I'm looking back to spring 2005, when I visited Iona for the second time. After a week on that lovely little island (see my other post), I toured Mull for a few days.
The next few photos show Phionnphort harbour and a few coastal areas on Mull. I took the long, leisurely way round, ambling up to Calgary Bay, which I had to visit because of a close friend who is deeply homesick for Australia. Now Calgary Bay is not Ozzieland, of course, but the beach there is something else. But see for yourself.
As I was leaving Fionnphort, the last stop on Mull before one takes the short ferry ride across the Sound of Iona, the little boat Iolaire was chugging into the bay, back from a fishing trip, or more likely back from the one-hour trip up to Staffa:
I've never had a chance to talk to the fishermen on Iona or at Fionnphort, but judging from these lobster creels, there's still plenty of wildlife in these beautiful clear waters.Now the tour of Mull proper begins:
Looking along Loch Na Keal.It didn't take too long -- maybe a couple of hours -- before I reached Calgary Bay. The weather was good enough, despite some impressive clouds overhead, for a good ramble all over the beach:
This mountain, according to my map, is called Mornish Hill:
Nature, as ever, is a great artist:
Back on Calgary beach. After Iona, which remains my gem, I couldn't get enough of this wide expanse of sand, and the surf in the distance.
Simply spectacular!I discovered a beautiful woodland next to the Calgary Bay hotel, full of the most mysterious, funny, weird, beautiful artwork: ropes snaking down from trees, benches, woodcarvings, whale's teeth, massive slabs of rusting iron -- I'll have to create a separate post for all these images.
Of course I would have loved to stay at Calgary Bay and Beach but I had a reservation at a B&B up in Dervaig, so that's where I drove next. But I made sure that they'd have a bed for me at Calgary the following night -- what a delightful place!
First, however, a look at the striking church of Dervaig -- a bit of a lighthouse, don't you think?
No, I wasn't drunk when I took the next picture... :)
I wish I had known then about the Little Theatre at Dervaig. As it was, I spent a very rainy night indoors, chatting with the hosts and other people staying at the B&B (which I believe is no longer, the owners having decided to sell up and retire).Dervaig is a beautiful little village, well worth the visit.
Loch Cuin by Dervaig.The morning before I drove down to Calgary again, I went on a bit of a wander along a track that led me to Loch Cuin and the Quinish Estate. The gate was shut but not locked, there was a stile, so I felt entitled to having a quiet look around. What a magical place it turned out to be, too! Odd how some rubbish can acquire an air of landscape art -- but odd, too, that in a nature reserve it should be possible to leave useless stuff to rot away and perhaps leach poisonous substances into the environment.
No comment -- this is well within the bounds of the Nature reserve. Funny way of preserving such an otherwise pristine place!
Interesting collection of rusting farm implements -- nature art with a twist...
A brief rainshower, more like Scottish mist, brought a shine to this otherwise quite nondescript woodland path.
I was just too slow with my camera, but there was a rustle, a flapping of wings with a flash of cream -- I'll swear I saw one of the sea eagles said to be nesting out there.
A huge tree's limbs had come crashing down and were spread all about, like a giant's fan.
I can't get over the fact that in early April this far north, camellias should be in full bloom. Absolutely delighted to see this gorgeous bunch of blossoms.
Nuff said for now. There will be more in a different post.
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