Seil

 

Sunday 5^th June we left home with the tandem in the car for Oban from where we would visit islands of Seil, Luing, Easdale, Kerrara, Colonsay and Oronsay.

Seil is just 10, miles from Oban and is connected to the mainland by the" Bridge over the Atlantic" at Clachan. Our first bed and breakfast was at Ellenabeich, maybe another 3 or 4 miles at the end of a spinal, though twisting, road through Seil, and it strangely has an Easdale address.

We only drove the car over the bridge (the bike in the back) which was an experience! Built between 1792 and 1973 it spans about 4 car lengths. It is single-arched, hump backed and narrow. Once on the top you can’t see ahead so it is best to check the road for traffic the other side before taking the bridge. I was driving and it was very disconcerting to not see any road from its summit. A bit later in the summer, the bridge is festooned with a small variety of purple foxgloves but only the leaves protrude the stone work today.

Slate is everywhere here. Seil, Luing and Easdale are known as the slate islands and they “roofed the world”. By our B and B is a disused quarry, now a duck pond. An old crane stands symbol to the slate mining that went on from this village. It was used to load slate onto the boats from a wooden platform, now dilapidated and partially disintegrated.

There is a warning that you proceed at your own risk but it seemed perfectly safe walking alongside the walls made from slate pieces, covered in sea pinks and the like. You can see that the quarry sea walls were breached making what looks like a small harbour.

The slate here now contains iron pyrites which made it unsaleable. Around the crane in the village are raised flower beds made from slate and the rusting iron in them makes them look as if made of wood.

 

Slating began on Easdale in the 1500s and it stopped on all the islands in the late 19^th century/ early 20^th though a quarry was reopened in the 1940s at Balvicar, the main village. This has a harbour, a store and a small golf course run from a shed sized building but we thought Ellenabeich bigger with its slater’s cottages and pub.

Before bed we decided to have a pint at the Oyster Brewery Bar. It doesn’t do food on a Sunday at the moment as the chef is busy being a birthing partner! We reached the door about 8 and the bar lady was about to close because she hadn’t had any customers. She kindly served us and had a chat but locked up immediately after we left (which wasn’t long as we felt guilty keeping her from an early finish) The beer was once brewed next door.

We had driven back to Clachan Bridge for an evening meal disappointed that we couldn’t eat locally. The Tigh an Truish Inn meaning the House of the trousers did ample plates of simple food and we had steak pie. This is where, after the 1745 rebellion resulting in the banning of kilts, the islanders swapped their garb for trousers. At this time there was no bridge. In 2011 because of the bridge the island status has been revoked for governmental monetary reasons though it is still the Isle of Seil.

The water under the bridge, surprisingly, flows rapidly away from the sea, south, an hour before high tide. Good for pooh sticks!

The next day we rode to the ferry at Cuan.

 It had been a hot and sticky night but a great breakfast. Trish, our host, would cook dinner for us tonight which made life easy. Her husband Steve ran one of the seafari boats that go into the Corryvrecken whirlpool and do wildlife trips. Other guests said it was well worth doing but it takes 2 hours and so we didn’t feel tempted.

We spent most of the day on Luing, riding the remainder of Seil up to Clachan bridge and back, visiting Kilbrandon and Kilchattan church with its 5 stained glass windows- presented in 1938 and mostly depicting the sea of Gallilee (appropriately for an island church) and finally trying to get a feel for the old churchyard which I had read was too spooky for after dark walks.

The church had a key in the lock which after our visit we were asked to relock- maybe it had a habit of reopening if not and with wandering sheep… The windows were vibrant.

The graves were not as old as expected and it was difficult to read those well- worn. It was up a hill above the new site and on the opposite side of the road to the church. The size of some of the stones was intimidating and after Bob left I didn’t linger long.

A view from the school across the water filled quarry.....

 

 

Our meals were tasty and we went walking along the shore. We were told that a house next to the school, indicates that it is open for garden visits, by leaving wide the gates. They were open but there weren’t any signs to reassure us that it was Ok to enter. We ventured in until we were visible from the house then decided we might be trespassing. The gardens were certainly well kept and loved with labelling on some trees.

The temperatures had been in the mid 20s and we had ridden about 25 miles altogether including those on Luing.