HIghlands and Islands: Aigas Field Center and Magnus House

Sunday, June 3rd, was our NatHab group's last full day in Scotland. After breakfast Joan and I took a walk along the Coul House fairy trail.

We also braved the "scary" trail, and emerged into the back lawn.

Jonathan greeted a neighbor's pony.

Then our group was off to visit the Aigas Field Center,

where we paid a nighttime visit several days before to view the nocturnal pine marten. First, we were treated to a presentation by Sir John Lister-Kaye, which covered much of the natural and some political history of this part of Scotland. The "hills and heather" associated with the Highlands are a human creation, started by the cutting down of trees for shelter and fire. The grazing of sheep prevented anything from growing back, and the Highland Clearances pushed the human population to the coastline and beyond. The Victorian landlords deliberately kept their lands cleared of anything that would interfere with hunting the Big Three: red deer, grouse, and salmon. Sir John is dedicated to restoring the true nature of the Highlands as much as possible.

After the presentation we walked to the Scottish wild cat enclosure, making some friends along the way.

The wild cat quarters.

Scottish wild cats appear very similar to domesticated cats, with which they have hybridized. The Field Center is working on establishing a wild cat lineage by breeding only those animals with at least 80% wild genetics (how this is measured, I do not know).

Who are you?

 Being cats, sometimes they are alert,

 sometimes not.

Ahhhhh.

We walked back through the gardens, and Sir John gave us a tour of the Magnus House,

Side view, actually.

Front entrance.

which he had rescued and restored from a shambles on the verge of demolition. Over the decades he and his family have accomplished astonishing feat of renovation and refurbishing, but even so, he wasn't shy about pointing out the Victorian excesses and errors that had been inflicted on the building, such as a section of flat roof whose drains are blocked by ice every winter.

Inside, a map of the Center, whose grounds include the remains of Bronze and Iron Age habitation. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

Our group was treated to a heavenly buffet lunch -- Lady Lucy Lister-Kaye is a Cordon Bleu trained chef. Then it was time for a drive up Glen Cannich and to Mullardoch Dam, the biggest in Scotland.

On the way up the glen we saw plenty of brazen red deer,

Please, no pictures, I'm shedding my winter coat.

and  placid cows.

The Mullardoch dam holds back a large lake, but the water that spins nearby turbines to generate electricity passes through over 5 km of tunnel to exit into Loch Benevean.

Behind the dam.

Below the dam.

This scheme allows the dam creating Loch Benevean to be much smaller than otherwise.

Joan birdwatching, and me looking unsure.

On our way back down Glen Cannich we stopped next to a bridge for more bird watching; I found a colorful spider on the bridge itself.

Another highland coo (or Heilan coo), a group favorite, but especially for Nadia.

Suddenly another roadside surprise materialized with snacks and beverages and hand-painted mugs from the Magnus House. Nadia is holding her highland coo calendar.

Dinner that evening wasn't at the Coul House, but at a local pub, the Allangrange Arms. Jonathan dressed for the occasion.

On our arrival the barman inquired from where we had each come. When Joan and I said Ohio, he called out, "O-H!" Joan and I, surprised, yelled back, "I-O!" to complete The Ohio State University call and response. It turned out he had spent some time in Columbus! The food was superb, as usual ... Jonathan knows how to pick 'em.

There was time for one final expedition to a misty Loch Kinellan the next morning, before heading to the airport.

At the parking area there is a monument to the men of the Black Watch Regiment who died in the Korean War, erected by a local man who'd served in that war.

At the loch we were entertained by coots, and a tufted duck,

but most especially by a horned grebe and her chick. My images aren't the sharpest, but I think you'll catch on.

Don't go too far!

All aboard!

Very snug.

A final sight before reaching the Inverness airport was this monument to the Scottish drovers.

In earlier times the highland cattle were led to market on foot, a long march. On the return the drovers stuck together to deter bandits, who knew the drovers now bore cash, while the dogs dashed home ahead of their masters, living  notification of impending family reunions.

And then we flew home. The ten days since our arrival had been packed with activity, but Joan and I know there is still more to be experienced in the Highlands and Islands.

Highlands and Islands: South Harris, Uig, Coul House

Saturday, June 2nd, began with a hazy morning. As Jonathan had informed us earlier, if you can see more than a mile, it's called a mist in Scotland; if less than a mile, it's a fog. After breakfast we drove south through increasing fog, with Jonathan pointing out features of the terrain and seasonal economy, and bypassing the obscured views at Luskentyre Beach. The fog only continued to thicken, however, so we turned back north and found the visibility at Luskentyre greatly improved.

This satellite view shows several beaches on the Atlantic side of South Harris, making it a popular spot in recent years to open campgrounds, vacation cabins, and B&Bs.

Joan found several crab exoskeletons on the beach, shed as the creature grew. The life stage between molts is called an instar.

Jonathan showed us a starfish discovered by Melinda and Bob, which he threw back into the sea.

From Luskentyre Jim drove us back to Tarbert to await the ferry to Uig, on the island of Skye. At Tarbert Joan and I walked the short distance to the Church of Scotland to watch the ferry arrive.

At first the ship was a mere sea-colored blob on the horizon, but our patience was rewarded as it passed by the church.

Our group boarded the ferry. The vehicle deck had a plethora of cars, rather than the mass of trucks on the ferry to Stornoway two days before.

Car alarms blared with every course adjustment.

They must hate being tipped out of horizontal.

The sea fog (haar) obscured our views until we drew closer to Skye. Sitting on the back deck, Joan and the woman next to her engaged in a long conversation. 

