Cornwall Part 1

24th Sep

Cornish coast line - credit: J

There's not much to say about today, other than an 8 hour trip from Suffolk to St Just, Cornwall. It should have been quicker, but we were stuck in a 45 min traffic jam on the M25 and were victims of road works elsewhere. The Sat Nav helped shave a few minutes off by taking an alternative route across Bodmin Moor, definitely a more scenic route.

After a grocery stop at Penzance, we arrived at our cottage in the pouring rain. Ross and Madeleine had arrived earlier, partly due to a shorter trip from London, but more likely attributable to the performance difference between a Vauxhall Corsa and a Jaguar XKR!
St Just is a small village a short distance inland of the north coast of Cornwall, not far from Land's End. It's the home of our ancestors (great-great-grandmother on my mothers's side born nearby, and some of her parents/grandparents born, married and buried here in St Just). It was the heart of the Cornish mining industry, with many derelict mines nearby, and is also Poldark country with much of the latest TV series filmed around here.

We decided it was too late to cook tea, so we hurried down the narrow lane in pouring rain to the local chippie, appropriately called Jeremy's Fish and Chips. Very nice cod and chips, followed by much chatting and catching up.

25th Sep

We were very surprised by the sunny weather this morning, so took advantage of it with a walk around the village followed by a walk along the coast. It is a very plain village, with mostly stone terrace cottages. The market square is surrounded by shops and pubs in very old granite stone buildings, with the 15th century church tower of the St Just Parish Church looming behind.

Pen-an-Gwarry - credit: S

Next to the market square is one of two remaining plen-an-gwarry or "playing place", a circular walled depression that was a medieval amphitheatre used for public events, especially Cornish miracle plays aiming to spread Christianity. The nearby concrete 1930s clock tower is rather a contrast. We visited the "imposing" Methodist chapel built in 1833 where it is likely our ancestors worshipped (but there are other chapels in the village too). Methodism was very strong amongst the miners, although by law they had to marry in a "proper" church, hence our g-g-g-grandparents were married in the Catholic Parish church. They are supposedly buried in the graveyard of the Methodist Chapel but we had no luck finding their grave.

We then went for a short drive to the coast, from St Just through Nancherrow to the Levant mine. From there we walked back along the cliffs to Botallack, and the mine ruins there.

Crown Mines, Bottalack - credit: J

The wild Cornish coast didn't disappoint, with the deep blue sea throwing huge white waves over the rocks at the base of the cliff. The farming countryside is dotted with signs of past mining activity from chimney stacks and ventilation shafts through to sink holes and strange lumps now grassed over. Like Yorkshire, the mix of rural countryside and early industry is strangely beautiful although definitely not pretty.

Back home for afternoon tea and another wander around St Just, this time to Queen St where our g-g-grandparents lived. It's so hard to tell which house as some have either been pulled down/rebuilt or heavily revovated so look reasonably new. We found ourselves back in Market Square where there are 4 pubs - handy that! I tried the local Rattler cider.

Mine ruins, Levant - credit:J

We had a quiet evening at home in the cottage, with a home cooked meal. And very appropriately, we watched Poldark, filmed right where we'd been walking earlier in the day. Nice to have a quiet day.

26th Sep

Today was as forecast - rain, rain and more rain. We stayed at home for the morning, but then decided to go to Penzance for lunch. It was about a 30 minutes drive in the rain across the bottom of the Cornish peninsula. Unfortunately, St Michaels Mount was obscured in the rain, and taking photographs was pointless. We wandered along some of the older streets of Penzance such as Chapel Street, with buildings dating back to the 1600s, some houses, some shops and some very quaint pubs, such as the Turks Head and the Admiral Benbow with its smuggler lurking on the roof. One of the landmark properties is the Egyptian house, built in the first half of the 19th century in the "Egyptian  revivalist style" i.e. covered in gaudy Egyptian decorations.

We had a tasty lunch in a quirky cafe (the ladies toilet was totally wallpapered in leopard skin print) hoping the rain would ease off, which it didn't. An indoor activity seemed like a good idea so we went to the Penlee House Museum and Art Gallery. They have a good collection of art from the New Lynn "school" - essentially a group of artists who developed a certain style from the 1880s to the 1940s, mostly of local outdoor scenes of Cornish life. The museum area was a small but very eccentric and eclectic jumble of objects, from Pompeii mosaics, 1930s dresses and copper pots to bronze age archaeological bits, mining paraphernalia and stuffed birds.

