Tag: Round Britain

Round Britain: Ardfern to Lochgilphead

On By Carol HenshawIn ScotlandLeave a comment

On a sunny start to our last day of this trip we drove back up to the head of Loch Craignish to rejoin the A816. It turned inland and through some forests before we reached Carnasserie Castle.

The castle is a ruined 16th century tower house which was the home of the first Protestant Bishop of the Isles, Master John Carswell. He translated John Knox’s ‘Book of Our Common Order’ into Gaelic. This was the first book to be printed in Gaelic.

The castle is now under the care of Historic Scotland. We climbed up the stairs to see the view up Kilmartin Glen.

The Kilmartin Burn runs parallel to the road.

We then continued through Kilmartin and shortly afterwards, turned onto the B8025. Kilmartin has many ancient cairns and cup-marked rocks which you can find on walks around the village. We stopped at five standing stones in one of the fields near the road.

Further on we passed the Móine Mhór Nature Reserve before reaching the swing bridge at the beginning of the Crinan Canal at Bellanoch. It is only 9 miles long and runs from Crinan to Ardrishaig on Loch Fyne. Crinan is a small village located in Knapdale, which is part of Argyll and Bute. Before the Crinan Canal was built (it finally opened in 1809 after the first surveying began in 1777) Crinan was named Port Righ which meant the king’s port. We drove down to the harbour

and then round to the other side where we found a café next to the basin and locks.  

Near Dunardy Locks we stopped for lunch. In addition to the locks was one ruined building. The information board said that it was Linnet Shed which had been the boathouse for a passenger boat called The Linnet which had been built in 1866. It left the shed in 1929 and was destroyed in a gale three years later.

Just past Cairnbaan we crossed a bridge and got back onto the A816. Soon after we were in Lochgilphead where we will spend our last night on this leg of our journey. It sits at the head of Loch Gilp which is an offshoot of Loch Fyne.

Lochgilphead was first laid out as a planned town in the late 18th century, soon after the completion of the road from Inveraray to Campbeltown. It’s importance grew after the Crinan Canal was completed. It is the administrative centre of Argyll and Bute. Our mileage total for this section was 310 miles bringing the total of Round Britain so far to 3,909.

Round Britain: Ardnamurchan to Tralee

On By Carol HenshawIn Beaches, Ferries & boats, ScotlandLeave a comment

On our last night in Ardnamurchan we had dinner in the Kilchoan House Hotel. On our honeymoon in 1987 we had a meal there and when the people at the next table found out, they gave us a bottle of champagne. This time the unexpected discovery was that the waiter who served us was from Tasmania. Along with the Red Centre, they are the only places in Australia we have not visited. The next morning was wet but it cleared up as we left and continued eastbound on the B8007. It turns inland and we saw huge areas of peat cuttings drying to be used. The road then descends to the shore and just past Salen we joined the A861. At Strontian, near the head of Loch Sunart.

We had coffee and the guy serving us in the café said that they had been badly hit by the failure of the Corran Ferry. It crosses the Corran Narrows, one of the oldest trade routes in Scotland. The first car ferry arrived in 1935. Before that, farmers had to swim their cattle across the water on the way to market. Currently the ferry has been out of action like many of those to the isles in Scotland. At the moment it is just a passenger ferry with no vehicles allowed. The road continued up Glen Tarbet where we were back on a two-lane road. It then runs down and crosses the River Gour and runs alongside Loch Linnhe. At Ardgour

we passed the ferry terminal but had to continue on the 44 mile detour up Loch Linnhe.

Before we turned into Loch Eil we had views across to Fort William.

We were back on a single track road until we got past Loch Eil and rejoined the A830. Just south of Fort William on the A82 we got stopped by the police and asked to turn round with all the other vehicles because a wide load was coming. Fortunately, we found a layby and had our lunch until it had passed. We then crossed over the Ballachulish Bridge and continued on the A828. Just south of Keil we left Lochaber and entered Argyll and Bute. We passed through Appin and Castle Stalker which is privately owned and the ferry terminal for Lismore. Across the Greagan Bridge we  arrived at Loch Creran and continued on the road for a few more miles until just before Benderloch we arrived at Tralee and our campsite. The last time I was here was in the early 1970s when we used to have family camping holidays here. I had a walk on the quiet beach after we had settled in.

