It is after a superb stopover made up of encounters as beautiful as the surrounding landscapes that we leave Loch Melfort to head towards the south of Mull Island. To do this, several options exist and we choose that of Cuan Sound, a (fairly) narrow channel separating Seil Island from its southern neighbors, Luing and Torsa. The conditions being too calm to advance solely under sail and arrive in time for the right moment of tide, it is with engine support that we enter the channel. The “eddies” (eddies) indicated on the map are there, accompanied by fairly anarchic current veins as they pass through the north of An Cléiteadh. The crew of the small Cuan ferry, connecting Seil and Luing, greets us and, past some ruins at the exit of the channel where sheep and cattle graze, we enter the inland Firth of Lorn (“Ann Linne Latharnach” in Gaelic), hoist the sails and let’s turn off the engine to cross this bay downwind and under full sail, under a big cloudless blue sky.
The Firth of Lorn(e) is a bay located in the continuity of the Great Glen fault (that of the Caledonian Canal). This place has been classified, taking into account the diversity of landscapes and species that inhabit it, as a protected area since 2014. As shown in the bathymetric maps of the Firth of Lorn, the relief of the seabed is similar to that of the surface. : cliffs, flats and peaks. All this contributes to creating very diverse conditions where species reaching their northern or southern migration limits respectively meet. The morphology of the seabed and its opening towards the Atlantic mean that it is better to go there in good weather to avoid static waves and whirlpools. The effects of the tide are strong there, with significant currents from the Great Race. In our favor during the crossing, this current accompanies us towards Loch Spelve.
We enter under sail in the evening, along green cliffs and revealing the first evidence of active volcanism more than 40 million years ago: columns of basalt (from lava) to the east and to the south of the loch and a mixture of granophyre (quartz-containing) and olivine-encrusted sandstone (sandy sedimentary rock) to the west and north.
We leave sea farms on either side and drop anchor at the bottom of the west loch, to the sound of the cries of flying oystercatchers and the bleating of sheep. The calm is total and not a stir breaks the nighttime tranquility.
The next day we set off on foot for Loch Uisg, a large lake located in the axis of the Great Glen fault and surrounded by Loch Spelve to the north-east and Loch Buie to the south-west. All along the way we marvel at the rhododendrons which, unlike at home where they are shrub-sized, are made of real dense and richly colored wood. Kinlochspelve church overlooks the east bank and opens before us the horizon of a body of water on which everyone imagines what sport they could practice there: windsurfing, kayaking, wingfoil, kite, dinghy… we aren’t in lack of ideas and the small pontoon next to a lodge confirms to us that we are really not the first to think of it!
[#7 – Ireland – Scotland 2024] From Loch Melfort to isle of Mull, via the Firth of Lorn 13[#7 – Ireland – Scotland 2024] From Loch Melfort to isle of Mull, via the Firth of Lorn 14[#7 – Ireland – Scotland 2024] From Loch Melfort to isle of Mull, via the Firth of Lorn 15[#7 – Ireland – Scotland 2024] From Loch Melfort to isle of Mull, via the Firth of Lorn 16[#7 – Ireland – Scotland 2024] From Loch Melfort to isle of Mull, via the Firth of Lorn 17[#7 – Ireland – Scotland 2024] From Loch Melfort to isle of Mull, via the Firth of Lorn 18[#7 – Ireland – Scotland 2024] From Loch Melfort to isle of Mull, via the Firth of Lorn 19[#7 – Ireland – Scotland 2024] From Loch Melfort to isle of Mull, via the Firth of Lorn 20
We continue our walk towards Loch Buie to visit Moy Castle of the MacLaine clan of Lochbuie. Built in 1450 by Hector Reaganach Maclean, this three-storey castle, directly supplied with fresh water on the ground floor, was recognized by the King of Scotland in 1494. It was erected a stone’s throw from the bank in order to allow ships to easily access it. A still visible arch of stones served as a fish trap and several large blocks facilitate landing from small boats. It was the scene of clashes such as during the Jacobite revolt of 1689. This castle had to be restored at the end of this period and was also modified over the centuries to improve comfort (e.g. installation of a fireplace in the 16th century). It was only in 1790 that the MacLaine clan of Lochbuie left it in favor of a more comfortable neighboring habitat, once more peaceful times had returned: the Moy house. For several decades the use of Moy Castle was reduced to that of its dungeon as a prison.
[#7 – Ireland – Scotland 2024] From Loch Melfort to isle of Mull, via the Firth of Lorn 21[#7 – Ireland – Scotland 2024] From Loch Melfort to isle of Mull, via the Firth of Lorn 22
The loch is so beautiful that we decide to return there with Milagro and enjoy a new excursion the next day to the megaliths. On our return to Loch Spelve we are no longer alone at anchor and meet the friendly neighboring crew, a trio of Scots impressed by the size and line of our Milagro. We invite them on board for coffee the next morning, before weighing anchor towards Loch Buie.
Navigation is across (4-5 Beaufort), leeward of Mull Island. We approach Moy Castle and enjoy a splendid view of the highest peak of the loch: Ben Buie (717m). We drop anchor in an indentation in the loch and disembark to see these famous megaliths. The weather is so beautiful that bathers are enjoying the nearby beach and we are quick to abandon the windbreakers and prefer t-shirts. The walk towards the megaliths leads us to the encounter of a meeting between deer and sheep. We follow the white stones showing us the way to the circle of megaliths. Before arrival, another site is spotted by Lauriane, a few hundred meters away, similar to certain tumuli-type tombs visible within the megalithic site of Saint Just in Brittany (composed of several rooms and an entrance corridor ). The sight of the circle of megaliths fascinates: what does it mean? The lack of scientific consensus on the subject allows everyone to project their imagination and see it as a ritual site, a monument linked to the alignment of the stars or even a gathering place to party!