The cafe was serving Cornish cream teas, so it would have been rude not to sample....

Mousehole - credit: S

Unfortunately, it was still raining when we left and so our plan to go to the little fishing village of Mousehole (pronounced Mouzel with the mou as in mouth) went astray. We did drive into it and onto the stone pier that encircles the small harbour, but it was too wet and windy for photographs.
So the rest of the afternoon and evening was spent at home out of the rain, apart from dinner at the Kings Arms pub (nice food, slow service!) Madeleine had found a photo of the same pub from the time my ancestors lived here, so it's possible that they were customers.

27th Sep

The weather was still not cooperating with thick fog this morning. Jeremy and I decided to go to St Ives to see the Tate Gallery, and hopefully enjoy some predicted afternoon sunshine. Not a great success - the gallery is closed until March 2017, the weather didn't clear, and the narrow streets were packed with tourists. The town does have a number of small art gallery shops, so I was still able to get a creative fix. Some of the pieces would have been tempting if the prices and/or logistics of getting them home weren't such an obstacle.

St Ives Harbour - credit: S

We did go down to have a look at the harbour, but not very pretty with the tide out and the mist so low. It definitely looked better later in the day once the tide was in, and it was possible to just see across to the other side of St Ives Bay.

Ross and Mad met us for lunch, followed by a little more wandering. The weather still stubbornly refused to improve, so we headed homewards, this time along a more coastal route. The countryside here was a mix of bracken covered moors sprinkled with rocky outcrops and patchwork fields outlined by hedgerows. Houses and farm buildings are all greyish stone, with only the occasional place rendered in white. Quite a contrast to Scotland. One bizarre common feature in these parts is the Cabbage Tree, imported from NZ by some keen botanist in the 19th century and now almost a pest.

Landsend - credit: S

As we headed south, the weather improved slightly, so we kept going through St Just to Lands End. Another tourist Mecca with tacky attractions (the Shaun the Sheep experience and Arthur's Quest whatever that may be). Weirdly, the website doesn't even mention Lands End as a geographically significant destination with great views, just the shops, events and attractions! Fortunately these were easily avoided, and the crowds reasonable given it was the end of the day. In spite of the sun, there was still a layer of mist off shore, but the Peal rocks were clear and the distinctive Longships lighthouse was visible.

Round house at Sennen Cove - credit:S

On the way home, we diverted into the fishing village at Sennen Cove. Kids were jumping off the pier into the sheltered harbour, which must have been freezing even in wet suits. There is an old Cornish style round house here, with a winch to pull the fishing boats up the very steep ramp, along with the first  thatched cottages I've seen in this part of England.

The evening was spent at the cottage, watching DVDs.

Dedham

22nd Sep

Dedham Parish Church - credit:S

We woke to a beautiful morning in Dedham. Why Dedham you may ask? When I was a kid,our local library rented out framed prints of famous paintings and my Mum was smart enough to get one every week and hang it above the table where it became the subject for dinner time conversation. I had two favourite artists - Brueghel and Constable. I always remembered looking for the church tower in Constable's pictures, as it made an appearance in most of them. This church tower is in Dedham, and today I could see it out the bathroom window, as we're about 200m from it.

As it happens Dedham is a delightful little village that's been around a long while - many buildings are medieval. There are a few half timbered buildings but most of the properties along the High Street look Georgian: lots of imposing facades, albeit on a mini scale. Turns out quite a few are really only facades attached much earlier houses and shops. There are no power poles or street lights so it remains very photogenic, if not a little too perfect. We're staying in a Georgian home that has been beautifully renovated. The owner told us how their elderly neighbours pretty much dictate any changes to the village - the council tends to defer to them. On the plus side, their passion has kept the village from being over developed, but on the negative side, it makes renovating a nightmare.

River Stour - credit:S

Our first stop for the morning was Dedham's St Mary's church built from 1492 to 1522, with the 131 ft tower completed in 1519. The tower is a particularly good example of the traditional flint clad buildings in East Anglia - blocks of flint in mortar, with all the small off cut chips wedged in the mortar. I loved the old wooden carved doors, and small things like a camel decorating a memorial panel from 1632 (not many camels in Dedham - how did they know what they looked like!).

