A walk amongst the stones: Outer Hebrides

Showing posts with label Outer Hebrides. Show all posts

Tuesday, 18 May 2021

the Outer Hebrides Road Trip pt 3 .. Barra and South Uist

Another day on the move, a ferry crossing and a new pitch.

Our day started with a drive out to Eolaigearraidh, passing the "airfield" at Traigh Mhor consisting of a small airport and the extensive sandy bay which constitutes the runway.

We parked at Cille Barr, beside a graveyard within which sits both a runied church and chapel. The graveyard itself being the traditional burial ground of the MacNeil Clan. The sacred site was established in the 7th Century and dedicated to St Barr AKA St Finbarr (White Crown) (Canmore, ONLINE 2021; Swire, O.F. 1966).

Swire (ibid) writes of a venerated wooden image of St Barr - which through miraculous night time wanderings revealed the true location for the building of the chapel.

The open fields below the church contain wet ditches, and associated wetland flora including short stretches of phragmites from which several reed warbler sang. Corncrake called in the distance, and snipe "drummed" overhead. Sand martin and house martin, hawked alongside barn swallow. Cuckoo called it's name from the hillside behind.

Chapel rems. Cille Barra

Leaving Barra behind us - we caught the "puddle-jumper", sailed north to Eriskay, crossed the causeway to South Uist, and checked in to Kilbride Campsite, West Kilbride.

Kilbride Campsite

The campsite overlooks the Sound of Barra, and along with its stunning views also offers a variety of all-day breakfasts at the Kilbride Cafe. The meaty all-day breakfast includes the rather splendid Stornoway Black Pudding. Unfortunately, this was the the only Cafe on the whole of the road trip which we found offering the local delicacy on the menu. We were also unable to find it amongst the "local produce" in the numerous grocery stores we visited on our travels through the islands.

Stornoway Black Pudding

The campsite is a gentle stroll away from Poll Charra - a small inlet so named for the solitary standing stone on its headland (MacLeod Rivett, M. 2021). The Polochar Inn immediately overlooks the standing stone, a more than winning combination in any walking destination - by this Blogs standards!

Poll Charra standing stone,
T-shirt by Hare and Tabor

The night-time soundscape was dominated by the relentless "Crex crex" of the corncrake which hold breeding territories to the immediate north of the campsite. The corncrake's calls were so loud and so close, that they disturbed our entire night's sleep. In the pitch dark, I left my bunk, and the van to capture a short sound-memo on the iPhone. The nearest calling crake must have been almost at my feet, or under the van itself - such was the loudness!

part-time Naturalist · Corncrake, night calling West Kilbride, South Uist, 18th May 2021

A second and more notable night time call was that of an owl - a single mournful hoot, repeated infrequently - and from some distance. The most likely contender for this call being Long-eared owl - which according to the latest Outer Hebrides Bird Report (2017), is a scarce resident - and in 2017 a pair on South Uist were noted to have successfully fledged a single young.

Birdwatching

Borve AM (adds only)

Twite

Eolaigearraidh

Black-headed gull
Herring gull
Common gull
Mallard
"Cuckoo"
House martin
Sand martin
Swallow
Meadow pipit
Pied wagtail
Skylark
Blackbird
House sparrow
Starling
Reed warbler
Hooded crow
Lapwing
Redshank
Snipe
"Corncrake"

Ferry Crossing, Ard Mhor - Eriskay

Red-throated diver
Black-throated diver
Shag
Cormorant
Black guillemot
Razorbill
Common tern
Arctic tern

South Uist En route

Tufted duck
Goldeneye
Wren

West Kilbride

Shelduck
"Cuckoo"
Meadow pipit
Oystercatcher
Turnstone
Common sandpiper
Great northern diver
Red-breasted merganser
"Corncrake"

Great northen diver, West Kilbride

Greylag goose
Wheatear
Stonechat
Starling
House sparrow
Goldfinch
Rock pipit
Pied wagtail
Skylark
Swallow
Blackbird
Common gull
Black guillemot
Twite
Long-eared owl

