single track road, we managed to follow the coast to the parking spot. Crossing through a cow field with instructions to follow the white stones - random rocks painted white left periodically to show the way, if you can see them through the grass!  We cross a boggy field, past the suspicious cows and managed to find the standing stones in a field with some sheep grazing.  As we were looking at the granite slabs, probably about 4,000 years old, we spotted a local farmer walking into the field with a shepherds crook and a sheep dog.  He told us he was there to train a young collie with the sheep.  Amazingly, while standing in an ancient stone circle, we got to watch the farmer calling to his dog who raced around gathering up the sheep with skill.  Two sheep slipped the net though and bolted past us to hid in the hedges.  Not sure if they were left alone because of us, or because it was a training session, my mom and I laughed to see the frightened faces peering out of the brush beside us as well. 

That was about the end of the day for us, so after squelching through the bog back to the car, we drove back to Craignure to check into the Isle of Mull Hotel and Spa for the next couple nights.  A beautiful modern hotel with views of the sea, it was a little more crowded than we thought so we ended up having dinner in the lounge, but it was a very nice and well appointed hotel. 

Scotland and the Highlands

Finally it’s time for another trip, and yes I am very lucky to be able to say that!  I am planning a little get away with my mom for ten days.  I am lucky enough to travel with an accomplished author who was planning on doing some research for the next book so I can come as her assistant. We knew we wanted to do Scotland, with a plan for looking for locations in the highlands.  

We left on Sept 11th, a slightly ominous day for travel, but made it to Scotland with no issues.  We arrived early in the morning of the 12th and picked up a rental car at the airport.  Our plan was to start driving right away.  Manageable, but tricky as I do not sleep on planes ant last night was no exception.  Though our route included several stops to stretch ones legs and refresh with caffeine. 

We had also decided to get some Scotland Environmental Heritage passes, the Explorer pass, for a single fee you get access to a lot of amazing historical sites.  On the first morning we stopped at Linlithgow Palace, which was the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots, and Stirling Castle. 

Linlithgow Palace is fairly close to Edinburgh, and is a complete ruin.  There is no roof, but the walls are still substantial.  The palace is beautiful to see. There are lots of walls still standing and you can climb the spiral stairs in each of the corners to the higher floors.  The British are a lot less precious with people as North Americans.  There was no dancing on parapets, but a lot more freedom to climb and explore the different levels and uneven floors than one would usually find at home. 

There was a beautiful fountain in the centre courtyard.  Apparently they still turn in on every Sunday in the summer.  I imagine it would be quite a sight to see. 

Next we drove along to Stirling.  Not that much farther up the road, but fatigue was setting in and food was getting necessary.  When we arrived at the town we found a spot for lunch, Lord Darnley’s Coffeehouse. The site was once the home of The Lord Darnely, second of Mary, Queen of Scots and father of James VI. It’s a simple little spot, with excellent scones and a beautiful barrel vaulted ceilings. 

Feeling well fortified, we continued walking uphill - Stirling has a lot of ‘up’ with the castle at the top.  Stirling Castle is still in excellent condition.  It is a mix of styles as the Scottish Monarchs had built here, with the most visible the Great Hall built by James IV, with a bright plaster on the exterior it shines across the land and would have looked incredible. 

We were pretty worn out after two castles and a long flight, so it was a beeline to Oban next. A long steady drive west towards the coast, but there wasn’t too much to catch the attention of some exhausted travellers. We had one pit stop at the Artisan Cafe, probably closer to Oban than Stirling.  It was an old church repurposed in to a cafe and craft shop and was well worth a stop. 

Finally we made it to Oban, we checked into The Great Western Hotel. A jewel of hotels in the Victorian era, it was an interesting place to stay!  The highlight was the view out across the harbour!  After a quick freshening up, we walked down the harbour a ways and found the Georg Stage. It is a Danish three masted sailing ship. It’s used as an indendant education opportunity for young people wanting to learn to sail or just have new opportunities.  It was so fascinating to hear about from some of the crew, and they will be heading off to Dublin on Monday so we will keep an eye along the coast for them!

After that was a quick seafood dinner at an excellent bistro and an early bedtime.  We had a ferry booked for 10am in the morning to head over to the Isle of Mull for the next part of our adventures. 

Flashback Friday - Finishing the Ring Road 2019

It was the end of the tour, but it did not go out with a whimper.  Our last morning we woke up to a clear sky so we finally got another glorious sunrise. This morning we drove to Hvitserkur.  The land had eroded away leaving clumps of volcanic rock standing stark against the sky.  Legends say they were trolls that were turned to stone as they walked the coastline. 

It was a bit of a scramble to get down to the beach, but the view was incredible.  I found a little piece of ice that mimicked the rock formation for my picture, and then chucked it back into the sea so my image will always be unique!  After we finished and driving back along the main road, I saw a little farm nestled between two mountains that just seemed too perfect to me for a photo stop.