Most of the sites of Constable's Dedham Vale paintings are within walking distance, so we headed off along one of Britain's many public footpaths that cross farmland and other private land. This one went along the banks of the River Stour and over the Stour Bridge where we stopped for morning tea, sitting out under the trees, right next to the dry dock where river barges used to be maintained. These were also a subject of Constable's paintings as were the nearby locks (no longer the originals of course!). It was then a short walk to Flatford Mill, where Constable lived. Right outside Flatford Mill is the pond and Willy Lott's house that feature in the painting The Hay Wain. The sun wasn't at the right angle to do it justice, so we planned to come back closer to sunset - which we did the next day, and this is the result:

The Hay Wain - credit: S

Dedham church a la Constable - credit: J

It was such lovely weather (although getting cloudy), we continued walking north to East Bergholt, again using the public footpaths to stay off the narrow country lanes. It's no wonder Dedham church appears in so many Constable paintings as it seems to pop up regularly between trees and across fields. They say that Constable is popular because he captures countryside that is quintessentially English, and it sure is! There was also something about the light and clouds that seemed just right too.

East Bergholt church with bell cage - credit:J

There is a very old church in East Bergholt that has a very unusual feature: a bell cage. There are a few of these in existence, but in this case the story goes that 5 huge bells were purchased to go into a new tower to be funded by Cardinal Woolsey. With his downfall went any hope of a church tower. Instead, a wooden cage-like building was built to house the bells. They are the heaviest bells in the UK and sit upside down in cradles. Unbelievably, they are still rung every Sunday - I'm glad I don't live next door!

We found a quaint little tea room for afternoon tea (nothing between a a cream tea!) before wandering back along more footpaths to Dedham. The downside of these public footpaths is that their routes aren't always obvious: we went wrong somewhere, had to climb over a gate, and almost ford a stream (until we saw the little foot bridge) not having the faintest idea where we were until thankfully a few landmarks appeared.

Our hosts recommended a place for dinner that we could walk to - along yet another public farmland footpath. As it was dusk, we saw lots of rabbits. Fortunately the sign "Bull in Field" was not a reason for concern, as the bull was way off the distance. We had a very nice meal before braving the country lane in the dark - no street lights! Still better than the farmland footpath.

23rd Sep
An even more beautiful morning - sunshine with a hint of autumnal crispness. Our charming Airbnb hosts provide us with a more modest healthy breakfast thank heavens, so we don't waddle out the door. I had two aims for today, both related to Arthur Ransome (of Swallow and Amazon fame) rather than Constable for a change. He wrote two books set in this part of England: Secret Water and We Didn't Mean to go to Sea. In both, they start out at Pin Mill on the River Orwell (more of an estuary at this point, as it's close to the coast).

Hanford Water Reserve - credit: J

Secret Water is set on what is now known as the Hamford Water Reserve, inland from Walton-on-the-Naze. The original plan had been to take a boat tour on the reserve, however the tides were not in our favour. It's an extremely low, marshy area where acres of extremely soft squidgy mud are revealed at low tide. Boats can only pass much of it at high tide and today those were very early in the morning and in the evening. Instead, I used Google Maps to find a road into the reserve area. This turned out to be quite a cross country adventure over a very unmade road (giant potholes) and of course with the low tides, all we could see at the end of the road was mud and tussock-like grass. But that's exactly like the book, so I didn't mind. I say that the road ran out but in fact it turned into a causeway that we weren't brave enough to take as it wasn't in great condition. I did however walk part way out on it, and couldn't resist testing the mud on either side - definitely the sort to lose gumboots in! I'm pretty sure that this is what Ransome used for the "wade" where kids get the tides wrong and end up stuck out on the causeway as the water is pouring in.

Pin Mill - credit:S

Clouds over the River Orwell - credit:J

We had a quick side trip into Walton to look for a public toilet (not a great seaside town) before setting our sights on Pin Mill. The small harbour area is still very much as it was in Arthur Ransome's day in 1930s with the Butt and Oyster pub and Alma Cottage (the pink one in the photo), looking very much like the illustrations in the books. The "hard" (road/ramp to provide access over the mud to the water at low tide) is still there, there are still boat builders and old river barges with brown canvas sails. Only the cars and modern sailboats spoilt the illusion of going back in time.

We consumed a leisurely and large lunch at the Butt and Oyster, so no dinner was needed that night. Good old sausage and mash, sticky toffee pud and apple crumble, accompanied by local Suffolk ale and cider.

Then it was back to Flatford to have another go at photographing the view in better light - well worth it as the evening sunshine was beautiful, even if not very much like Constable's dark atmospheric colours. Shame about the jet contrail! (see photo above).

The day ended with a lazy evening at our temporary home, including chatting with our hosts. James is a potter and I had a tour of his studio and the latest pots just out of the kiln this morning. He does domestic pottery, in shades of blues and sage greens, although he is still experimenting, so the colours aren't always as he expects. It was nice to do very little as we were facing a long drive the next day.

