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| The anchorage in Loch Scresort on Rum |
Castles, calderas, and wildlife on Rum
We sailed downwind out of the harbour to Ardnamurchan Point
where the wind died, so we motored until the wind came back up. Lovely. We were heading for the Small Isles, and the
topography had changed significantly. The hills were more ragged and peaked.
Ardnamurchan is the remains of a volcano, as are the Small Isles – Muck, Eigg,
Rum, and Canna. We were heading to Rum which consists of huge peaks covered with forest. Very
distinctive. We wondered why it was called Rum and not Whisky, but we didn't find any answers.
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Kinloch Castle, abandoned and
surrounded in wire fencing |
We finally spotted dolphins several times – small and
not playful. One pod had as many as five
surfacing and then diving and staying down for a long time. Must have been
feeding. There were some very interesting birds – black on top and
white patches on their wings with bright red feet. I wished I had a bird book onboard. We later learned they were Tysties –
otherwise known as Black Guillemots.
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| Ponies of Rum |
We anchored in a sheltered crescent bay called Scresort Loch
beneath tall wooded peaks and a castle on the shore. The holding was good in hard sand and mud and there was plenty of room. Rum is a lovely island. Skye towers over its
peaks in the distance. The island has deer, wild goats, native cattle which
look more like water buffalo, otter, wild ponies, dragonflies and lots of
birds. Rum is where the eagles were reintroduced into Scotland, and there are
multiple pairs breeding on nearby islands now.
But we didn’t see any ravens, eagles or other raptors while we were
there.
We decided to see the castle in the morning as it was
already late when we arrived. It was so
hot that we put up our small awning and the beach umbrella we carry for this
purpose. It was forecast to be 22°C and
10 kts NE, but it was flat calm and MUCH hotter in the sun. There were several
boats anchored here, including one Norwegian boat on which everyone disrobed
and dove into the sea naked then paraded around their boat for all the
anchorage to see. The Brits on the nearby vessel were glued to the scene,
horrified. But they did not look away.
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| Camping cottages |
We went ashore at the old pier (not the new one where the
ferry docks) which is closer to the castle.
We walked past the camping area and saw the shower and loo they have
there. Not too bad. Then we realized we were on the wrong road
and walked back to take the high road that goes to the castle. They have loads
of street signs which must have been a grant thing, but they didn’t actually
point in a way that got you to your destination.
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Shower for campers
and boaters |
Kinloch
is an Edwardian castle built entirely out of imported red stone by an eccentric
millionaire in 1897. He had it furnished
with the highest quality furnishings, then abandoned it intact. The island had been previously stocked with
deer for a hunting lodge, and the deer are a major feature of the island,
although we did not see any.
The castle was closed tight and fenced with chicken wire
along its porch. It was 10 am and the
only tour was at 2:30 pm and that was the only access to the interior. You
couldn’t even look through the windows because you couldn’t get close enough.
Well, we had to leave on the tide so there was no way we would be staying till
late afternoon. What a disappointment.
We walked on to the “village” which looked rather trashed,
with abandoned cars and garbage everywhere. The post office and café were
closed. The “craft” shop was wide open with a few knitted things and some old
post cards, but no one tending it. We
checked out the visitor centre and left.
Alex filed a sighting report for a dragonfly he spotted. They had a
questionnaire asking about how they could get more visitors to come and I
answered it honestly. Next time, I would hire a naturalist to take us around.
But honestly, we didn’t see any people ashore until we were leaving and a group
came for a hike with a guide.
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| Gate to nowhere |
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| Fancy street signs but no sign of life |
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| The "village" |
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| The craft shop |
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| A telephone booth |
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| Leaving Rum in our wake |
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