20.07.14
Last week Steve and I took up the kind offer of a couple of nights in a cottage on Easedale Island, just South of Oban. We drove up in extraordinarily heavy rain, wondering – unnecessarily as it turned out – whether the 4-hour drive would be worth it for such a short stay. As we arrived, crossing the wonderfully-named Atlantic Bridge (dramatically high but equally dramatically short!), the skies began to clear and there followed two days of glorious Inner Hebridean weather. Our host not only fed us on freshly-dived scallops and delicious Stornaway black pudding, but made it possible for us to see porpoises, gannets, black guillemots and seals at close range and even glimpses of a sea eagle and a hen harrier. We skimmed round the southern cliffs of Mull, landed briefly on Colonsay, Islay and Jura, survived the Corryvreckan whirlpool, and watched, fascinated, as boats entered the Crinan Canal, preparing to take ‘Britain’s most beautiful short-cut’ along the 9-mile stretch of inland water. Travelling at up to 30 knots in a Rib (rigid-inflatable boat) is a great way to get a hint of what’s to offer in this stunning area, although I must admit I did ask our skipper if he would drop me off on one of Colonsay’s golden beaches for a couple of nights of ‘wild camping’ next time…
By coincidence, when we got back, Steve bumped into a couple in the Auldgirth Inn who run hill walking and navigation training on Mull. Have a look at what’s on offer at www.walkmull.co.uk. They’re on holiday in Dumfries and Galloway this week, mountain biking at Ae and Mabie – www.7stanesmountainbiking.com – everyone needs a holiday!
