Dunvegan, Isle of Skye & Isle of Rum
This morning we awoke to flat seas and bright skies with the entrance to Loch Dunvegan before us. The winds of the last few days had died away and overnight we had sailed northwards from the Isle of Mull and were now in the Isle of Skye, the biggest island of the Hebrides. Our destination for the morning was Dunvegan Castle, the home of MacLeod of MacLeod, the chief of Clan MacLeod. Thanks to the many windows in the dining room we could enjoy breakfast while scanning the panorama of the Skye countryside with Dunvegan Castle clearly visible at the head of the long but narrow loch. The Zodiac drive was smooth and gentle and made all the more pleasurable by the sight of dozens of Common seals hauled-out on the rocks, enjoying the sunshine and gazing at us with mild curiosity.
The present clan chief still lives in Dunvegan Castle so our self-guided tour of the large building was limited – but what an interesting tour it was. As we walked quietly from room to room we were followed continuously by the eyes of the dozens of portraits of previous members of the MacLeod family, which line the many walls. The family history was displayed before us in pictures, artifacts, letters, curiosities and explanatory leaflets. Amongst the highlights was the ancient and fragile yellow “Fairy Flag” said by tradition to have been given the MacLeods by the fairy-folk who will come to the family’s assistance in its time of greatest need. Also on show was the enormous drinking horn, holding almost half a gallon, which is still filled with claret and downed in one draught by male members of the family on coming of age.
After lunch our distinguished guest speaker Hugh Downs gave a talk on “A Layman’s View of Modern Science”. Mr. Downs’ accomplished style afforded us a witty, informative and certainly thought-provoking look at how science has made such rapid advances in the last 100 years that we literally cannot keep up with it. The question has to be asked, “Where do we go from here?”
The afternoon saw us arriving at the tiny island of Rum. Some of us opted to stay aboard while the rest splashed their way through the wet and bumpy Zodiac drive to shore. Two different nature walks were lead by Art and Karen while David managed to have the island’s main attraction, Kinloch Castle, opened for us to view. Within its impressive walls is a collection of furniture, art pieces, curios and objects d’art from all over the world. While all this was taking place a small group of our fellow expeditioners took to the calm waters of the sheltered Loch Scresort in the Endeavour’s fleet of kayaks and thoroughly enjoyed themselves by leisurely paddling across and around the bay.
This morning we awoke to flat seas and bright skies with the entrance to Loch Dunvegan before us. The winds of the last few days had died away and overnight we had sailed northwards from the Isle of Mull and were now in the Isle of Skye, the biggest island of the Hebrides. Our destination for the morning was Dunvegan Castle, the home of MacLeod of MacLeod, the chief of Clan MacLeod. Thanks to the many windows in the dining room we could enjoy breakfast while scanning the panorama of the Skye countryside with Dunvegan Castle clearly visible at the head of the long but narrow loch. The Zodiac drive was smooth and gentle and made all the more pleasurable by the sight of dozens of Common seals hauled-out on the rocks, enjoying the sunshine and gazing at us with mild curiosity.
The present clan chief still lives in Dunvegan Castle so our self-guided tour of the large building was limited – but what an interesting tour it was. As we walked quietly from room to room we were followed continuously by the eyes of the dozens of portraits of previous members of the MacLeod family, which line the many walls. The family history was displayed before us in pictures, artifacts, letters, curiosities and explanatory leaflets. Amongst the highlights was the ancient and fragile yellow “Fairy Flag” said by tradition to have been given the MacLeods by the fairy-folk who will come to the family’s assistance in its time of greatest need. Also on show was the enormous drinking horn, holding almost half a gallon, which is still filled with claret and downed in one draught by male members of the family on coming of age.
After lunch our distinguished guest speaker Hugh Downs gave a talk on “A Layman’s View of Modern Science”. Mr. Downs’ accomplished style afforded us a witty, informative and certainly thought-provoking look at how science has made such rapid advances in the last 100 years that we literally cannot keep up with it. The question has to be asked, “Where do we go from here?”
The afternoon saw us arriving at the tiny island of Rum. Some of us opted to stay aboard while the rest splashed their way through the wet and bumpy Zodiac drive to shore. Two different nature walks were lead by Art and Karen while David managed to have the island’s main attraction, Kinloch Castle, opened for us to view. Within its impressive walls is a collection of furniture, art pieces, curios and objects d’art from all over the world. While all this was taking place a small group of our fellow expeditioners took to the calm waters of the sheltered Loch Scresort in the Endeavour’s fleet of kayaks and thoroughly enjoyed themselves by leisurely paddling across and around the bay.