Other species of note

Grey seal - ferry crossing

Large white
Green-veined white
Moss carder bee (Bombus muscorum)
Bombus hortorum

Green-veined white

Moss carder bee

References

Canmore National Record of The Historic Monument (ONLINE) Barra, Eoligarry, Cille-bharra https://canmore.org.uk/site/9767/barra-eoligarry-cille-bharra Accessed 26th Sept 2021

MacLeod Rivett, M. (2021) The Outer Hebrides, A Historical Guide Birlinn Ltd, Edinburgh

Swire, O.F. 1966 The Outer Hebrides and Their Legends Oliver Boyd, Edinburgh and London

Outer Hebrides Birds (2021) Outer Hebrides Bird Report 2017 Outer Hebrides Birds

Shopping

Hare and Tabor

Monday, 17 May 2021

the Outer Hebrides Road Trip pt 2 .. Castle and Corncrakes .. Barra & Vatersey

We had already been three days on the road of our Outer Hebrides road trip; leaving home on the 14th and finally arriving at Borve - our first Island stopover on the evening of the 16th. Today was a day of rest and local exploration only, time to move slowly and observe - gather strength and take in the views.

Heading to Castlebay for supplies, and orientation - the morning slipped away, and we took lunch overlooking the bay - at the Hebridean Toffee Factory and The Deck Cafe.

Kisimul Castle sits closeby in the bay. The ancestral home of the Clan Macneil - its medieval walls offer an impressive sight to those arriving by Ferry to the island.

Kisimul Castle (from Oban Ferry 16th Aug 2021)

By coincidence Kisimul is also the ancestral home of our personal trainer Andy McNeil whose ZOOM kettlebell and pilates classes - had been keeping A and I physically engaged during COVID19 restrictions. I had come late to the kettlebell party, and throughly enjoyed the activity.

If you are local? I would highly recommend Andy his attention, confidence building, and humour was endless despite the limitations of multi-screen viewing.

Macks Fitness

Castlebay also offered the "Lime Kiln Trail", a short walk with interpretation and the relic of a lime kiln on show. In the Hebrides, lime was made using a peat-fired kiln, running at Ca. 900oC which reduced cockleshells to quick lime. This then formed the basis of lime mortar to be used for building works, when it was mixed with sand and water (Lime Kiln Trail interpretation, 2021).

Lime kiln - Rems.

On Vatersay, we had our first gripping encounters with corncrake viewing two individual males between 3-5m away from us, as they called and patrolled their small territories of rank grassland and iris, in the centre of the village.

The 'crakes confiding behaviour took us both by surprise, especially when we watched one male disturb a female from a nettle patch - and then display vigorously towards her, before she seemingly disinterested in the attention melted back beneath the nettles. I did not catch the wooing on camera, being content to watch and consign the event to memory.

Driving back to Barra we stopped at the causeway to watch a stonking Great northern diver in the bay.

Birdwatching

Borve AM (adds only)

Greylag goose
Cormorant
Arctic tern
Common sandpiper

Castlebay

Starling
Collared dove
Hooded crow
House sparrow
Cuckoo
GBBGull
Song thrush
Common gull
Feral pigeon
Shag

Vatersay

Northern wheatear
Black-throated diver
Great black-backed gull
Black guillemot
Long-tailed duck (12)
Great northern diver
Raven
Twite
Skylark
Meadow pipit
Pied wagtail
Starling
House sparrow
Lapwing
Corncrake
Linnet
Hooded crow
Buzzard
Rock Dove

Causeway

Great northern diver
Curlew
Ringed plover
Mallard
Hooded crow

Borve PM (adds only)

Whimbrel (6)
Oystercatcher
Wheatear
Shelduck

Other species of note

Moss carder bee (Bombus Muscorum) - Castlebay & Vatersay
Garden bumbleebee (Bombus hortorum) - Vatersay

Sunday, 16 May 2021

the Outer Hebrides Road Trip pt 1 .. Isle of Barra

It had been a long day - the late morning changeover of VW Campervans at Roseview Caravan Park near Oban had stressed us out more than a little (a long story in itself).

