The short winter days do have compensations, not the least of them being that, occasionally, we have a sunset that's worth running up the road to capture.
For most of the year sunsets aren't visible from Ormsaigbeg because of the bulk of
Druim na Gearr Leacainn behind us but, from the Twin's House at the end, for a few months, one can just see them.
I suppose that one of the compensations of being a fisherman is that, out on the open water, there's much less to get in the way of spectacles like a magnificent sunset. This is last night's sunset as seen by Kilchoan Early Bird, to whom many thanks, and features the creel boat
Harvester in the foreground.
One of the pleasures of winter evenings is to spend them discovering more of the history of this place. Last night, the Ardnamurchan History & Heritage Association gathered together some of the long-time residents of this end of the peninsula and showed them a selection of the photographs we have been given. We had almost 120 to show - we actually got through just over half - the idea being to see how much information could be added to them.
This one had been tentatively identified as Ockle. It isn't - and some readers might like to take a guess as to where it is. What we still don't know is when it was taken.
This is another view which was discussed, with people identifying the exact location and to whom the buildings belonged. It looks to be about the same age as the earlier picture, but a reasonably accurate date eluded us.
Many thanks indeed to Dorothy Parker for the two photographs, and to the people who gathered in the Learning Centre last night. We hope they enjoyed their evening.
If anyone has old photos, documents or other material relating to Ardnamurchan which they are happy to share, then I am keen to digitise them so they can be available on the website AHHA is currently building. Please contact me at kilchoandiary@btinternet.com
That top photo especially is just stunning! But I don't really understand how the season of the year and the time of the sunset determine whether you can see them or not....?
ReplyDeleteThe sun sets in the southwest in winter, so the sunset is just visible from Ormsaigbeg, which has a coastline running roughly NE-SW. In summer it sets in the northwest, invisible behind the hill which runs along the back of Ormsaigbeg. Jon
ReplyDeleteOh, of course. I hadn't been thinking of the direction, only of the time. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy looking at old photographs. I would place the first one in Kilmory, looking south at the village centre just after the first kink in the road, and the second is also Kilmory but looking northward from within the field beyond the long wall. Would a repeat photograph of each view be possible from you on a future ramble?
ReplyDeletePhoto No.4, North coast: I'm not brave enough to identify the location, but am intrigued by the two structures close to the shore....or are they marks on the print?
ReplyDeleteThe buildings in the second photo are in Kilmory; only one survives, known by various names including, recently, Bentoat. It was originally a byre and is the building closest to the sea in the photo. The whole cluster of buildings - said to have been originally built around 1860 - is shown in the OS 25 inch map published in 1875: http://maps.nls.uk/view/74427296 But the buildings shown there may be diagrammatic rather than strictly representational.
ReplyDeleteThe second photo looks to me to be at the end of the track... the next left hand track after Ockle farm, where Laura used to live...[ without giving a name ]
ReplyDeleteYes, John, I saw those two features and cant see if they are standing stones, or drying nets. They look so out of place, especially the right hand one which looks like a turret!
ReplyDeleteThe first picture is Achosnich the houses were built in circa 1885
ReplyDeleteThe first picture is Achosnich the houses were built circa 1863 sorry not 1885
ReplyDeleteYes, third picture is Achosnich - and thank you, the last Anonymous, for the date the houses were built. The picture is probably a bit later than 1885, perhaps early 1910s - does that sound likely?
ReplyDeleteThe fourth picture is Kilmory, as an earlier Anonymous says, on the west bank of the burn, close to the sea - there are four structures in the photo and four on the map. The upright features in the bay are both sea stacks formed, I think, of a volcanic agglomerate. Jon
Street View on Google Maps lets you make a nice comparison with the Achosnich picture.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.google.co.uk/maps/@56.7264943,-6.1794478,3a,75y,359.6h,88.9t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s0pOIDEhjizz-Jwygthoeiw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
The Kilmory sea stacks - I think you go through a gate just next to one of those. Good for small children to climb while mother looks on anxiously as I recall.
I have documents to say that they were built 1863 to 1875
ReplyDeleteI would be very interested to see them. Jon
ReplyDeleteWondering if the white cottage on the right of the second photo (Achosnich) is on the same footprint as the current Reull a Choin - where we stayed a couple of years ago. My photo from that visit suggest it may be.
ReplyDeleteReull A Choin is built behind where the white cottage was
ReplyDeleteJon, is there any chance you can publish your old photos? Terry.
ReplyDeleteMost are on the West Ardnamurchan Vintage Photographs site on Flickr - https://www.flickr.com/groups/westardnamurchanvintagephotographs/
ReplyDelete