Island Hopping with the Glebe-Day 8 into 9

Day 8

There's a cloud over Ben Mor this morning.
I don't know if i mentioned it,but after i'd finished Day 6's blog at the Borrodale Hotel and on my way back to the hostel,i took a little detour over to Loch Eynort to look for otters.
I heard lots of noise,but never saw anything.

So this morning(Day 8) after checking out of the hostel i headed back to Loch Eynort for a daylight look.
I didn't find any otters,but found a seal colony instead.Very playful and inquisitive creatures.

I filmed them on my video camera since i thought they wouldn't come close enough for a still shot.But this ones curiosity got the better of him and i got a few pictures.
(I'm quite pleased with this picture,so i'll just make a note here that my permission and accreditation is required for it's re-use)
Next it's back to the Borrodale for my Wi Fi and day 7 blog.Got to mention Richard and Angus for their courtesy and help.
I had brunch there as well.That would keep me going the rest of the day.
The rest of day 8 is in the pictures.

Without going into detail too much,i headed south to Eriskay(Famous for the film Whisky Galore) for a look around...


...then slowly made my way up through South Uist,Benbecula,North Uist and onto Berneray where i'll sleep in the SYHA hostel tonight.

This is the bunkhouse still being thatched.The thatcher is also a weaver,and he's not a local.It was good to talk to him though.
It's a little breezy here on Bernerey,but what a beautiful little island.Like it's southern counterpart Eriskay,it was only accesible by boat until recent years.Causeways connect many of the islands now.
After meeting new faces and some from earlier,i do some exploring up the eastern beach.
How much sand do you want?
There's plenty of life,but it's of the more natural variety.
A late cuppa and a chat with the other hostellers,sees me have a great nights sleep...
...so here i am into day 9 and a look at the western side of Berenerey.
It's another fabulous day,and i get a collection of stones from the beach.
Over to Lochmaddy and i'm here in the Lochmaddy Hotel blogging and up to date.I've just had the home made lasagne made with local beef.
Oh i am enjoying this trip !

Island Hopping with the Glebe-Day 7 Ben Mor

Day 7
Hang your head in shame you who doubt my abilities.
Today i will climb Ben Mor.


Well! it might not be the Munro of Mull Ben Mor,but it's a canny wee hill at 620 mtrs and i can take as long as i like.I'll be doing it from sea level.

After my porridge i'm off.Parking just along from the hostel a little,I'm walking up past where the peat bogs are.They have machine cut turf,but there's a lot of turf still being cut in the traditional way.
The going's fairly heavy and spongy.they tell me there's no real recognised route.'Just go past the peat bogs and climb' is what i was told.


I'm saying very little else about todays climb,i'll let the pictures do the talking.
There's the hostel over there.

Ben More is a rocky ridge,and once i'm on the ridge,i want to walk from one end to the other.I try out my ten second delay.
There's someone up there.
It's a pretty precarious ridge in places.
It's also further than it looks !


Once at the summit i meet a group of local folk.What wonderful people they are.I'm being honest about that,and i'm not saying it just because they'll be reading this.I don't know what it is but i feel an affinity with the Outer Hebrides-maybe it's because it's been 65 years since my last visit.I was only six months old.
This group are known as 'Danny and the Juniors'.I don't think thats true,but in the group from left to right are Mira,Muirne,Jane,Archie,Penny and Danny.I was to bump into three of them later.They were doing another two peaks besides Ben Mor.
Danny took my picture at the trig point.

Once i'd walked the ridge...

...I came down more northerly than my ascent and rejoined the burn for the last section.
This propped up pointed standing stone was along the shoulder to the north-I wonder what it's significance was or is.
Back at 'Tobha Mor' i get a welcome shower,cook my tea and start this blog.
The visitors of last night have gone,and tonight there's Susan and her nephew Harry who hail from Arisaig who are cycling south to north,Angus nearly 70 from Dunblane walking the islands from North to South.

I should go and find some Wi Fi,but i think you're going to wait a little longer.
Ignore that,i'm going to lunch at the Borrodale where i did Day 6 and upload day 7.
Now on Day 8 i've been watching seals this morning.No good pictures,but some video for when i get back to Galloway.
See you later.

Island Hopping with the Glebe-Day 7 Preview

Beinn Mhor 'Ben Mor'!


I may be back here in the Borrodale Hotel tomorrow to finish Day 7.

Island Hopping with the Glebe-Day 6

N.B This and the following and the previous blogs on this trip may appear quite disjointed...well tough,you get what you get.

Day 6
I'm writing this on South Uist.

After finishing day 5's blog i headed for my bunk.
The two Canadian lassies have transformed into two hairy swiss bikers(road bikers to be truthful),and the two Australian lassies have morped into a couple of Frenchmen.
My alarm goes off at 6am,and a much better nights sleep means i'm more on the ball today.
After my porridge i'm down to the terminal in plenty time for the ferry.
It's the 'Lord of the Isles' today,and todays's trip will take 5 hours and 20 minutes.

