Setting off from our cottages - the open road beckons
destination - the timeless Ulva
but of course, only after summonsing the amazing little ferry
Great lunch at the Boathouse with homemade breads and soups and prawns straight from the loch
Who could ask for more!
and after lunch in the sun (and look at that view),
we set off to walk over the island to see the basalt columns on the coast.
Incredible beach, cliffs and woodlands. Really beautiful, gentle island
. . . then we were all too soon waiting for the boat back again
although before we leave
Ulva for good, I must remind you that this was an island that featured
on Johnson and Boswell's noted tours of the Hebrides, which I wrote
about last year - so click and read here if interested.
We had the most stunning drive back along the lochs with sun slanting into the hillsides casting amazing shadows.
Jo and Dave conjured up a veritable feast back at our cosy cottages
and just a final postcript from me . . .
Walking around Ulva with the sea and the sun and the meadows took me right back to singing 'Where'er You Walk' in the school choir all those years ago. So I've managed to find a Youtube video with a school choir that sounds much like I remember it - magical!
and the words (with repeats here and there) are:
Where'er you walk
Cool gales shall fan the glade
Trees where you sit
Shall crowd into a shade
Trees where you sit
Shall crowd into shade
Where'er you tread
The Blushing flowers shall rise
And all things flourish
And all things flourish
Where'er you turn your eyes
Where'er you turn your eyes
Where'er you turn your eyes
from Semele by Handel (1743, if Wikipedia is to be believed!)
So if you're not fed up yet and fancy more of the Mull week, then you can read about Wednesday by clicking here
or if you're new to this blog and want to start right at the beginning of our Mull holiday, then please click here
Early start today - breakfast just after seven and another scorcher of a day. Hard to believe the news we saw last night on telly - most of South West England deluged with floods! We were SO lucky.
Spectacular hour and a
half drive to the Ulva Ferry - skirting the edges of the lochs on empty
roads. Such incredible isolation and wilderness. Amazing reflections
off water like glass and incredible colours and shadows in the early morning sunlight.
Had to wait for some horned friends to let us pass though
At one stage we were rounding a hairy cliff path hugging the rocks on one side and a steep drop to the loch on the other.
The Ulva Ferry landing stage is so sweet and we could see the little Boathouse nestled across the loch on Ulva itself, waiting for us to venture over for lunch later in the day.
The additional interest here was that I'd been reading snippets of Johnson's and Boswell's Journey to the Western Isles about when they'd sailed over to Ulva, so I've put this into a separate post.
Anyway, we weren't looking for safe passage to Ulva just yet, our quest was to travel with Martin and try to spot some sea eagles in flight over the loch.
We climed aboard the Lady Jayne and sped off between the magnificent mountains and rock formations. More basalt columns here which have been overshadowed and forgotten with the splendour of Staffa.
and the most incredible water patterns 'cos the loch was so smooth
like glass in fact, even reflecting the clouds
We were no sooner out in the loch than we spotted a school of porpoises jumping and playing near the boat - incredible. The sun was beating down (as usual!) and the sky blue.
We could see where the white tailed sea eagles were perched in the trees far away but had to wait a good hour for them to swoop down for some fish. Meanwhile we were entertained with loads of graceful seagulls swooping around the boat, two golden eagles above the hills opposite and red deer on the ridge.
Finally the magnificent sea eagle swooped down from his eyrie and around the boat in search of the piece of fish Martin had chucked into the loch. What a magnificent sight! The seagulls soon chased him off though. My pics aren't brilliant but here they are:
plucky old Jonathan Livingston in full persuit!
The run back was choppier but still incredible colours on the mountains
Back at the Ulva ferry, we signalled for the ferryman to come over and were soon taken on the 5 minute hop over to this little island.
We found a picnic table to perch on and were bowled over by the choice of fresh food at the Boathouse (click here to check it out), where they make all their own bread and pull mussels from ropes in the loch and collect oysters and prawns fresh too. Incredible.
and I am saying nothing about this teapot!
Just sheer bliss!!
Had a meander in the sun around one side of the island to a tiny simple church designed by Thomas Telford. Apparently when all the roads and bridges were built in Scotland he was commisioned to design churches and even some houses.
It was very utilitarian in design but so interesting to see, and Audrey gave us all some stern words for the day
Also enjoyed the little museum in Sheila's Cottage, an old thatched croft, telling the disturbing history of the Clearances which displaced and decimated the poor all over Scotland. If you click, this link tells you about the Mull Clearances and this one about the Clearances on Ulva.
Tearing ourselves away from Ulva and the idyll of sitting staring at the loch and mountains in the sun, we caught the ferry back to Mull and drove the most spectactular coastal route to Tobermory, past dramatic cliffs, flaggy shores, golden eagles overhead, the lovely cove of Calgary Beach - everything so beautiful and wild and harsh. And inevitably held up by the odd herd of wilde beasties!
Dropped very suddenly down the steep hill into the captivating Tobermory with all it's painted houses huddled around the beautiful harbour. Even the fish and chip van on the pier is a Les Routiers!
Dined at the Fish Cafe in the ferry terminal with fantastic sea food and really imaginative menu
Spectacular drive back chasing the sunset, along the rocky lochs, herds of deer at the sides of us and another golden eagle and an owl or two. And now the final agony, which of my 15 sunset shots to upload. It was all so beautiful driving along and stopping in the total silence to take yet another photo.
Another perfect day with fabulous friends.
Now I need to write up our Thursday adventure cavorting by woodland streams . . .
