It had been a very long time since I was last in Edinburgh (43 years to be precise) so it was certainly with fresh eyes that we landed from Belfast, caught the tram into town and walked from the Princes St to Stockbridge. It really is a very fine city with much of the historic buildings and original architecture still in place. Unlike Glasgow it was not the same target for WW2 bombers and the absence of high rise has left it feeling much more complete.
We were here to catch up with our old friends Max and Mette for a few days in the city before heading to Colonsay in the Hebrides for a hiking holiday. Their main home is in Italy, but they also have a lovely terrace house in Stockbridge on the edge of the city. Its a great spot that feels like a small village on the Water of Leith, yet only 15min to the centre of town.
We enjoyed catching up with their news since we saw them aboard in French Polynesia, not least being the marriage of both their sons! We then had some wonderful walks along the Water of Leith looking out for otters, dippers, kingfishers and various ducks (Max is a bit of a twitcher). Rather than visit the known tourist spots of Edinburgh it was nice to see the greener, quieter parts from a local’s experience.
Then it was off the Colonsay, a small island in the inner Hebrides about 2hr ferry from Oban, just W of Jura and Islay. Given our preference for tropical islands and our being very much fair weather travellers (ie 20 plus deg C lower limit on both air and water temperatures) this was a bit out there for us. We were keen to spend time with Max and Mette and they had organised a week’s hiking on the island with old friends of theirs, who also turned out to be contemporaries of ours from Cambridge days. So we said yes let’s go, without really considering the climate implications!
It was, of course, a great week on a very wild, beautiful, wet, windy and occasionally sunny island, in great company.
Driving from Edinburgh to Oban to catch the ferry was also a treat. Clear and sunny, the road trip, with a detour via Glen Coe through the Highlands was wonderful. We even found the Glen where 007 posed in an iconic shot with his DB7 in Skyfall. A picnic on the stream bank in the Glen might seem a bit pedestrian in comparison, but no less enjoyable.
A very calm ferry trip from Oban and we landed in Scalasaig and then across the island to the house Jane had been renting for family holidays for 20yrs. And what a spot! Perched on the headland overlooking what must be one of the most beautiful beaches in Scotland. Kiloran Bay. It was a lovely evening watching the sun go down (at about 10pm this far north) and sharing stories of mutual friends and parallel lives from our Cambridge days.
I have mentioned that this was a “hiking” holiday, because if you don’t like walking there isn’t a great deal else to do and this is how you really enjoy the wonderful terrain, the views and the wildlife. Well, it is fair to say the Brits (there were 7 of us overall) were all experienced and very well equipped for the climate. Needless to say we Aussie blowins were not! We had boots, trousers and water proofs, but not the wet/cold gear we probably could have done with. Our accustomed approach if it is raining is to wait for the sun to come back out. Clearly, in the UK that could be a long time, so the response is, put your rainproof gear on and go anyway.
Despite all that, we did have some truly wonderful hikes. The first day or so the sun was out and we had a great hike from where we were staying above Kiloran Bay. This went along the NW coastline and over to Balnahard Bay where we had lunch, my first swim, and then a return trip via the inland. A fair distance for us mariners, but well worth it. Next day was much wetter and colder, but again a long day hike, this time along the SE coast from Garvard to Cable Bay, skirting the channel that separates Oronsay from Colonsay at high tide. We also had two other memorable hikes; one from the Golf Course (yes there is one, it is Scotland after all, even if the population is a few hundred and you have to dodge the sheep and the rabbits) down the SW coast; the other again from Garvard, but this time at low tide so that we could walk over to Oronsay, visit the very well preserved Priory (founded by the Augustinians in the early 14th century) and again drink in the wild and spectacular coastline.
There were a few other shorter walks; we visited the distillery, the smokery and the local craft and book store. The smokery got their salmon from the local (open water) fish farm and the products were really fresh and tastey. The craft store was promoting the local wool products, which are few because the black face sheep do not produce great wool. However we learnt that the local Wool Appreciation Society had over 600 members – unless you discount the sheep, then there is a grand total of 1 person! Got to love the enthusiasm.
The rest of our time was spent enjoying the company, reading, eating, playing card games and bird watching. The weather was often wet and windy, but the views were always spectacular, restorative and inspiring.
I also managed to get a swim in everyday. The water was seriously cold (around 9deg) but I actually began to enjoy the whole experience. Kiloran Bay is truly beautiful and (strangely!) was always completely empty. The routine became a quick walk down to the beach, a swim across the bay with only the occasional sheep and a flock of terns to share it with, a quick walk back to warm up, hot shower and then brekky. Not something I am likely to repeat, but something to remember fondly.
Our final night we had a surprisingly excellent meal at the local (and only) hotel – lovely fresh produce (fish, scallops, lamb, haggis!) and good wines. A treat.
Then it was back on the ferry to Oban and drive back to Edinburgh with Max and Mette.
We had a few more days with them, the highlights being catching up (very briefly) with Alice who was over for a University reunion and then a road trip in Ireland with a friend who happens to live in Edinburgh, and also with Wil who is just about to set himself up in Glasgow. We had a lovely walk up to Arthur’s Peak with stunning views over the whole of Edinburgh and way off to Fife on the north of the Forth.
We also had a very special tour of St Giles cathedral which we will remember for a long time. The son of our close friends Pat and Anna who we stayed with in Cornwall, is the Master of Music and chief organist at the cathedral. Jack very kindly gave us a tour of the less visited parts of the cathedral, including the organ itself. He then played a few minutes of Bach on the organ while we stood with him and watched the extraordinary technique it requires. Brought the place (including the hundreds of tourists) to a standstill as we all took in the magnificent music and superb acoustics.
Having farewelled Alice, Max and Mette we then took off for a 10 day road trip with Wil, exploring some of the area between Edinburgh and Glasgow as well as the surrounding coast and lower Highlands. That will be covered in our next blog post.