Scotland: Tobermory, Torosay, Skye ... and Haggis

The next morning Joan and I decided to take the long walk; it started out as a group hike to a small lake, but once the trailhead was reached, it was well nigh impossible to get lost, and the group stretched out. (Others investigated the town more thoroughly). The day started out wet but continually improved during the hike.

Here, we look back to Tobermory town.

From another viewpoint we see a mussel farm in the waters.

In the harbor is a sailboat equipped with high-tech airfoil "sails."

After a good leg-stretch we reached the lake, and walked around it. The lake has blooming water lilies, and, in the center, an abandoned fish farm.

In the afternoon we were all treated to a tour of Torosay Castle, not far from Craignure. It is not so much a castle, really, as a huge Victorian home, completed in 1858 by the architect David Bryce in Scottish Baronial style.

The knotted rope above the entranceway is a David Bryce signature. Another compelling feature of the castle are the crowning boar heads front and back.

Our guide was Jacquetta Digby Guthrie-James, the matriarch of Torosay herself, with a notable lineage among the peers of Britain. She was an approachable, sparkling, and entertaining host with decades of stories to tell. Her future husband David James escaped from German prisoner of war camps twice, for example, the second time successfully. Her older sister, Pamela Digby, married three times, the first to Randolph Churchill (son of Sir Winston), and lastly to the American statesman and diplomat Averell Harriman. On her death Pamela was the US ambassador to France. On exhibit in the house are framed letters from Sir Winston, drawings of Antarctica by David, and many other mementos. Of course, photographs are not allowed inside the castle. Here is Jacquetta at a later point in our tour.

At the end of the indoor tour, we had an opportunity to partake of the tea room. The weather had improved so much that our break was outside.

Then Jacquetta took us on a tour of the grounds; she's an keen gardener. Also, the official castle gardener keeps a blog about Torosay Gardens! Here's a view looking back at the castle.

At the beginning was the "statue walk," with 19 Italian statues brought back from Milan c. 1900.

The grounds included both interesting colors and structure. Douglas fir thrives on Mull, with cool summers, warm winters, and plenty of precipitation.

And a wall of eucalyptus trees.

And, of course, plenty of flowers and formal gardens.

A favorite project is the oriental garden.

From several locations you could see Duart Castle, which we had visited two days before.

After a pause at the gift shop -- it is very hard to maintain these old estates, and we understand that Torosay may be up for sale -- we cheerfully waved farewell to Jacquetta and rode back to the ship and to dinner.

The next morning the Lord of the Glens sailed from Tobermory. This was the most exposed part of the voyage, including a transit around the westernmost point of the British mainland, but the extra day at Tobermory had done the trick, and we were comfortable. Along the way a group of eight basking sharks was spotted to much interest. (I wasn't fast enough to get a picture.)

By the time we arrived at Armadale, on the Isle of Skye, it was raining cats and dogs. Joan and I put on our rain gear and joined the group walking to the Clan Donald center, and the museum of the history of the islands. (Others took the bus.) Towards the end of our visit we encountered Jim Russell (the National Geographic expert for the trip) and asked him two questions we still had about Scottish history, even after the past week (#1, about the Covenanters, an aspect of the religious strife, and #2, about Flora McDonald, who helped Prince Charlie escape after the defeat at Culloden). Jim enthusiastically elaborated and explored side topics for us until his wife reminded him that we must get to the bus, or else walk back in the heavy rain. If you have a question about Scotland, Jim's your man.

During lunch we sailed to the mainland, at Kyle of Lochalsh, docking just next to the new bridge that connects the Isle of Skye to the mainland. Here is a photo of that bridge taken the next morning, when the light was shining upon it.

Our afternoon visit was to one of the most photographed castles in Scotland, Eilean Donan. This location is central to Loch Long, Loch Duich, and Loch Alsh, and so has been inhabited since the sixth century.

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In ruins since the failed Jacobite uprising of 1715, this is yet another case of a castle being renovated and rehabilitated, in this case, Lieutenant Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap had the work done between 1911 and 1932 (with pauses for the First World War.) This is the view from the parking area.

Step a mite closer.

The coat of arms and a quote are over the entranceway.

After this final castle it was time to return to the Lord of the Glens to a) pack for a very early departure tomorrow, and b) freshen up for the captain's farewell reception and dinner.

The highlight of the dinner was the presentation of the haggis. It made a grand entry into the dining room, borne by the chef.

Jim gathers himself to deliver the Ode to A Haggis. It's a solemn responsibility, but Jim is well-practiced.

After a walk-through of the poem in contemporary English, Jim delivers it in Scots dialect, as it was meant to be.

The actual dish served to us was three stacked circular layers, yellow turnip, potatoes, and haggis on the bottom. It was excellent!

Those of us (all six) continuing on the Orkney extension needed a very early breakfast the next day, and were the first to depart from the ship. The other guests would soon be on their way home, or exploring further on their own. Our luggage was piled into a small bus.

A short way up the road, we stopped at an overlook. Here David, Jenny, Wally, and Trish inspect the map. We're not lost, just orienting ourselves.

Here is a two-photo panorama of our view of Loch Long.

We stopped for some tea and snacks at Timespan, a museum/gallery/café in Helmsdale.

Timespan has a cozy riverside outdoor area with benches for snacking upon or just resting, and a geological garden, the first I've ever seen.

The garden is made of samples of the different stones to be seen in Scotland, echoing standing stones on a small scale, and bearing the name and age of the type of rock.

A short way further and we would reach Scrabster and the NorthLink ferry to Orkney. This is a full-service ferry, with a deck for autos and two decks for passengers, including a cafeteria, where our intrepid group had lunch. Soon we would land in Stromness, on the main island ("mainland") of Orkney. After a week of castles and Jacobites, it would be an entirely different world.