This lady and her husband were originally from Harris and had planned to retire there, but now their grandchildren are on the mainland, so they visit Harris frequently instead. They were pleased to find their favorite seats open when boarding the ferry. Joan and I favor the rear deck too.

Our group had lunch on the ship, which had a variety of dishes on offer. Joan and I split a surprisingly good chicken curry.

Approaching the harbor of Uig, on the right.

The ferry cozied up to the dock and was lashed into place.

One block beyond the pier is the Isle of Sky Brewery, where Jonathan treated us to a beer tasting. I'm not a beer drinker, but I gave it a go, and the results were unexpected. The three colors we tried were, to put it in layman's terms, golden, brown, and dark. (I told you I'm not a beer drinker.) I didn't care for the pale stuff, but to my surprise, the other two weren't bad. I'd be willing to try them again.

Then it was time to board another van and journey back to the Coul House, about a two and a half hour drive. On the way we stopped at the Sligachan Hotel for a rest stop and an opportunity for a cup of tea or another beer or whiskey.

Technically Skye is an island, but it is connected to the mainland by bridge, so no more ferries were needed. There was plenty of Saturday traffic, including daredevil motorcyclists with "Zed Head" skull logos on their jackets.

We arrived safely at the Coul House after a busy four-night absence.

Yet one more surprise was in store for us at dinner. Who should come over to greet Joan and me but David Barnes! We'd come to know him during various trips with Lindblad Expeditions, where he wore many hats, including historian/lecturer and expedition/extension leader. He was wrangling a small-group Scotland trip with another company; we took a Caledonian Canal and Orkneys trip with him in 2010,

but my best picture of him dates from 2008 in Wales:

The sign is in Welsh, and David's from Wales.

Tomorrow will be centered on visiting Magnus House and the Aigas Field Center.

Highlands and Islands: The Shiants

Saturday, June 2nd. I began by photographing the ferry terminal from our hotel room window.

The ferry office offers electric vehicle charging.

Just one spot.

The day would be largely filled with a sea excursion along the coast of Harris and out to the Shiant Islands.

Our group's boat was this blue catamaran, the Harmony, captained by Angus with the help of his crew, Alexander (his son) and Michael.

We began by picking up supplies at a local shop and walked downhill to the Harmony, strolling past the new distillery.

Some gave it a wistful look.

The seas were gentle, thank goodness, giving us opportunities to use our binoculars and cameras.

We visited several bays, some of which held small settlements.

In one of these we saw a concrete pier that Angus had built as a young man of 16. There were also abandoned homes,

and ruins of blackhouses. One bay even harbored a sea-eagle nest.

This photo is of the "witch's seat." There is a legend associated with this throne, but I forgot to write it down 😞.

Not comfortable, but sturdy.

Not long after turning towards the Shiants we were joined by a pod of common dolphins,

some of whom drew near to check us out.

We also spotted couple of minke whales, but they were uninterested in us. They might be named after a whaling captain named Minke, who misidentified or exaggerated his catches.

Before we reached the Eilean Glas lighthouse (construction begun in 1787) we had a surprise birthday celebration, with Jonathan presenting a yummy cake.

The lighthouse.

We passed a flock of seabirds, including puffins.

The Shiants began with smaller, outlying islands.

We sailed towards the northeast corner of the major island, Garbh Eilean, meaning "Rough Island" in Scottish Gaelic.

The island's flanks were often covered in green moss and orange lichen nourished by seabird guano,

or displayed curving columns of basalt.

The cape had a cave tunneled through it.

The Harmony sailed to the eastern side of the narrow isthmus, and we were no longer alone. 

The Hebridean Princess

Fortunately, the passengers of this ship weren't ashore.

Visiting the seabird colony required a brief transfer by inflatable boat. Two trips were needed to land us all.

A short beach lay at the foot of a steep, boulder- and bird- covered slope.

A constant traffic whizzed to and from the sea, wings beating over heads. Among the rocks were razorbills and puffins,

and shags. All were in their breeding plumage.

Although the razorbills are sharp-looking in their black and white, and the shags have a jaunty crest, we couldn't get enough of the puffins.

Note the leg band

 Staring right at me, and unconcerned.

Joan admired the birds and their lithic quarters.

Then it was time for the first group to transfer to the isthmus. The wet, algae covered rocks could be slick, so we were careful even for the short distance to the boat.

At the neck, not far away, but it would have been difficult to reach here on foot.

Not just birds to admire.

Sea Pink / Sea Thrift

As at Handa Island, a group of volunteers is monitoring for rats and working to keep them under control. Otherwise the rodents could demolish the bird colonies, consuming eggs and chicks alike. We visited and signed into their log book.

Our first stop on leaving Garbh Eilean was to check a few lobster traps that Angus and his crew had deployed on an earlier voyage.

There was one keeper.

Driving past the various islets of the Shiants, we saw many grey seals.

A very whitewashed cliff,

and a narrow tower.

A farewell look at the chain of rocky promontories.

Two seals of differing color schemes, although you can still make out patterning on the darker one (click on the image to enlarge).

The Harmony returned to Tarbet, and our group thanked Angus, Alexander, and Michael for a wonderful expedition and favorable weather. On the way back to the hotel, some stopped at the Harris Tweed shop, some at the Harris Distillery, and Joan and I watched the operations of the departing ferry.

Looking straight down the throat of the vehicle deck.

Some cars were on 'standby' status, and today there was no room for a few of them. The owners dashed onto the ferry while someone else drove the cars back whence they came. You need a friend or neighbor on Harris to make that work!

The ferry pulled in the vehicle ramp,

and then lowered the bow as it was backing up.


Tomorrow we'll visit more of Harris, take the ferry to Uig, and drive back to Coul House, where our NatHab adventure began. But the trip won't be over yet!