Barge at Pin Mill - credit: S

Bingley and southwards

20th Sep

Saltaire, Salts Mill - credit: J

We had a change of venue today, transferring to cousin Tessa's place in Bingley on the outskirts of Bradford. This included driving from Huddersfield to Halifax, just like happens endlessly in the TV series Last Tango in Halifax. It's a very hilly part of Yorkshire, due to the numerous river valleys that are also responsible for the siting of a large number of 19th century woollen mills. These are large, sometimes immense, brick or stone buildings, usually with a tall chimney. Those remaining are mostly now converted to apartments, offices and other commercial uses, but we saw a few derelict examples too. There is also the Leeds and Liverpool canal, and the railways following the original 19th century routes, so lots of reminders of the industrial revolution. The countryside itself is verdant green, and very country - farm land, trees, hedgerows - but the industrial heritage adds an extra twist when juxtaposed.

Saltaire, overseer's houses - credit: J 

After a rendezvous at Tessa's, the five of us (including cousin Kay and aunt Sally) visited Saltaire. This is a strange but fascinating place - a purpose built "model" (as in role, not tiny) village built to support a huge mill. The owner Titus Salt had 5 mills in Bradford and hated the appalling conditions the mill workers lived in, so in the 1850s built a much bigger mill on the banks of the River Aire, then built houses, schools, churches, infirmary, social halls, shops etc for the mill workers. The bosses got bigger terrace houses with gardens at the front, while the workers got small 2 up 2 down terraces.

Saltaire, workers cottages - credit: S

The downside was Titus Salt's egomaniacal streak (eg buildings had to be t-shaped to align with his first name), and his very strict rules, including no alcohol which he saw as a major reason for social issues among the poor. He wasn't however a teetotaller himself, so no doubt supped on fine wines while preaching the evils of liquor. There is now a bar called "Don't tell Titus".

Inside Salts Mill and Titus himself - credit: J

The mill itself is absolutely gargantuan - the photos don't do it justice: the internal photo shows a room that is about a third of the length at most, at the external photo is only one of the buildings. The main weaving shed was next door and housed 1200 looms. Weirdly, the primary source of wool was alpaca from south America. Now the village is just a normal village and the mill is a tourist attraction, filled with gallery space, shops and cafes. The artist David Hockney hailed from these parts, and a number of his works are housed here, including a recent collection all produced on an iPad!
There seems to be a link with the Glyde family - Reverend Jonathan Glyde from Exeter was Titus's friend with similar social views, and there is a plaque to William Evans Glyde in the church. I'm planning to research this further: Glyde is a rare name, there must be a connection to the Dorset Glydes.

Bangles 5 rise lock - credit:J

Later in the day, after tea and scones at Tessa's, we walked to the nearby canal to see the Bingley three rise and five rise locks. The Leeds and Liverpool canal was built in the 1770s for transporting coal and is 127 miles long with 91 locks, not surprising given that it crosses the Penines. The Bingley 5 rise locks are the steepest staircase locks in the UK and as they're not far from the 3 rise locks, it would make for a tedious trip along that stretch of the canal.

That evening, it was into Bradford for a "traditional" northern curry at the Karachi restaurant once visited and praised by Risk Stein. Great no frills curries, sublime mango lassi! And appropriately, we stopped in at the Titus Salt pub for a drink, and later Jeremy and Martin sampled a few whiskies.




21st Sep

Melton Mowbray - credit:J

Off down south today, with a 5 hour drive to Dedham in Suffolk (actually, it's just over the border into Essex, but who wants to admit to going on holiday to Essex!). The motorways delivered us very efficiently to our first stop, Melton Mowbray. Jeremy is a huge pork pie fan, and this is the home of the pork pie and of Stilton cheese. It's quite a nice little town, but the pork pies are the star. In spite of the dubious name, Ye Olde Pie Shoppe does the best pie around. Jeremy went for the Stilton topped pot pie, while I stuck with the more traditional version. They didn't disappoint.

Stamford School - credit: J

Next stop was Stamford, where Jeremy lived for a few years in the early 70s. The centre of the town is a historic gem, with wonderful old honey-coloured stone buildings, often rickety, sometimes very grand. We wandered through his old school, some of which had changed significantly, including the fact girls now attend (J said "we didn't have those in my day, I would have remembered them"). He actually boarded there for one term, so checked out his boarding house before going off to his favourite fish and chip shop (now a chinese takeaway) where he and his mates used to buy the little scrappy bits of batter for next to nothing.