We carried on back towards Reykjavik, having lunch an a lovely little lunch at a small town with a little museum we could explore.  Travelling along we stopped many times to take pictures of the various mountains and rivers along the road.  You really would have to work hard to take a bad picture there!

The tour wrapped back up in Reykjavik, and my family was a little worn out, so the other guest and myself went for one last walk around town and had dinner had a lovely restaurant.  They had some local delicacies on the menu, and while I have tried some weird things while I travel, I did not want to try the fermented shark.  Nor the horsemeat.  I’m not judging! Those just did not appeal to me, to each their own.

It was an absolutely wonderful trip, I came home with thousands of pictures to sort through and an amazing experience with my dad and stepmom.  I still need to go back again, the guide assured us that everyone needs to see Iceland at least twice, once in the winter and once in the summer.  

Flashback Friday - Northern Iceland 2019

 Our drive back towards the west was a little fast than the one east.  There was not quite as much to see in the north of Iceland as our tour wound down.  We started out in the morning headed for Akureyri for lunch. It’s called the capital of the north, and was an absolutely beautiful small town.  It can get very busy in the summer apparently.  It’s another fishing village and a great spot for whale watching tours. 

Along our drive after lunch, we stopped at the Hraundrangi mountain range, which has an interesting spire peak.  Right below it also sits a single isolated farmstead.  I thought it made an absolutely stunning image for the isolation in Iceland. It might be one of my favourite images, though I think it’s under-appreciated as the little house is so small.  

One of the really interesting parts of the tour, as has been mentioned, was the local professional photography expert as our guide.  I learned so much from him, and he knew so many of the best places to take some landscape photography in his county.  He had his camera with him, and used it occasionally.  There was, however, a lot of been there seen that.  So while we were photographing Hraundrangi, we suddenly noted him hurrying down the road way with his camera.  Looking left quickly we spotted the sun and clouds over the mountains that had attracted his attention, so we all followed suit. 

We stopped for sunset along a river with some waterfalls along the road.  In those days at least, there was a lot of common sense assumed for tourists.  Walking past the small caution sign advising us of the cliffs, the guide and I clambered down into the gorge a little way.  The rest of the group was a little more cautious, though still explored the site for some amazing shots.  I don’t think our guide expected me to be quite so bold and to follow him in climbing up to some breathtaking spots for pictures.  I have some many great ones so this post is going to have more than my usual token example.

We stayed that night at a guesthouse in Hunavellir that used to be an old boarding school.  It was quite simple, but a nice spot for our final night before we had to head back to Reykjavik for the end of our tour.  We still had one more sunrise, which was going to be the best one since the first morning of the tour.

Flashback Friday - Exploring Northern Iceland 2019

We stayed a few nights in Myvatn, it was nice to have a home base for a little while.  One thing I loved about the area was its use of the geothermal energy for various purposes.  The hot water in the hotel clearly came right from the ground.  It smelled a little funny, but still made a lovely bath.  The area was home to a geothermal energy plant.  Our guide explained they drill deep boreholes and use the steam pressure from within to power the turbines. (Or something like that, it’s been awhile since I heard the story.). He took us to a spot where there was an old bore hole, usually when they no longer have enough pressure to be useful they are capped off.  Some local prankster had gone back and installed a working shower and sink.  There was still enough pressure for a hot shower…if one wants in the middle of a snowy field. 

During the few days there, we also visited a lava field.  It had a really interesting phenomenon where the lava would pour over the wetlands, and the steam would build up under the hardening rock and burst through.  It created pseudo craters, they look like small volcanic cones but with no actual ejection tubes below it.  There were also towers and arches of lava left, where the softer dirt had eroded away. 

We also stopped at another grass turved farms, this one had belonged to a local priest and had been turned over to the country for a museum.  It was in a lot better condition that the first one, but not quite as picturesque.  It had a beautiful row of buildings and a small church off to the side.  Before modern transportation made getting around easier, most properties would have their own small church, and the priests would make rounds of visiting the more isolated areas every month or so for services. 

We also visited the Godafoss waterfall.  Named for the gods, legend has it when Iceland was forced to convert to Christianity, the statues of the old gods were thrown in to the base of the falls.  Our guide took us up the right side of the falls, the road there isn’t maintained in the winter. But with our awesome vehicle he was able to drive through the deep snow.  We got to see the falls from a much less crowded, if snowy, vantage point.  Unfortunately we did have a slight delay when he lost the edge of the road and we went down a slight embankment.  The truck was skillfully maneuvered back up to the road, and after a slight delay we were on the way again! 

Our time in Myvatn was drawing to an end, it was almost time to continue west across the top of Iceland along the Ring Road.

