September 2 - Day 15

Early start, it’s always too early.  The people on the tour are very nice and everyone goes out of their way to be considerate and kind.  But early morning socializing is wearing!  But the excitement of the day makes up for it. Very nice breakfast of every kind of food you could want.  Pat gets Scottish smoked salmon and scrambled eggs; Chuck has bacon, toast, sausage and two eggs.  We can’t go on eating like this!  We drive down to Craignure where we take an hour ferry over to the Isle of Mull.  We get off the bus and sit outside for the views.  We drive the road along the south end of the island.  Unlike Skye, Mull seems to be a much softer landscape with plenty of ‘mountains’ and rolling green hills and lots of glacial rock but the peaks are not as high.  The sea juts in as often as it can; we see mussel and salmon farming in the lochs.  Lots of lumber cutting here and the people do a variety of jobs to survive.  Skye and Mull both have croft living.  15 acres per family as tenants and shared grazing land.  This is a return to the way of life before the late 1700 clearances when crofters were thrown off the land and forced to immigrate, mostly to US, Canada and Australia, New Zealand.  We reach the tiny harbor town of Fionnphort to take a 15 minute ferry over to the Isle of Iona.  Pat thinks this is a dream that we get to go here.  The island is not much more than a couple mile island rock.  The coast is reminiscent of Maine or Canadian east coasts.  There stands the Abbey of Iona, the site of where St. Columba came to Scotland in 500AD to bring Christianity.  His hand is still there as a reliquary of the site.  The Abbey is quite beautiful and kept in repair.  High wood beam ceilings over thick stone walls.  The ceiling joists rest on stone supports coming out of the walls.  There are live ferns growing out of the walls and thought to be a positive given it affirms the walls are breathing.  The museum has the first Celtic crosses standing 15 feet high, said to the fashioned first on Iona and later spread across Celtic cultures. The Book of Kells was written here but now resides in Dublin in order to protect it.  This site reminds us of the seamlessness of the Celtic cultures in their religion.  St. Columba converted the Picts, a native people of the area and the Norse people were also converted.  Another site is a Nunnery and Ronan’s Abbey now in ruins that existed at the same time.  Iona is a pilgrimage site and continues as an active church, now ecumenical and fairly progressive.  There are a few tiny shops with locally produced goods, mostly jewelry and woven cloth and restaurants. We didn’t see sheep on the island, one of the few places.  Scotland has 20 million sheep and 6 million inhabitants. It is windy and cold, the tiny row boats bob in the harbor.  It is sunny and warmer away from the water, but the wind plays a big part in the character of this island.  Beyond its shores there is nothing but the open Atlantic Ocean.  We ferry back to the same port and drive the same road back in south Mull.  Our friends, Ferguson’s, vacationed frequently here when kids were young and McLean has clan connections here.  There are escaped sheep and cattle on the road and everyone has to stop until they saunter by.  The light has changed and there’s more sun so the views change too.  We drive to a different port ferry on Mull, Fishnish, and cross to the mainland.  We will have been on 5 ferries today.  It seems they could put in more bridges but there would be a loss of jobs.  Soon driving along Loch Linhe on the west side and take a ferry at Corran.  Quick 10 minutes crossing and on our way to Fort William.  We are in the vicinity of Glen Coe and Ben Nevus (highest mountain).  Stopped for the night in Ft. William at the Ben Nevis Hotel.  Our room is large, the shower is a little scary have trouble turning it on besides its height and depth.  Our dinner is at the hotel, very well done and fancy.  Prawns, fresh mushroom soup, cod, potatoes of course, turnips and cooked cabbage are the meal.  All excellent!  Back in Glasgow tomorrow night.  Lots to do in the final days of the tour.  Nighty night.