GoStL2SotH 10 October 2012

from the Gulf of St Lawrence to the Sea of the Hebrides

10 October 2012

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Wednesday 10 October 2012--There are thirty-six inhabited islands in the Inner Hebrides, according to Wikipedia, although counting the caretaker of the castle on Eilean Donan may seem like stretching a point to some. Those isles range in size from that tiny speck in Loch Duich to the 165,625 hectares (639 square miles) of the Isle of Skye. Skye also has the largest population, fewer than 10,000 at last count. Islay is a distant second, with about 3,500 year-round residents. These islands, including dozens now deserted, were home to hundreds of crofting communities before the Clearances, as were the Outer Hebrides, and the northwest of Scotland generally. Depopulation continued through the 19th and 20th centuries, but there has been some rebound in recent years, thanks to improved transportation and communication links, as well as a growing appreciation for a modern crofting way of life.

There's a lovely sunrise over Loch Eatharna, Arinagour's harbor, this morning. You know what they say about red sky at morning...by the time I'm done with breakfast, the sky has clouded over. I lose motivation and don't get out until about 10:45. Drive down to Hogh Bay, on the outer coast, and walk the beach a while. Then I ascend mighty Ben Hogh, the island's high point at 104 meters. Even on a gray day, there are fine views all around, taking in Skye, Eigg, Ardnamurchan, Mull, Tiree, and Jura. The Hebridean Centre lies below, at a road end just north of the beach. This is the home of Project Trust, an educational charity that sends gap-year students on projects around the world.

From the peak of Ben Hogh, a ridge curves south toward Totronald, where I parked the car. Someone at the hotel last night suggested to me that I would find evidence of old crofting settlements on the slope of land between the ridge and the beach, and I do in fact see some meager remains. In this rainy country, the old crofts seem always to have been sited on such slopes, good drainage being important. Not knowing the particular history here, I can't say for sure that these were the homes of victims of the Clearances, but it seems more than likely. Half of the island's population emigrated in the 1830s and '40s.

Dram, nap, and shower back at the B&B, followed by dinner and pints at the hotel. Food and drink are very good for an island with fewer than 200 permanent residents. Last night I had crab cakes and venison, tonight Thai crab soup and scallops. There is a proper pint, too, from Fyne Ales.

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