Change in the Air

The Easter holiday is a milestone in the West Ardnamurchan calendar, the time when visitors, both old and new, start to appear in numbers along the peninsula.  It's disappointing, therefore, when they're greeted by a continuation of what has seemed a very long winter, with today both cool and damp - picture shows mist rolling in across the Basin, just short of Camas nan Geall.

Camas is a lovely spot, a very special gem amongst West Ardnamurchan's many treasures, but it doesn't look its best under low cloud and drizzle - which was a great shame as four Canadians had chosen today to come a very long way to visit it, for a very unusual reason.

They saw the 6000-year old neolithic cairn, the 4,000-year old standing stone, the Campbell graveyard, the ruins of the Camas nan Geall clachan, cleared in 1828, the mid-19th century sheep farmer's house - from a  distance as it is surrounded by mud - and more, and by the end of the tour they were.... cold and damp.

But Canadians are lovely people, always smiling, and these, considering the conditions, were a credit to their nation.  They all come from Victoria on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. From left, they are Lise Butler, who has spent several years at Oxford University, Kyle Hunker, Christin Geall, and Leif Skogland, who is going up to St Andrews University this autumn.  And, yes, it was Christin's surname that had drawn them here.  It may have other derivations, but Christin has Scottish ancestors. One wonders whether one of them came from Camas nan Geall, perhaps when it was cleared, and, when they arrived in the New World, changed their name, as some did, to one which reminded them of home.

Back in the village, the first yacht of the year was moored in Kilchoan Bay, seen here in thin mist and at low tide, and....

....a very determined painter was to be found along the Ormsaigbeg road, using the only medium which wouldn't run in the drizzle, oils.  Many will know Christine Taylor, who has family living here.

Kilchoan Early Bird sends in a picture of another first for this year, a great skua or, as it is known locally, a bonxie, a name whose Norse origins lie in the northern isles.
 

By the end of the day the weather showed some signs of lifting - picture shows Trevor Potts' Ardnamurchan Campsite, which will fill up in the next couple of days as the forecast finer weather sets in.

Ships in the Sound

'Ships in the Sound' was meant to be a monthly feature of this blog but the last episode appeared at the beginning of February.  However, those of you who particularly enjoy this feature will have had a surfeit with the tale of the Lysblink Seaways, which gave us weeks of interest.

The last months have been dominated by the passage of freighters through the Sound.  One of the pleasures of watching them pass is to note their destinations - so easily done these days with the AIS websites.  The first picture shows the Dutch registered Atlantic, at just under 3000 grt quite a small general cargo ship.  She was on her way to Seville in Spain, but a check on one of the marine sites shows that she's currently off Kalamata, Greece.

I spent a few weeks as a teenager working my passage on a cargo ship from London to South Africa, spending much of my time with the officer cadets on board.  One of their jobs was to turn out in the middle of the night when, in mid-Atlantic, we passed another ship.  'Whither bound?' we would signal on the Aldis lamp, and be thrilled if the ship passing in the dark was something unusual, like a Russian freighter.

The Alizee is another Dutch ship of about the same size as the Atlantic.  When she passed through the Sound on 15th February she was en route to Koge, Denmark, but today she's in Amsterdam.

The Bahamian-registered Romi was heading for Belfast when she passed us.  She struck us as particularly deep in the water, something that was always considered a 'good thing' as indicating the ship was fully loaded and, therefore, hopefully, earning her keep.  Just at the moment she's in the Skagerrak between Denmark, Norway and Sweden, proceeding at a gentle 9 knots.

This is yet another Dutch ship, the Fiorano, seen on her way to Hargshamn, a port to the north of Stockholm in Sweden.  She's slightly larger than the others, at nearly 4000 grt. She's currently passing through the Kattegat, another part of the strait between Denmark and Sweden - so she's not far from the Romi.

The Barbados-registered Sea Harmony was heading for Belfast when she passed us on 29th March.  Another small general cargo ship, she's currently in the English Channel on her way to Erith, a port in the Thames estuary.

It has been suggested that, following the Lysblink Seaways, the Fri Ocean and the Lysfoss incidents, that cargo ships in passage should be banned from the Sound.  Personally, I would miss them deeply.  They're a connection from this small place to the wide world.  What we would all like is to think that, when they pass us in the early hours of a morning, someone - or, better, two people - is wide awake and paying attention on the bridge.

The Clansman is back on duty for CalMac on the Oban - Castlebay & Lochboisdale and Oban - Coll & Tiree services, taking over from the Hebrides which was covering for her for quite some time while she had her annual refit.
 

We've had all sorts of weather in the last few weeks, everything from flat calm through gales to fog.  This is one of Northern Lighthouse Board's two service vessels, the Pole Star, feeling her way south into the Sound on 29th March.

