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Published: October 12th 2010
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Welcome to Barra!
Castlebay and Kismul castle We´re off to the Isle of Barra, perched at the Southern end of the Outer Hebrides, off the West Coast of Scotland. We catch a bus to Oban from Inverness, following the line of lochs that run to the West coast. Past Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, Drumnadrochit and Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Britain, standing proudly behind Fort William.
From the fine port town of Oban with McCaig´s tower on the skyline we have a five hour ferry ride to Barra. Cruising through the Sound of Mull, we spot old forts and castles, seals, penguins and dolphins in the wake of the ferry. The hills become layers of blue tones in the distance as we leave the shelter of the inner islands. Surprisingly there is no swell. So much for the wild Atlantic.
Eventually the Outer Hebrides appear, we round a headland and there is Kisimul Castle nestled in Barra´s Castle Bay. The 15th century castle, on a wee rocky islet a few hundred metres from shore, was the stronghold of the MacNeils, the masters of Barra. Tessa has MacNeil ancestors from Glasgow, so possibly some earlier relatives lived here in the castle´s heyday.
A free night´s
accommodation from the rellies at the castle is out of the question, though, it´s now run by Historic Scotland as a tourist attraction. We´re heading for the slightly less classy end of the accommodation market - we choose a beautiful gentle slope on the headland and pitch our borrowed tent. The spot exceeds all our expectations, providing free lodgings overlooking the castle and village, great views across to the white sandy beaches of Vatersay Island, wildlife watching on our doorstep and surprisingly few midges!
Our first mission is to take a look around Kisimul Castle, accessed by a 2 minute boat trip. The skipper of course is a MacNeil. As we step inside the castle we´re amazed to see it has a central grass courtyard. Around the outside the castle is made up of a number of houses, quite comfortable inside. The castle has been rebuilt numerous times over the years and underneath archaeologists have found remains dating back over 4000 years, so people have been here for a long time.
There´s a hall with armaments from Culloden, cool little nooks you can sneak into and of course a great view from the battlements. The clan chief lived
here and in times of conflict the MacNeils would defend their island from the castle, with a galley in the external rocky enclosure as the first line of defense. There are heaps of colourful stories from these days.
Our next mission is to climb Heaval, the highest point on the island. We´ve chosen a beautiful sunny day with hardly a breath of wind and its a stunning climb to the top, involving stripping off a lot of the sensible warm clothes we have on. Halfway up sits a large white statue of the Madonna which seems incongruous in this landscape and highlights the strength of the Catholic faith on the island.
At the top the 360 degree view is breathtaking. Kisimul castle perched in the bay, small islands stretching into the distance, a point with small waves peeling around it and tiny houses dotted around Barra. Keith whips up a hot snack and we munch, admiring the view. Not content to leave it at that on such a glorious day, we take the long way back down via the other peaks we can see. Its tricky going, watching each step as the ground is very soft, lumpy and
Bit of a snack
Summit of Heaval wet underfoot, but the wet patches are hidden by the moss and heather. Its a dramatic landscape with large flat rocks sprinkled about and wee lochans shining in the sun.
We pick our way to Brevig, the largest standing stone on the island, then wander back on the only road to our wee tent on the point.
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