[#7 – Ireland – Scotland 2024] From Loch Melfort to isle of Mull, via the Firth of Lorn 23[#7 – Ireland – Scotland 2024] From Loch Melfort to isle of Mull, via the Firth of Lorn 24
After dinner at anchor the sky becomes thicker and a little rolling appears to lull us. We prepare for the next navigation to Iona, the sacred island.
Soon we will publish a short video summarizing our stops at Loch Spelve and Loch Buie and incorporating images of the megalith circle.
It was at the end of the day that we arrived quietly under sail at the eastern end of Loch Melfort, dropping anchor in a very sticky muddy bottom (for the chain and the bridge too, by the way…). As soon as we arrive, Damien receives a call from one of his friends and former student, Christian, on his way from Leeds to join us on board for the evening! Passionate about Scotland, he is an inexhaustible source of ideas for places to visit, each more remote, interesting and wild than the last. The paper maps and those on the tablet were gradually found to be filled with small additional points and annotations. Added to this is a small list of books to consult… Enough to satisfy our desire to explore and learn for weeks or even months…!
The next morning, upon arrival at the small pontoon of the Kilmelfort hotel before heading with Christian towards Oban for a supply of fresh produce, a second nice surprise awaits us: the meeting with Vicky and Margaret, both busy on their magnificent little sailboat. We were thinking of taking the bus back from Oban, but in the end it was Vicky who would pick us up directly from the supermarket! During this winding journey between lochs and hills, we invite him and Margaret to come and visit our “huge sailboat”, which belongs to the Karukinka association. Questions follow about the why and how of the association, the ship, Lauriane’s research and our coming to Scotland… and she tells us that she is a researcher in medieval history at the University of Glasgow.
It was after lunch the next day that she came to give us a magnificent gift: several hours of medieval Scottish history lessons in the Milagro square! Supporting map, historical references, information on the hidden history of places and settlement dynamics,… we don’t miss a thing. “History here was made by navigators, under sail”. This remark, full of common sense given the morphology of the places, reminds us that indeed, the exchanges of ideas, cultural influences, battles, invasions from all sides, colonization processes, waves of religious reforms, technological developments,… existed thanks to sailing (and rowing…).
Our route (North Cape to Cape Horn), from Brittany to Norway via Ireland and Scotland, is none other than that of a major axis of exchange for thousands of years. Celtic then Roman presence, first Christian missions (6th century), tribal wars between the Picts and other groups, Viking invasions, clan functioning very anchored in Scottish culture… Each island, from the Hebrides to the Shetlands, carries with it loaded histories of wind and spray that erosion gradually erases from our sight but that archives carefully kept over the centuries save from oblivion. It’s a real painstaking effort that Vicky Gunn and many researchers in Scottish history are carrying out to understand the territory at different times. They give meaning to what surrounds us, from megaliths to castle ruins, inviting us to research more and more.
Milagro’s library has once again been expanded with a few additional works, not to mention those that Vicky plans to recommend that we have on board, and it is shortly that a Gaelic-English dictionary will be on board to help us to understand what the names of the places we navigate mean. An appointment is made: on our next visit to Loch Melfort, we will definitely go to visit Vicky and Margaret!
Before resuming our journey north, last weekend, it was time for a reunion for Damien: the return to Kames Fish Farm. He came anxiously to introduce himself at the farm reception: after 20 years without news, would the managers of this family business still be there? Could the farm have been bought by Norwegian companies, like many Scottish fish farms? Damien introduces himself and that’s when a man in his thirties shakes his hand: Andrew, the one with whom Damien had taken care of the rabbits, played video games with his brother Charles and him,… when he was very little! Andrew immediately calls his father, Stuart, the entrepreneur behind this farm and with whom Damien worked. A few minutes later, he arrives and shows us around the hatchery, the office for remote control of the security of the cages scattered throughout the islands, the distribution of food by clicking behind a screen, the selection of specimens most suited to adapt to climate change… Always in search of improvement, he also tells us that he had to face a health disaster that struck his farm several years ago (foot-and-mouth disease from Norway), the forcing us to slaughter all of our salmon rather than falling into the widely documented excesses of farm abuses. Kames therefore no longer raises salmon as it did 20 years ago, but trout, and in dizzying numbers: when Damien worked there, the farm sold between 200 and 300 tonnes of salmon per year, and today it More than 3000 tonnes of trout are exported to the USA.
We leave Loch Melfort in our wake, with a new chapter opening in the bow of Milagro: heading for Mull!
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PS: We like Scotland so much that we have chosen to review our program to stay there longer and simplify the arrival of those who want to join us, without struggling with logistics. You will therefore see (here) that we are offering 5 simplified one-week stays from next Saturday: departure and arrival Oban! From Glasgow (direct flights from Paris, Nantes, Bordeaux, Lyon, etc.) it takes 3 hours by direct train or bus in the Highlands (a journey within a journey!) to reach us at the port of Oban. For those who would like to avoid flying, this destination is also accessible by train from France (allow 12 hours from Paris).
In short, if you need help to organize yourself, we are not a travel agency but we are here to help you and will be delighted to welcome you to share these places where, as shown in our last little video at the Treshnish Isles : there are no crowds!
![[#6 – Ireland – Scotland 2024] Stopover at Loch Melfort](https://karukinka.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Loch-Melfort_Karukinka_052024-3-1080x675.jpg)
