An almost full moon night gave way to a flannel-grey morning—a good Scottish morning, especially since no rain was falling. But the dryness was not to last.
Steve led an informative walk around the colorful village of Tobermory as mist began to gather, but we were well-equipped for the damp weather. We were soon back on board the Lord of the Glens and sailing for the tiny island of Eigg. Eigg was one of the first islands where the residents were able to buy the land from a succession of crazy lairds and have total control over their island and destiny. Since then (1997), Eigg has become a vibrant gem of the Inner Hebrides. Among their achievements is being totally energy independent from the mainland. They have several small hydro-plants, a few wind turbines, and a solar voltaic array.
During our sail, Ian continued to scan the seas for wildlife. He was able to point out gannets, shearwaters, guillemots, and other seabirds. Even a couple porpoises made a quick appearance.
We rounded Ardnamurchan Point, the westernmost point on mainland Britain. Standing tall in the mist was another of the famous Stevenson lighthouses. Much to our relief the sea state was calm in spite of dire warnings of possible swells due to a passing storm over the United Kingdom.
As we approached Eigg, its distinctive prominent ridge of pitchstone known as An Sgurr came into view. This is an unusual geologic feature in that it represents an “inverse topography.” In the past, a river valley was filled in with a molten rock called pitchstone. Millions of years later when glaciers scoured Scotland, the relatively softer river valley walls were eroded away leaving the harder pitchstone behind.
On Eigg, we broke into several smaller groups for hikes around the beautiful island making sure that we were back on board before the commercial ferry arrived.
Our afternoon destination was for mainland Britain’s most remote pub, The Old Forge, at Inverie on the Knoydart Peninsula. There are only two ways to get there. One is to hike about 16 miles over rugged mountains or arrive by boat. We did the latter.
After dinner, many of us trekked to the Old Forge Inn to buy the souvenir T-shirt and sample the local libations.
