Isle of Eigg & Isle of Mull
We spent our morning on the tiny Isle of Eigg, just five miles long and populated by just 90 souls. Part of our group set off on a walk with John Chester, a local resident who works for the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust. The trust bought most of the island in 1997, and most residents rent back their houses, although there are some crofters who own their own houses on the northern part of the island.
There was much to learn about the way of life in this isolated outpost. The ferry comes a couple of times a week — less frequently in winter — and serves local residents and the small number of tourists who venture here. There is a primary school with half a dozen students; when they’re ready for high school, they board at the town of Mallaig on the mainland. There’s now an electricity grid, powered by hydro power, residents’ windmills and solar panels, and a diesel generator when necessary.
Some of our number went in the island’s taxi, accompanied by local resident Stuart, to the northern part of the island, where there were views of the Isle of Rùm.
Eigg is dominated by 1,292-foot An Sgurr, a column of pitchstone basaltic lava. Below the tower, the walkers among us passed by the house of John and Christine Booth, who took time to chat with us.
There was also wildlife to see — an eider with four chicks, cuckoos, oystercatchers, hooded crows, gulls and some gray seals in the harbor.
We finished our stay on Eigg at the tea house, where some of our number had a “cuppa” before we sailed off to Tobermory on the Isle of Mull.
The afternoon found us doing myriad explorations in and around ultra-picturesque Tobermory, a fishing port in a tranquil harbor with brightly painted houses below a tall, tree-lined bluff. Some of the more intrepid took off on a long walk to a lighthouse, where they were rewarded with the sight of bottlenose dolphins. Others wandered up the bluff, back down and through the town, where the many pleasures include the vistas, craft shops, a superb chocolate shop and a fine museum. Some of us were seen bending an elbow at the Mishnish Hotel, whose pub is a central spot for meeting and conversation among the local residents.
We spent our morning on the tiny Isle of Eigg, just five miles long and populated by just 90 souls. Part of our group set off on a walk with John Chester, a local resident who works for the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust. The trust bought most of the island in 1997, and most residents rent back their houses, although there are some crofters who own their own houses on the northern part of the island.
There was much to learn about the way of life in this isolated outpost. The ferry comes a couple of times a week — less frequently in winter — and serves local residents and the small number of tourists who venture here. There is a primary school with half a dozen students; when they’re ready for high school, they board at the town of Mallaig on the mainland. There’s now an electricity grid, powered by hydro power, residents’ windmills and solar panels, and a diesel generator when necessary.
Some of our number went in the island’s taxi, accompanied by local resident Stuart, to the northern part of the island, where there were views of the Isle of Rùm.
Eigg is dominated by 1,292-foot An Sgurr, a column of pitchstone basaltic lava. Below the tower, the walkers among us passed by the house of John and Christine Booth, who took time to chat with us.
There was also wildlife to see — an eider with four chicks, cuckoos, oystercatchers, hooded crows, gulls and some gray seals in the harbor.
We finished our stay on Eigg at the tea house, where some of our number had a “cuppa” before we sailed off to Tobermory on the Isle of Mull.
The afternoon found us doing myriad explorations in and around ultra-picturesque Tobermory, a fishing port in a tranquil harbor with brightly painted houses below a tall, tree-lined bluff. Some of the more intrepid took off on a long walk to a lighthouse, where they were rewarded with the sight of bottlenose dolphins. Others wandered up the bluff, back down and through the town, where the many pleasures include the vistas, craft shops, a superb chocolate shop and a fine museum. Some of us were seen bending an elbow at the Mishnish Hotel, whose pub is a central spot for meeting and conversation among the local residents.