Just behind the campsite is some deciduous woodland

where bluebells are in flower.

Round Britain: Invergarry to Fort William

On By Carol HenshawIn Scotland, walksLeave a comment

On our last night in Invergarry I watched the sun disappearing behind the mountains.

We set off in the morning across the bridge over the River Garry on the A82 towards Fort William.

A little further on is the road to Invergarry House Hotel. The ruined remains of Invergarry Castle should be visible from the grounds. Prince Charles spent a night there on August 26th 1745 after the battle of Culloden. It was laid to waste by the Duke of Cumberland a few days later. We continued down the side of Loch Oich. The Great Glen Way runs along the other side which was a reminder of when we walked it from Fort William to Inverness in May 2010. At Laggan Locks the Caledonian Canal links to Loch Oich to Loch Lochy.

The road runs along the edge before turning inland. Some of it runs on or parallel to part of General Wade’s Military Road. It was constructed in the mid 18th century by the British Government to try and bring control and order into parts of the country involved in the 1715 Jacobite uprising. At the junction with the B8004 to Gairlochy is Commando Memorial erected in memory of those who died in World War II. The Commando Basic Training Depot was established nearby at Achnarry Castle. It was unveiled by the Queen Mother in 1952.

Nearby is a tribute garden and a place to scatter ashes.

There is still some snow on the top of the surrounding mountains.

At Spean Bridge we stopped for a coffee at the Bridge Café and then drove on the A82 again in parallel with the railway. At one point we passed an almost derelict building which had a notice saying it was the Great Glen Cattle Ranch. Apparently, it was established in 1945 by Joseph W. Hobbs, an entrepreneur who made and lost several fortunes in Canada before returning to Britain after the great depression to prosper in the engineering and whisky trades. He bought Inverlochy Castle in the mid-1940s and began transforming tracts of barren moorland nearby into prairie style cattle grazing. The shelter was made of poured concrete and painted yellow originally. We then passed the Nevis Range Ski Centre access road and drove through Torlundy, a signpost to Happy Valley and the Ben Nevis Distillery before entering Fort William. It is very different from when I worked at the Belford Hospital for a couple of months in late 1984 and when we arrived on the Caledonian Sleeper to walk the Great Glen Way in 2010. We settled into the Glen Nevis Campsite and met up with some friends who now live in Corpach for a meal.

The next morning, we walked up Glen Nevis. Not far from the campsite, across the road from the youth hostel is a bridge with views downstream

and up the Nevis Water.

One of the paths up to the summit of Ben Nevis starts here. On the west side of the road is Nevis Forest, a large coniferous forest under the care of the Forestry Commission.  The West Highland Way passes through it (we walked it in 2009) before it joins the bottom of the glen road and enters town. Glen Nevis Estate which has 1000 acres owns the campsite and its restaurant & bar, self-catering accommodation and has been the location for a number of films including Braveheart. They have a herd of pedigree Highland Cattle which we saw at a distance. Nearer to the road were some sheep.

They have numerous signs saying no camping. We walked as far as the lower falls which is almost 3 miles from the campsite.

There is a lane that continues further on alongside Nevis Water with several paths up to the surrounding mountains. Nearby, on either side of the river is some native woodland; a project funded by Rio Tinto Alcan and Glen Nevis Estate. Native trees and wildflowers have been planted and a currently protected from deer grazing. We walked back down the road.

We will be returning home after visiting some friends in Inverness but will restart our journey in May.

Round Britain: Lochcarron to Balmacara

On By Carol HenshawIn Scotland, Trains & railways1 Comment

We awoke to a very sunny morning in Lochcarron and set off on the A896 round the head of the loch where the River Carron enters it. The A890 runs through Strathcarron over the level crossing near the station and down the other side of the loch along with the railway.

Attadale Station is near Attadale House and Gardens which you can visit. There is also a car park for anyone wishing to do any of the walking trails up the glen and on the surrounding hills. The road and railway then passes through a concrete tunnel which acts as an avalanche shelter and is then surrounded by coniferous forests. Stromeferry boomed when the railway arrived in 1870 but its importance diminished when the line was extended to Kyle. From a viewpoint in the forest above the town you can see Strome Castle and North Strome.

Just past Stromeferry we took the minor road to Plockton. It passes through some small communities including Achmore, Craig, Duncraig station and into the Balmacara Estate. The Estate spans the Kyle peninsula and since 2000 has been under the care of the National Trust for Scotland.

