We loved being in Tobermory but now it's time to explore.
We set off out of the harbour and turned left, passed the lighthouse and headed north.
"As we come out of the Sound of Mull the water becomes clearer, seaweed groups into islands & ribbons, moon jelly fish pulse by and the Atlantic, a dark line of water joining the two opposing headlands, gets nearer."
"I guess we're in the Atlantic now. The air is cooler and saltier. The water is not quite as flat but still very little wind. Motoring along the northern end of Mull: we should see Ardnamurchan Lighthouse soon - further north, the Gateway to the Small Isles.
Birds practising their aero acrobatics near the cliff face. Three testing aeronautical twist and turns, dazzling white in the sun against the dark green and black of the shadowy cliff.
Castles crumble on the cliff edges - rough stone against a soft sky. Once towering above the land's edge now feel the pull of gravity. The violent storms rather than the violence of men - becoming part of the rock they perch on, slowly falling back to land."
"Heading SW. A little disorientating as the GPS [monitor] turns to face your heading, contrary to years of knowing north is at the top of a chart or map."
[from sketchbook]
Out into the Atlantic.
This was a relatively long passage so I had plenty of time to draw, reflect and enjoy the sights, sounds and sensations of our surroundings. We were heading south to Ulva Ferry with plans to visit Staffa and Fingal's Cave the following day.
"Drawing things as we head south in the sun - sun cuts out detail - silhouetted outlines & indiscriminate shapes make tackling vast landscapes relatively easier. Detail might be for the camera."
"Floating bouquets of seaweed; rust & green, smooth and rough, flat and bubbly."
"cormorant colony, cottages on cliffs"
"Seabirds whitewash their homes too - Guano Heights"
"Rocky Cliffs like vertical piano keys - scales of igneous rock"
"dark lines/tide marks strike upwards in triangles to mark the handprint of the waves hitting the rocks"
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| from our sail today (with a nod to FB) |
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| our first sight of Staffa |
Turned east, past Little Colonsay into Loch Na Kaal and north again, around Ulva to moor at Ulva Ferry.
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| Ulva: restored, traditional croft |
Ulva (Ulbha), like many Scottish islands has been bought by the local community who are in the process of renovating the buildings on the island. Our mooring, at Ulva Ferry was on Mull with clear sight of the slip way on Ulva, about 500 yds across the water. Our view, until gin-palace-townies arrived, was a newly restored croft which served as a living museum.
With the arrival of our new neighbours, "all the gear no idea" springs to mind, the cottage disappeared, the sun was eclipsed and our peaceful haven was turned into a private club. They were aware of this, apologies were profuse, but did nothing to mitigate the impact. Our response? We went for a walk and not quite smelt the thistles but certainly captured some of their beauty and enjoyed our surroundings a distance away.
I've reread my sketchbook entry and decided to include it. It made me smile - it also reminded me of how much I minded then!
"Yesterday was interesting, settled down drawing the beautifully maintained croft over on Ulva when a large, white motor cruiser pounded towards us. Tried to squeeze on the commercial jetty then came to the hammerhead next to us. Stinky, noisy engine on; whiney apologies in our direction; "sorry to spoil your peace, sorry about the engine, sorry about your view, sorry we interrupted you, so sorry, so so sorry, so so sorry" [actually "so-so sorry" sums it up] Humph!
Earlier, "I like simple food - avocado with Parma ham and of course a particularly good dressing." Not Aldi salad cream then. Enough! Time to look at the beautiful views heading west to Staffa!
Later, "She's taking photo's of the sunset." [referring to me] We went below, avoiding all the pests.
An early night followed!
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