The Glyde residence was slightly out of town in a country lane. It's now surrounded by a huge hedge so we couldn't see it, but it's still called Long Acre as named by Jim (Jeremy's dad) and is now a cattery. Last stop was Uffingham to see Jol's (Jeremy's brother) school. All the mums were clustered around waiting to pick up kids, so we couldn't do more than a quick photo.

Another 2 hours of motorways and we arrived in Dedham - more on that next time. We had a very nice early meal at the Sun Inn pub before crashing into bed for 10 hours sleep!

Penrith and Huddersfield

17th Sep

Sunrise - credit: S

Woke up early to a spectacular sunrise, so went for a walk to enjoy it, and to look for otters. Didn't see any, but the sunrise was revitalising for the soul! Then it was time to clean up the cottage and get ourselves to the ferry terminal. The last drive over our increasingly bumpy unmade road, past the highland coos, past the cemetery, through the Port Ellen maltings smoking another batch of barley. We were the last to arrive at the ferry (although we were there at 9:15 on the dot) so the last on board for the 2 hour trip to Kennacraig.

Barnacle Cottage (on right) from the ferry - credit:J

It was sad to be leaving Islay, such a wonderful place: wide boggy moors dotted with white cottages, pockets of pretty woodland, secret golden sand coves, picture postcard fishing villages, infused with history and brimming with wildlife. Then there's the ever changing weather, inducing wildly differing moods and lights, from stormy gloom and crashing waves, through misty mystery to blue sunny calm. Mind you, I bet the winters are tough!

The drive to Penrith took about 5 hours, once again skirting the shores of Loch Lomand, this time stopping for a late lunch in Luss, where we had a typical Scottish delicacy: fries topped with grilled cheddar!

Penrith Market Square - credit:S

We checked in to our very nice B&B in Penrith, just an overnight stopping point near the M6, then went for a look at the centre of this small market town. We had a quick drink in The Robin Hood pub before searching for dinner, deciding in the end to opt for a selection of ready-made delicacies from the local M&S Food Hall: salads, Eccles cakes, raspberries and scones already made up with the cream and jam.






18th Sep
Today was our the completion of our trip to Huddersfield to spend time with Jeremy's Aunt Sally, his cousins Tessa and Kay and spouses. The weather started out much better than expected, so we got on our way promptly (after yet another huge B&B breakfast) to give us time to visit Ullswater before heading south. You just can't be so near the Lake District without seeing a lake!

Ullswater - credit:S

Pooley Bridge, at the head of Ullswater, was less than 15 minutes from Penrith. It's named after the 18th stone bridge spanning the small River Eamont that flows into the lake. Sadly, it was washed away in the floods of 2015, but still a pretty spot. We went for a short walk along the shore, in the crisp morning sun, with the sheep, crows and heaps of dog walkers. The water was glassy smooth at first, so lovely reflections for our photos.

Ullswater Steamer - credit:J

The steamer ferry left the pier just as we got to the shore - a very cute wee version of the larger steamers on Lake Windermere.

Then it was off to the M6 for the 2 hour trip to Huddersfield, listening to podcasts on the car stereo via Bluetooth to pass the time.

Jeremy's cousin Kay is a manager at the large chemical factory, a major employer in these parts since the early 20th century, and in fact, today was their 100th centenary celebrated with an open day. Sam, Kay's wife, took us out to the factory where Kay was running the Kid's Lab demo - lots of fun with litmus paper and chromatography! We met up with Tessa, Martin and Nicholas, their son, for a tour of the Paraquat plant. Unlike our last factory tour, we weren't interested in tasting the end product!

That evening, we all headed off to a country pub called the Woodman Inn in the delightfully named Thunder Bridge. This part of Yorkshire is very hilly, so we had a great view in the last of the light. We had an excellent meal of, what else, but roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, albeit a slightly gourmet version.

19th Sep

Royal Armouries - credit:J

I decided to have a quiet day at home with Sally, while Jeremy headed off to the Royal Armouries museum in Leeds. We started the day with morning tea at Sam's florist/cafe - wonderful cakes! I then dropped Jeremy at the Huddersfield railway station. He spent a few hours wandering around the museum and was suitably impressed. It has a wide range of weapons from 10,000BC to Afghanistan, with dioramas of the Battle of Agincourt and Waterloo.

We finished the day with delicious home made pizza followed by brownie and fresh berries, courtesy of Sam.