There's dolphins in Oban Harbour this morning,and although i coudn't get any photo's i managed a couple of small video clips.(Guess what though-I didn't load my video camera software onto my laptop,so i'll have to follow up when my trip is finished).
I got into a conversation with a policeman from Lincoln who's releasing his stress by going on a sea kayaking course.

Once we get underway,i'm on the top deck with my walkman listening to Sounds of the Sixties.
Todays route initially is the same as the Mull route,we go past Craignure.










The mums and kids are watching further up the Mull sound.They're looking out for Balamory.


It's quite cloudy today,but that doesn't detract from the Island views along the route.
We pass Muck,Eigg and Rhum to the north,and Coll and Tiree to the south.Then Skye looms larger
I decide to eat on the boat,and have a lovely dinner of Creamed Chicken,boiled potatoes and fresh veg.
Closing in on the Outer Hebrides we're treated to a magnificent display of leaping dolphins.They were jumping clean out of the water.Again no pictures,it was over all too quick as they were heading in the opposite direction to us.One whale showed itself,but only fleetingly.I hadn't imagined it,and others confirmed it had been a whale.


Now off the boat at Lochboisedale and i'm on South Uist.
Luckily the Tourist Information Office is close by and i call in for directions to Howmore.The young lady writes down the Gaelic translation since not all signs are in both.
What a brilliant place South Uist looks-it reminds me so much of Donegal.


A walk on the Atlantic shore,and i get lucky with this picture-my camera is on a sports setting,and as i click the sandbank collapses and the goose takes off.Heading down to the beach,the oyster catchers sound really carries,as the flies totally ignore the spray i've put on and try to eat me alive.
There's greylag geese here.
This one was just taking off as a column of sand was collapsing into the burn.

Howmore is about ten miles up the road,and the basic hostel isn't really so basic.Microwave cooker shower and a bunkhouse.I head of along to Benbecula to get some food from the Coop..


Once back at the hostel,a family of five have moved in.I'm treated to a cup of their tea.

Back to the bunkhouse to write this.There;s a young couple from Gloucester moved in-they're cycling the islands.
Later i head out to Benbecula.I want to see about some live music.
I dont remember the name of the pub,but the music wasn't traditional.It was one guy singing to backing music(He played the guitar as well).A glass of shandy was enough for me.It was too noisy,and some birds 30th birthday,so it was pretty raucus.One young drunk was unceremoniously thrown out for trying to cause trouble.


I get showered and feed myself,as a Swiss Cyclist moves in(Honest-he says they come to Scotland because they like hills and aren't as steep as swiss hills.
I head out for a walk.There's ruins of four churches dating back to the twelvth century close by.


An amazing monument designed by Hew Lorimer in 1930.
I talk to a Glasgow man,who arrived to teach for a while.Met and married a local lass and got kids.


Heading back to the hostel,i take some sunsets.



Once the sun went down,it was still just about daylight.What a brilliant place.

Island Hopping with the Glebe-Day 5

Day 5,and i need to get out of bed just as i've been getting some sleep.
I feel like i've just toured Islay's nine distilleries.
A shower and a shave help,and i'm on my way to the ferry terminal.
It's another great day as i book some more forward sailings.I get into conversation with another Canon camera owner and his wife.One thing i've noticed on this trip is how people on holiday seem more friendly.I know the Scots are anyway as a rule,but even startched shirted english folk seem to relax a little.This couple were easy to talk to though,they were from Perthshire.

We leave McCaigs tower sitting atop Oban and head west.The top deck's well packed today.
Islands and far off hills are the landscape.
Approaching Mull Duarts Castle comes into view.I'd like a pound for every time this scene's been snapped.
Off the ferry,and i'm heading towards Tobermory.I pull in to let most of the ferry traffic past so i can take it east.It's a scallop operation,and the sign says Scottish Fisheries.Another sign says unauthorised vehicles park at their own risk.
Visitors parking looked ok,and this was my first contact on Mull.
Basically i was trespassing according to the man who hadn't seen me approach.My arguement about good views was countered with 'Didn't you see the 'Authorised Personnel Only' sign.I did notice a small wooden post with something on the way out.Not a good start.Now i'm thinking i should have stayed in bed.
Continuing on undaunted but really tired,along the road with passing places every 100 odd metres,i get to Tobermory...
...it's certainly a beautiful place,but looking very commercialised...
...but it's got a little gem in the tame otter down by the ferry terminal.I'll hopefully have a little video clip of this wee fella later.
Now i take off to have a look at Ben More and other parts of the island...
...I did take a little walk towards Ben More,but my tiredness meant i wasn't doing Mull the attention it deserved.
It's such a rugged place,there were signs of outdoor activity everywhere.Boats,bivvies and bikes were prevalent.
Here i spotted a large bird going into the trees.My suspicion it was an Eagle was confirmed by the row of twitchers i talked to a little further along the road.
This was the only bird i managed to snap...maybe someone can tell me what it is.
By now i thought if i didn't stop driving i'd become a menace on the road,so i made my way back to Craignure and the earlier ferry back to Oban.
An early start tomorrow,no later than 7.30 book in.
I'm heading to Locboisedale on South Uist.
Next instalment whenever...