Skye, Raasay and Rona

Skye, Raasay and Rona, a set on Flickr.

A visit to Rona would not be complete without a walk over the hill from the beautiful anchorage of Acarsaid Mor to the east coast of the island and Church (or Giant's) Cave.  Before Rona's Church was built in 1878. islanders worshipped in this cavern and used it to celebrate weddings and baptisms.  Beyond the large Gothic-like archway, the cave opens out to reveal its intriguing contents.  Rows of stones span the width of the cave; these were used as pews for the congregation. A low stone pillar was used as a pulpit and beside it a hollowed out stone, fed naturally by drips of water from the cave roof, served as a font.  The views from the Cave across to Applecross  are magnificent. 


On Raasay, a wander along Calum's Road was in order. You can read about this remarkable project, the achievement of local islander Calum Macleod, on the community website:
http://www.raasay.com/RaasayBooks-CalumsRoad.html

Skye, Raasay and the Small Isles

Following a lively sail round Ardnamurchan, we took the tide through the narrows at Kylerhea, then stopped off at Kyle of Lochalsh, before continuing north.     

      

We have just enough clearance to make it underneath the Skye Bridge safely!

Arriving at Raasay, we anchored off the island's south east coast for a visit to Hallaig - where the deserted ruins of this Highland Clearance site are still visible. The township was made famous in Sorley Maclean's poem "Hallaig" , which evokes the heartbreak and desolation of the Clearances.                                                                                                                                                                       

A cairn memorial to Sorley Maclean,  inscribed with a copy of the poem, in both Gaelic and English stands on the hillside below Hallaig. A submarine plying its way down the Inner Sound is just visible above the monument.    

                                         

More submarine activity in the Inner Sound

The island of Soay lies off the south west coast of Skye.  In 1946, the  author Gavin Maxwell bought the island and established a factory to process shark oil from basking sharks. The old buildings and machinery are still standing. The enterprise was unsuccessful and lasted just three years. Maxwell's book Harpoon at a Venture tells the story.

Soay - Gavin Maxwell's shark station

Shark station machinery, Soay

An overnight stop in Canna gave us the chance to explore ashore. Canna was left to the National Trust for Scotland by its previous owner the Gaelic scholar and folklorist John Lorne Campbell and is now run as a farm and conservation area. The island is a haven for birdlife, with golden eagles, sea eagles and puffins often seen.

On Rum, Moonshadow's guests enjoyed a tour of Kinloch Castle on Rum.  The castle was built as a private residence for Sir George Bullough a textile tycoon from Lancashire whose father bought the isle as his summer residence. Construction began in 1897, and was finished in 1900. The highlight of the tour was the under stairs Orchestrion, a mechanical music system which still functions today and amazed us with its melodic sounds!