However, we were still in time for the Oban / Castlebay Ferry and enjoyed a tranquil crossing albeit bereft of any notable wildlife sightings - a single Bonxie (Stercorarius skua) the highlight, until our arrival at Castlebay where-upon a whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus) was seen flying ahead of the ferry to land in the harbour behind Kisimul Castle.

A short drive later and we rocked up at Borve Camping and Caravan Site, received both the warmest of welcomes, and a cracking pitch overlooking the rocky foreshore, due west towards the sunset.

Heeding the sage advice of the campsite owner, I immediately rang the local pizza outlet: Joan's Pizza Barra ordered a bespoke pizza for delivery to pitch #8, and graciously accepted that a side order of garlic bread was not on the menu.

With the evening meal secured, we set about the #VanLife in earnest - washed down the flatpack table, erected the camping chairs; cracked open the Talisker, wine and accompanying beers - and Relax.

Half an hour later Joan herself arrived on site - with multiple pizza orders for the campsite at large - and our pizza order including a complimentary! flatbread garlic bread, which Joan had rustled-up in kind response to my earlier request. The pizza was superb and the garlic bread something else! At time of writing it's great to see that Joan has now added both garlic bread and garlic bread & cheese to her regular menu. You can thank us .. no hang on .. you can thank Joan for that!

#VanLife

Joan's Pizza, Barra - Joan not shown

The evening's entertainment was not limited to the consumption of pizza and garlic bread. "A" had chosen the campsite not just because it was in quick reach from the ferry, but also because Borve's headland held some standing stones, and a ruined chapel. So as the sun sank lower beyond the Atlantic skyline, we walked out from the campsite the short way to the stones.

Standing stones, Borve, Barra

We knew nothing about the standing stones, other than they were a feature on the OS Map. Our #VanLife travel guide consisted of "The Outer Hebrides and their Legends" by Otte F. Swires (1966), and this did not refer to the stones in its brief mention of Borve.

After the stones we made our way to the little churchyard on the headland, within which the remains of a small chapel can be found.

Chapel rems. and graveyard

the travel guide

Birdwatching:

Oban - Castlebay

Black guillemot

Fulmar

Herring gull

Buzzard

Great skua

Great northern diver

Razorbill

Gannet

Golden Eagle (Sound of Mull)

Kittiwake

Arctic tern

Whooper swan

Borve

Oystercatcher

Dunlin

Fulmar

Lapwing

Pied wagtail

Black guillemot

Turnstone

Gannet

Common gull

Meadow pipit

Addendum

Shortly after our return from the Outer Hebrides, I received my pre-ordered copy of "The Outer Hebrides, A Historical Guide" by Mary MacLeod Rivett (2021) - the reading of the description of the stones remains ambiguous: the first reference states "It is not entirely clear whether these were Neolithic stones, or whether they marked the location of a Viking Age burial which is said to have been found here .." Qualifying further that in the Viking age, prehistoric sites were sometimes re-used by the new wave of Scandinavian settlers (p. 29). Later in the Gazetteer, it refers to the stones as Neolithic, with local tradition associating them with a Viking grave (p. 139).

The discussion of the Viking grave found at Borve, Barra can be explored further at:

Vikingfuneralscapes.wordpress.com/outer-hebrides/

Canmore, National Record of the Historic Environment

Wednesday, 12 May 2021

.. Cairnholy (Neolithic tombs)

A & Z have extended their northern tour across the Scottish border and into Dumfries and Galloway visiting Cairnholy 1 & 2 Neolithic chambered tombs .. sites which I had not been aware of before.

Cairnholy 1

Cairnholy 2

The former somewhat reminds me of West Kennet long barrow .. and stirs a simple desire to undertake a pilgrimage to Avebury and environs to reconnect with the sacred landscape.

In the meantime, A and I head north ourselves at the end of this week - and although we have no time in our itinerary to explore Scottish mainland archaeology, I am looking forward to our encounters with the stones of the Outer Hebrides.

Calanais beckons .. calling Calanais ..