Plockton was a planned village developed in the early 1800s by Sir Hugh Innes for fishing and to house the crofters cleared from better agricultural land elsewhere on the estate. Life for them became very hard and Plockton was once known as baile nam bochd, village of the poor. There is an open air church site which arose after the disruption of the Church of Scotland in 1843. The Free Church had no place to worship and met outdoors. We entered past the station, the High School (where children from Applecross go to and like my high school in Callander, there is a hostel for those who live along way from it) and the primary school before parking down near the waterfront.

After a coffee we had a wander around

before picking up the minor road which runs to Kyle. It passes through Duirinish which has a station, Drumbuie, over some hills, through Erbusaig and Badicaul before entering Kyle of Lochalsh. After stocking up with supplies we drove over the Skye Bridge for the first time (our last visit to Skye was so long ago the bridge had not been built). There were good views from the other side.

Back on the Kyle side we continued on the A87 down the side of Loch Alsh where there are several viewpoints and eventually arrived at Balmacara. The road into the village is opposite Balmacara House and runs to what is called the square. There is a pond in the centre

and among other things: a visitors centre and an art gallery which we had a look in. There is also an old mill which they are trying to raise funds to renovate. Reraig campsite is just a little further on and we settled in. In the field next door, a shinty match was under way. It reminded me of while on my first medical house job in Inverness in late 1984, Saturday evenings would be busy for A&E with shinty facial injuries. Unlike hockey where you cannot lift the stick above your shoulder, you can in shinty.

Round Britain: Applecross to Lochcarron

On By Carol HenshawIn Beaches, Scotland2 Comments

After two days of torrential rain, we awoke to sunshine and set off on the next leg of our journey. We drove north along the coast road. Our first stop was at Sand, also known as Mod Butec by the military who have erected this sign on the entrance road.

There was also a sign saying that this is a no drone zone. The sand is very red and a complete contrast to the white sand we will see later this year in Arisaig and Morar.

The military establishment is up on the hill

and there is also a ruined croft.

The road continues past a couple of disused quarries and a small waterfall before the small communities of Lonbain and Kalnakill. There is then a viewpoint which looks towards Rona

and Raasay with Skye in the background.

We continued on past Cuaig, The Croft Wools Gallery and Fearnmore which has several modernised houses and some ruined crofts. Further on there are conifer plantations. Arrisa is a little larger than some of communities we have passed. We then reached Kenmore and the Applecross Smokehouse. Just before Ardheslaig we had a  brief shower. The road runs along the side of Loch Sheildaig and down here, the sheep have had their lambs. After Doire Aonar and Kinloch, we saw a sign saying that this was a red squirrel re-introduction zone. We stopped at Sheildaig to see if we could find a newspaper but had no luck.

The shop in Applecross has not had them since the pandemic. Back on the A896, towards Lochcarron we drove back past Tornapress where we had turned off a couple of days ago to attempt the Bealach na Ba. Looking towards it today there was still some snow on top of the mountains.

We entered Lochcarron

and settled into the Wee Campsite which is situated on the hill behind the main street. Just at the bottom of Croft Road is a garage and behind it is a heap of tyres with a cat sitting in the middle

We found the newspapers and other supplies and then I set off on a short walk along the grass verge towards the head of the loch

and then back along the waterside where I found a fair amount of sea glass.

Round Britain: Applecross

On By Carol HenshawIn Beaches, ScotlandLeave a comment

On our way to recommence our coastal tour we spent a night at a certified location next to the Inchbae Lodge Hotel at the foot of Ben Wyvis, just north of Garve in the Highlands.  Garve sits on the Black Water on the A835 just past Loch Garve. Although we arrived in sunshine and blue skies, the amount of lichen on the nearby trees suggest it is frequently wet.

This did happen overnight and we left in rain the next morning. Back in Garve we took the A832 west through Corriemoillie, Lochluichart, the Grudie power station and Achanalt. The road runs parallel to the railway line to Kyle of Lochalsh. We had had to stop at the level crossing on our way into Garve the day before when the two-coach Scotrail train passed through.

There is a lot of mostly coniferous woodland alongside the road. We stopped at the Midge Bite Café for a coffee in Achnasheen. It was busy with even the police coming in for take away snacks. After that we took the A890 down Glen Carron. There was another level crossing at Balnacra. When we halted at Lochcarron for supplies, the sun was trying to peep through the clouds.