By way of a change, and to remind ourselves that some ships are still registered in the UK - sadly including the Lysblink Seaways - this is the Admiral Day, a dredger, on her way to Uig on Skye, passing the local creel boat Ceol na Mara.

What's been conspicuously absent from the Sound recently is the Royal Navy.  That should change in the next few days as the biannual exercise Joint Warrior starts to the north of us on April 11th.

Glenborrodale Castle

Glenborrodale Castle, as part of the Ardnamurchan Estate, has just won the 'Hospitality' section of the Scottish Rural Awards, presented to manager Sarah MacKinnon at a gala dinner in Edinburgh on 26th March. This award - they're sometimes called the 'Rural Oscars' - is a huge boost to a business whose remote location can be a real challenge.

While the Castle used to concentrate on parties staying for several days - it was a very successful venue for Great Rail Journeys - it has recently changed its emphasis to an hotel offering bed and breakfast, and evening meals both for residents and non-residents. That said, it is still available for large parties and block bookings.

It provides everything one could ask for in a remote Scottish country retreat far from such modern distractions as television and the internet. This is the bar, a place of open fires, deep cushioned chairs and excellent whisky. It's one of several reception rooms, another of which....

....is the billiard room which, if anyone really wants to, can also be used for business meetings.

A double or twin room with breakfast ranges from £130 to £200.  This one is £160, and comes with....

.....a bath with a view.

The views from the castle are striking, and the layout of the building has taken full advantage of them, all but two of the rooms looking out towards Loch Sunart.

At the top of the range, and the building, is the penthouse suite. Along with bathroom, shower/dressing room, and every luxury....

....the penthouse has views across Loch Sunart and the island of Risga to the hills of Morvern.

The sixteen double/twin rooms in the Castle can be booked for special functions such as weddings, house parties and anniversary events.

The castle is particularly proud of its food, and the dining room is spacious and relaxing.  As far as possible, all ingredients are sourced from Ardnamurchan Estate, local crofters, local small businesses such as the Community Garden, from the local creel fishermen and from....

....the Castle's own walled garden and greenhouses.  It was this integration of the hotel with produce from the local area which was one of the features highlighted by the judges at the Rural Awards ceremony.

Guests from the surrounding area are welcomed for evening meals at which the driver, in view of Scotland's strict drink/drive laws, is offered free soft drinks.

Bookings can be made though freetobook and Booking.com, through the Castle's own website at Glenborrodale Castle, on 01972 500 275 or through the Castle's Facebook page.

Many thanks to manager Sarah MacKinnon and assistant manager Jacob Hunter

for showing me round.

Golden Dawn

A golden dawn this morning gave us the promise of a fine day - which was duly delivered.  The geese seemed to feel a change in the air.....

....as a large skein of our local greylags passed over at about ten, calling as they went.

The forecast for the Easter weekend and next week is for sunny intervals and light winds.

We spent most of yesterday in Fort William, crossing back onto Sunart at the Corran ferry just as this ship was passing.  The Fri Sea must be a lucky ship. Not only does she carry a pot of gold, but this was the ship that went aground at Corpach on 7th March and escaped unscathed - Diary report here.

Kilchoan Early Bird sends in this picture which he titles, "No it's not Africa", as it reminds him of the  coming of the rains in the wildlife programmes he's watched, and The Diary has commented several times on how similar the brown, burnt vegetation of the hills in March is to Africa's dry season savanna.

An Ardnamurchan Estate Red Stag

During our wanderings across Ardnamurchan Estate land we see many red deer stags, of which this one seemed even better than most.  We found him not far from the Caim sheds one evening, and the reason he's looking a little concerned is that the small group of hinds he was with had spotted us and taken off over the hill.

Because he struck us as an unusually fine beast, The Diary sent these pictures to Niall Rowantree, head stalker at Ardnamurchan Estate's West Highland Hunting, and asked him to comment on the stag.

Niall writes, "He has the classic genetic features of the Rominter stags introduced to the main estate many years ago and was sired by the huge stag that ruts every year above Caim.  This year he will turn five years old and start to play his part in the breeding success of the herd.

"Stags of his class will be allowed to run with the herd until 9 or 10 years of age at which point they will have passed on their genetics and will become a highly prized trophy stag for one of our hunting visitors. Currently we have around forty stags of his class in the 4 to 5 year old age class, and 8 to 10 who are considerably better."

For  anyone who would enjoy a day out with guides with considerable experience of West Ardnamurchan and its wildlife,  Niall and his wife Fay run Wild Highland Tours which offers a range of local wildlife watching tours.

Many thanks to Niall for his comment.