Mallaig -Tobermory, 8-10 September
The sun was shining as we made shore at Mallaig in the early afternoon of Monday, September 8th. We enjoyed a well deserved coffee, outside in the sun. A chance to catch up after the long run from Torshavn. Then off to the nearby Co-op to stock up on Smoothie and yoghurt for Lynne.
Andrew alerted us that there was a steam engine train in the little station, due to depart at 5pm. It turned out to be the Jacobite steam train service, running from Fort William to Mallaig, an 84 mile round trip. The locomotives are extra heavy to cope with the steep gradients of the West Highland Line, and passenger coaches, first and second class, all painted in heritage livery.
We made our way up a road running by the station to get a good view, and were rewarded with a grand spectacle as the steam engine puff-puffed out of the station with fine passenger carriages in tow. It was a sight to gladden the heart and dream of a bygone era. Of course, we were out at the exact moment for a torrential downpour, but it was not long before the sky lightened up.
We returned to Bluejay for a quick moment to pick up towels and toiletries (Peter was in desperate need of a shave), to use the Marina showers. The facilities were marvellous with beautifully clean toilets, a laundry and great internet!
It was here that we realised that our shipmate Andrew’s surname was Leiper – an apparently uncommon Scottish name from the Stonehaven area (near Aberdeen). Lynne’s maternal grandmother was Helen Leiper. Andrew recalled having ancestors named William and Alexander. By WhatsApp, Kay quickly supplied relevant pages of Lynne’s family tree showing her grandmother, Helen with both her father and grandfather named William Leiper and her great-grandfather Alexander Leiper, who was born in Banchory in 1781. So maybe Andrew and Lynne are distant cousins! Is this the theory of 6 degrees of separation in practice?
After using the showers and Wi-Fi at the marina, we joined the crews from both Bluejay and Hummingbird for supper in The Chlachain Inn. A very welcoming pub with a wide menu selection as well as beer selection. Wine was more restricted, but was good enough. Some of our group had staked out tables quite a bit earlier, holding fort with a good number of pints!
Next day, we had a full day’s sail to an anchorage in Loch na Droma Buidhe. Departure at 08.30, sharp! So, we were encouraged to be at The Bakehouse & Crannog bakery when it opened at 8am to get breakfast as long queues formed. Lynne had enjoyed some yoghurt and fruit earlier at sunrise, but her orange and cranberry pastry was excellent. Peter’s Pain au Raisin was the best outside of Carmaux (our local town in France). Definitely worth visiting Mallaig for!
Hummingbird was moored alongside us, so we had to wait for her to depart. We had to motor around in a circle waiting for the green light to depart after a ferry had safely left the port. On our second tour round, we even saw a seal swimming in the harbour.
We enjoyed a fantastic day’s sailing in glorious weather with blustery winds. We sailed round Ardnamurchan Point, the most westerly part of the British mainland. While Hummingbird kept close to the land with close tacking, we sailed south-westerly, with the wind, as far as we could before tacking eastwards to head towards Loch Sunart and our little loch nearby. There were quite a few sailing boats out and about, and we were slowed down by a fishing boat laying out lobster pots, which seemed to be moving in circles where we wanted to be.
We finally passed through the narrow entrance to Loch na Droma Buidhe, following Hummingbird and dropped anchor. Not content with getting the sail covers out of the rope locker, Lynne climbed up on the mast to tie the cover to the mainsail. It was a tranquil spot; we didn’t even hear any noise from Hummingbird. The loch was surrounded by hills; we were relishing being in a remote part of Scotland. For once we had dinner in the galley in a steady state.
The following morning, we motored to Tobermory on the island of Mull across the Sound of Mull. During the 90- minute crossing, the weather turned, and the heavens opened. We were soaked by the time we stepped ashore. It was a difficult berth with foul weather, a crowded marina and little room for manoeuvre.
Tobermory is a quaint town, with colourful buildings on the Main Street by the harbour, popular with tourists. Behind, the land rises steeply with the sound of gushing water – ideal for making whisky, we think… We spent a very wet day in Tobermory. No sooner had our waterproofs dried than we got drenched again.
After a break for coffee, our first escapade consisted of walking to the lighthouse, 1.5km by a muddy path. We passed a woman reading a book in the pouring rain at the start of the path; the hard back book was encased in a plastic bag in the rain, while the woman was reading.
We eschewed the main path and climbed an old, un-signposted path up on the cliffs, descending to the regular path by a steep slippery slope. A bit of fun and some exercise.
We were curious about the history of the cruise ship, MV Corinthian, which sailed past. She is a 100 passenger exploration class ship of the type we had experienced on our Antarctica voyages. Noteworthy was she had two mishaps (under a previous name) – groundings in Antarctica, where she had to be rescued both times by other nearby ships.
We took shelter from the torrential rain in an old church, now restaurant/bar. When the rain subsided we set off to find the Standing Stones. On our way, we bumped into Yvonne, one of our crew, coming the other way. If it wasn’t for her directions, we doubt whether we would have found them. We had to negotiate a bog, but the view was spectacular and the landscape reminiscent of the forests in Sweden. It was a steep decline on the way back into town.
We had a fantastic fish and chips dinner, accompanied by a glass of excellent wine in the very nice 75 West restaurant before returning to Bluejay, retiring to our bunks early.
We’d loved our day, despite feeling constantly wet. We’d clambered up and down slopes, despite the additional feeling of motion in our sea legs. We were pleased to be ashore, but looking forward to another day’s sailing.
Some more beautiful photos and I got an honorary mention! The Jacobite Steam Train is also known as the Hogwarts Express and we saw it last year going over the Glenfinnan Viaduct (in the rain as well!) – an impressive sight.
Brilliant!
My sis in law’s birth town. Will show her your blog