Heading to Applecross we passed Loch Kishorn. The loch is 80 fathoms deep and was used to build exploration platforms for the North Sea oil fields. It began in the 1970s and employed 3,000 people at it’s peak. It since declined but is now known as Kishorn Port and Dry Dock and undertakes work for the renewable energy sector, decommissioning oil and gas and aquaculture.

The Bealach na Bà (pass of the cattle) at 626m is the longest steep hill of any classified road in the UK and the steepest road in Scotland. It runs over the mountains to Applecross and is about five miles from the start in Kishorn to its end.  The road was built in 1822 for stalkers to use on the Applecross Estate and was the only road into the town until the coastal road to Shieldaig opened in 1975. It meant that Applecross was one of the most isolated communities in Scotland. Before that the Bealach na Ba was a gravel road and even the CalMac mail boat had nowhere to dock because there was no deep water quay so a rowing boat had to ferry passengers and goods on and off the ship which lay off the slipway near Milltown. We got almost to the summit when it started to snow heavily. The snow gates were open but some people had got stuck so we had to reverse back to a wide bit in order to turn round and descend to take the alternative route. On our way down we pulled in to a passing place to allow the gritter to come down. Apparently, someone got stuck up there overnight. The rain returned and continued for most of our first night in the Applecross campsite. The following morning, we set off in the one dry hour to explore.

We set off along the Beechwood Trail towards the bay and the glen.

The name Applecross is derived from Apur Crossan and has nothing to do with apples.  Crossan is the river that flows into the bay near the monastery site.

The small church was built on a monastery at Clachan by the Irish Saint Maelrubha in 673 who sailed over from Ireland in his curragh. Sadly, in 794 and 795 the Vikings destroyed it. Saint Maelrubha is said to be buried here but which grave is his is unknown. The remains of an old chapel are in the graveyard at Clachan.

The church building here was constructed in 1817.

The nearby Heritage Centre is unfortunately only open in the afternoon. We walked back along part of the beach enjoying the views and then along the Beechwood Trail.

Here there are four Sweet Chestnut trees which commemorate four trees in Applecross which are linked to various stories. Superstitions meant that no-one was to cut them down and they had to be left to die naturally just after World War Two.

The Applecross Trust was set up in 1975. They own 64,000 acres of the Applecross Estate that used to belong to the Wills family. They contributed £5,000 towards the setting up of the community filling station 2010. They manage farming, conservation, tourism etc – replacing commercial Sitka spruce timber with native broadleaf trees. 250 people live in Applecross and many still work in fishing and crofting. There are many more paths and trails to explore with ancient remains but heavy rain continued so we had to give up and apart from a meal in the Applecross Inn, will have to shelter for the rest of the day.

Round Britain: Kinlochewe to Shieldaig

On By Carol HenshawIn Beaches, Scotland, walksLeave a comment

The A896 which runs southwest of Kinlochewe to Torridon is single track with passing places. It runs past the Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve which has a woodland restoration scheme nearby. The road passes Loch Coulin and Loch Clair by which time it was very cloudy with drizzle. The Torridon Estate is owned by the National Trust for Scotland. There are lots of hillwalking paths and mountains to climb in better weather. The A896 enters Glen Torridon with the river running on the left and near the loch, a minor road runs into Torridon.

We stopped at the Community Centre which runs the Wee Whistlestop Café: a great place for a drink and snack. Upstairs is a gallery with art works for sale of many kinds by local artists. There is also a gym and some work spaces.

The minor road continues all the way up to Diabaig and from there is a path to Red Point. The first community it reached is Fasaig, a short distance away. Just behind the community centre are the remains of Doire na Fuaran which means ‘field of the springs’. 45 families used to live here. It was cleared in 1845 so that the landlord could use the area for more profitable sheep farming. Some of the residents moved to the seashore in what is now Fasaig, others emigrated. A path runs to the ruined former crofts on the hillside.

However, we carried on towards Shieldaig on the A road which was now two lanes. It passes through Annat and then there were two viewpoints overlooking Loch Torridon and the surrounding countryside.

A minor loop road runs through Shieldaig and we soon found our campsite with good views

and with neighbouring sheep.