Flashback Friday - Myvatn 2019

 As we headed north along the eastern edge of Iceland, we had to cross through some tunnels to get through the mountains.  The crazy thing about Iceland’s geothermal energy, is our guide pointed out the external temperature as we travelled.  It went from freezing temperatures outside in the snow to a balmy 20°C in the middle of the tunnels.

We passed along some increadible waterfalls and canyons as we went, with more of the basalt stone columns.  We passed along the edge of the central highlands of Iceland.  Our guide said they really aren’t travelled as much as in the winter due to the extreme weather they can get.  We stopped for some pictures of the sunset, the snow was blowing drifts across the plain in beautiful patterns.  I wasn’t quite enough of a photographer to manage the low light, but it was a great spot to stop and admire the scenery.

We got to Myvatn that night, where we would be staying for a few nights. It’s named for the large lake in the area.  It is a spot known for geothermal pools, northern lights and spring mosquitos.  I am glad we were there in the winter.  The first night was the clearest evening of the trip.  We finally had some northern lights activity! After dinner every one trooped back outside into the dark to learn to photograph this amazing display.  While we only had some green lights low on the horizon, I was very happy to get to see them.  While this trip was about photography, it was also about the experience.  I had seen the Lights before, but it is always a humbling experience. 

The next day was exploring the area.  Our guide Aaron knew it well, he said his grandparents lived in the area when he was a child so he would visit often.  The first stop was to photograph some mud pools.  It was pretty crazy, they were so hot the mud was bubbling and steaming.  We also stopped at a ridge in the landscape that had a geothermal pools in it.  Our guide said he had swam in it as a child but now the water was too hot for humans.  It was still very photogenic.  Sadly so, apparently the cave had been used for a famous scene in Game of Thrones with Jon Snow, so while trying to get our pictures, a bus load of GOT tourist pulled up and shined flashlights everywhere! 

We also had lunch at an adorable little farm, I had an amazing lamb stew, a tea made from herbs plucked from the lava fields, and bread that is cooked by burying it in areas of higher heat so the rocks cook it!  I also got a phenomenal hand knit touque made by the families grandmother.  She was in her 90s if I recall correctly.  She couldn’t make the complicated sweaters anymore, but was still making simple stuff.  I loved that hat so much. 

We also went to a lava fields, where the harder rock has made columns and arches that stand out from the landscape, and finished with another sunset photo shoot over a small lake. Again the clouds were against us.  I won’t complain about the location though!  That evening our guide asked if anyone was interested in going to the hot spring in the area.  My dad and step mom weren’t interested, so it was just myself and the other guest.

The hot spring was amazing, the water was deliciously warm, the facility well built.  And I ironically got my wish for the experience I wanted.  While floating in hot water (one of my favourite things as a water soul who hates being cold) the northern lights started up..  We had a brilliant show that lasted close to an hour. Part of me cursed not having my camera.  Then I remembered my wish to just experience them, and what better way to do it? I was floating in a hot spring with a beer in hand watching the skies dance. 

Flashback Friday - Iceland Ring Road 2019

The morning started on the gorgeous Diamond Beach.  While the sunrise was another overcast day, the spot was still amazing to see.  It earned its name due to the Jökulárlón Glacier that calves into a nearby lagoon. The smaller chunks of ice float down river into the ocean where the currents wash them back up onto the black sand beaches.  Normally the sand makes for an amazing backdrop for the ice, but it was also snowing while we were there. Still, I won’t complain! It was an amazing spot and I still got some phenomenal photos while there! 

After the beach and the lagoon, we doubled back to pick up our wayward companions.  Rejoined by my dad and stepmom, the tour continued on.  We went back to the glacier, stopping at an ice cave our guide had scouted for us.  At the leading tongue of the glacier, these caves can form and vanish again as the weather changes. Standing under layers of ice, that had been formed thousands of years ago, was just an incredible moment. 

We followed that by stopping at the glacier lagoon, to see the chunks of ice waiting their turn to head out to the ocean. That was supposed to be the sunset stop. A slight theme of the trip was overcast skies, but nothing detracts from the breathtaking views we were able to see. 

In the morning we continued along the southern side of the Ring Road, heading east.  Our first stop was the Vestrahorn Mountain.  The spot includes windswept black sand dunes with a dusting of snow and the mountains rising in the distance.  There was the remains of a Viking Village too, though less exciting as it was a movie set, not an actual historical landmark.

Next was to drive around the mountains to the east side, and we saw some reindeer along the side of the road. The mountains were just stunning, and then one night along this stage we stayed at the town of Hofn.  It was an adorable little fishing village, and I had some delicious langoustines for dinner at the little inn we stayed at. 

In the morning we turned north, continuing along the Ring Road and our quest for amazing pictures and the northern lights.