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.