After settling in we had a walk down to the seafront where most of the town lies. White-tailed eagles disappeared over 100 years ago but two returned to Shieldaig, nesting on the island in 2009.

Work is underway in conjunction with the RSPB to increase the population and has so far been successful. On the seafront was a Vintage Tractor Run which was raising money for the Highland Hospice.

We popped into the smoked salmon business to buy some. They are the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament people in town. The slogan translates as ‘I hope for a free Scotland without a bomb, without Boris’. We have got rid of Boris but no guarantee of getting rid of the bombs.

From the seafront there are views over to Loch Shieldaig which is an offshoot of Loch Torridon.

I found a huge amount of sea glass on the beach.

Later we took a walk up a short hill path past an abandoned church which gave views over towards Loch Torridon.

When we came back down, we had a good conversation with one of the locals. Tonight’s meal will be in the local hotel restaurant and we will head off early in the morning because there will be a cycle race on one of the roads we need to travel back home on and we need to get past that one before it starts.

Round Britain: Inverewe to Kinlochewe

On By Carol HenshawIn Beaches, roads, Scotland1 Comment

On another still morning we left Inverewe for our next destination: Kinlochewe.

The A832 crosses the River Ewe and continues south past Loch Tollaidh. At Strath we turned onto the B8021 which continues around the west side of the peninsula all the way to Melvaig. Our stop was Big Sand which is part way along the road. We parked up and had a good walk along the length of the large beach and back.

This is one of two dead jellyfish I found

and one dead starfish.

Longa Island sits offshore here.

After meeting a dog walker on the very quiet beach we had a long and very interesting conversation. Eventually we headed back to Gairloch where we had a coffee at the Gale Café and gift shop which is a community-run initiative. Next door is the farm shop which has a wide variety of products. There are views over the bay.

Strath was once the heart of the crofting community. There was a meal mill which fed them for 300 years, a blacksmith and a boat builder who served the cod fishing industry. In the 1840 potato famine the community was devastated. On 15 July 1842 215 people left Gairloch for Cape Breton Island in Canada. A town called New Gairloch had been previously been founded in 1805 in Nova Scotia. A little further along from the café is the War Memorial where there is a viewpoint over the bay

and the surrounding area.

The road continues on past a pier and Charlestown before running through Glen Kerry. We turned off to Badachro so that I could photograph the small distillery for James. They make single malt whisky, gin and vodka and there is an onsite shop.

Badachro also has a hotel and a kayak and canoe hire business. Back on the A832 we passed another hydroelectric scheme and near the dam some major road improvement works. The road then descends to Loch Maree through the Slatterdale Forest and then down to the shore. Much of the shore is hidden by trees but at one car park I managed to peek through them.

Loch Maree used to be called Loch Ewe which explains how Kinlochewe got its name. In the 17th century it was renamed in memory of Saint Maolrubbha who brought Christianity to the area and had a cell on Isle Maree. The northeast of the area was once a centre for the iron-smelting industry. It relied on charcoal which used up vast quantities of wood which destroyed much of the local Caledonian Pine Forest. Similar things happened elsewhere and now there are only 35 small remnants in the Highlands. A lot of the surrounding area near Kinlochewe is now part of the Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve. After we had settled into the campsite, we had a wander around the village. It sits astride the Kinlochewe River

and although we had had some sunshine the mountains were still covered in cloud.

Round Britain: Gruinard Bay to Inverewe

On By Carol HenshawIn Beaches, Flowers. plants & trees, Scotland2 Comments

Yesterday evening I had a short walk on the beach at Laide

Where a seal was sitting on one of the rocks.

The next morning was another quiet day.

After picking up supplies in Aultbea we walked to the pier

where there are views over to the Isle of Ewe.

Back on the A832 we passed Drumchork. Loch Ewe distillery was the smallest legally operated distillery in Scotland founded in November 2005 by John Clotworthy, the hotelier of the Drumchork Lodge Hotel in Aultbea and started its business in 2006. It lasted until 2015 when it was put up for sale, closing in 2017.  On a hillside further on was a viewpoint looking over Loch Ewe and an MOD pier and associated property.  After the Soviet Union was invaded by the Nazis in 1941, Loch Ewe was one of the Arctic Convoy shipping points to send supplies to the Soviet Union for the next four years.

The next viewpoint overlooked Loch Thurnaig.

We then entered Inverewe and visited the Gardens. Despite lying on the same latitude as Moscow and Hudson’s Bay, the Gulf Stream enables an amazing variety of plants from all over the world to grow.

Inverewe Garden was created by Osgood Mackenzie. His forbears were the lairds of Gairloch. It is said that he saw the barren peninsula and decided to build a garden there after acquiring the property in 1862. His first job was to plant a shelter belt of trees against the west and south-westerly winds. 15-20 years later other trees, including non-natives were planted. He had to import soil from Ireland. The first rhododendrons were acquired around 1890.  Osgood died in 1922 and is buried in Strath churchyard. His daughter took over the estate. His and her plant inspiration came from their many worldwide travels. Eventually the garden was given to the National Trust for Scotland. We began by exploring the walled garden.

Although in September many of the flowers, shrubs and trees have gone to seed, some were still in bloom.

There was a sculpture entitled Sheltered Existence by James Parker in 2014.

The house was built in 1937.

Some of the rooms are left as they would have been in Osgood’s daughter’s time.

Also on the ground floor is The Sawyer Gallery. The exhibition when we visited was by Pamela Tait and Erland Tait who are visual artists from The Black Isle and the Highlands respectively. Pamela’s work is in watercolour and monoprints.

We then walked around the forest and saw many different trees including eucalyptus

tree ferns from Tasmania

and Californian Redwoods.

On 30 January 2022, Storm Corrie with 90mph winds, felled 60 trees and destroyed 90 large shrubs. Work is still going on to deal with this. There is a jetty from which boat trips are run.

It had begun to rain so we walked back to the café to top up the caffeine levels and then it was time to check into our campsite which was just down the road. Before we had some quite torrential rain, I looked at the view across Loch Ewe.

Round Britain: Ullapool to Gruinard Bay

On By Carol HenshawIn Beaches, roads, ScotlandLeave a comment

After several very windy days it was great to wake up to a quiet, still morning and not to be forecast with the thunderstorms some of the rest of the UK will experience. We left Ullapool on the A835 which passes down the side of Loch Broom.

The original road was built in 1846 following the potato famine by 47 starving Highlanders who worked eight hours a day, six days a week to build what was known as one of the destitution roads: from Gairloch to Ullapool. It was funded by Dowager Lady Mackenzie of Gairloch. They received only 680g of oatmeal a day.  Today the A832 follows the destitution road and occasionally small parts of the old road are visible parallel to the current road and we saw one old bridge alongside the more modern one. It has been said that the evicted crofters were forced to use stone for the homes they had been evicted from to build the road. 

After Braemore and the end of the loch, the road follows the River Broom in Strathmore. At the junction we turned onto the A832 where some major building work was underway which looked like it might be a visitor centre for Corrieshalloch Gorge. We stopped at the gorge and looked at the view towards Loch Broom.

The Falls of Measach and the gorge had much less water in them than on a previous visit many years ago.

Continuing through the moorland we passed a hydroelectric scheme, crossed Fain Bridge and then descended into Dundonnell where a path takes you to the summit of An Teallach. The road then runs alongside Little Loch Broom

several small hamlets and a sea farm.  At Mungasdale Bay we stopped for a beach walk. Before entering Gruinard, the road crosses the Little Gruinard River which runs down to the bay. Gruinard Island belongs to the Gruinard Estate and lies two miles offshore.

In the early years of the 2nd World War, it was used as a testing ground for anthrax. Eventually in 1987 it was sprayed with formaldehyde and in 1990 was given the all-clear. In 2002 two sea eagles were seen perching on the island. The island remains uninhabited and in March 2022, there was a fire on it. We stopped at the large beach at the eastern side of the bay

Before continuing on to Laide where our campsite was situated. We were too early to check in so took the minor road up the side of Rubha Mor to Mellon Udrigle which has a fantastic beach.

There were quite a few dead jellyfish on the sand

and one interesting corroded item.

Eventually we checked in to the site at Sand in Laide which has wonderful views.

There is a ruined chapel at Sand with a surrounding graveyard. The tradition states that it was built in the 7th century by Columba or one of his followers. It was in use until the 18th century.

The burn that runs alongside it into the sea has huge amounts of garden-escape crocosmia on the banks.

Showers appeared in the early afternoon but I did manage a short beach walk in between them.