Islay Part 3

15th Sep

Bunnahabhain Distillery from the pier - credit:J

Today we woke to a low mist over a very calm bay. Off to Bunnahabhain (bh=v) this morning for yet another distillery tour, 45 minutes away on the very north coast of Islay. The road down to the bay at Bunnahabain should give incredible views over the Sound of Jura to the Paps, but the mist was right down to the sea, creating a very stereotypical Scottish scene of heather and mist, and little else.

The Bunnahabain distillery was also built in 1881 (like Bruichladdich). Given its remoteness, at the end of a long narrow winding road, everything used to be delivered by sea at the pier and removed the same way, however with sealed roads, trucks can now venture down the twisting road.

Entrance to courtyard - credit: S

The distillery has a rustic, low key feel: the shop is a tiny room with dated decor and few gimmicky souvenirs, the stills aren't shiny polished copper and the building needs a bit of TLC. It's a delightful contrast to the slick marketing machine that is Laphroaig or Bruichladdich and I enjoyed the tour even though it's our third.  One of the stills was a particularly lovely shape, as if it had sagged in its old age.

Saggy bottom still - credit:S

The tasting went down well - Jeremy selected this as the one he wanted to consume over the rest of our holiday and even Megan liked it. I stuck to the fudge, as given the alcohol consumption, I was designated driver.

Driving in Islay is a different experience. Most of the roads are single track with passing bays, lots of blind corners and blind humps, so care is needed. Because everyone does take care (well, almost everyone) it's routine to give a little wave as a thanks, and in fact you do so whenever anyone goes past, even on the wider roads. Some tourists mistake this as the locals being friendly, which it sort of is, but it's more an acknowledgment of courteous driving.

We dropped in briefly to the Caol Ila (cull eela) distillery so that we could add it to our tally (the aim is to visit all 8 Islay distilleries) and so the guys could drink more free whisky. Fortunately, Jeremy decided he still prefers their cheapest offering, which we'll buy duty free going back through Singapore.

Loch Finlaggan - credit:J

Islay was the base for the self-styled "Lord of the Isles" in the 13th - 15th Century - the start of the Macdonald clan, and the most powerful land owners other than the King, who eventually dispensed with them. Their base was the island of Eilean Mor in Loch Finlaggan, and there is a ruined fortified house and church which we visited. It was a very atmospheric location in the mist.

Kilchoman Distillery - credit:S

Next stop was a cream tea at the Bridgend Hotel, on the way to the 8th distillery, Kilchoman. It's the last of the independent family run distilleries, and looks more like a small farm than a distillery but they have an unexpectedly large visitor centre and cafe. Being a small operation, the tastings weren't free, but £5 isn't much to try 3 whiskies. Neither George nor Jeremy were particularly taken with these, but J added to his whisky glass collection!

The day ended with takeaway fish and chips in Port Ellen. Great fresh fish and nicely cooked chips, but Jeremy was disappointed with his lobster.

16th Sep
This morning was another glorious sunrise, and was the day of George and Megan's departure. Jeremy and I went down to the lighthouse to wave at the ferry as it went by, and we've since heard that they did indeed see us.

Dunyvraig Castle - credit:S

We had a quiet day, taking the advantage of the sunshine to visit the ruin of Dunyvraig Castle across the small bay from the Laguvulin distillery. We took some great photos there on a gloomy day on our last trip in 2014, and thought the sunshine would be an improvement, but in fact the atmosphere was so much better in the gloom. The castle was once the naval base of the Lord of the Isles and dates to the 16th century, although there would have been something there much earlier than that.

Loch a Chunic - Credit:S

We continued on past Ardbeg and the beautiful little beach at Loch a Chnuic to the Kildalton Cross.  The beach seemed to be completely fenced off (the photo as taken from the fence) - the joys of a country where ironically, the Queen's chain doesn't apply!

From the 8th Century, the Kildalton Cross is thought to be the oldest complete early Christian high cross in the UK, similar to those on Iona. It has a very Celtic design, with the circle and carved knots, and also has religious motifs (Madonna and child, Cain and Abel, Abraham and Isaac). The church itself is early 13th century and was probably thatched, as no slates have ever been found.

Kildalton Cross - credit:J

Some enterprising local and set up a self-service cafe at the Cross: chilly bin for milk and cakes, thermos for hot water, China cups and an honesty box for cash. Wouldn't last in most places - the whole lot would be nicked!

Ardbeg Distillery from the bay - credit:J

We went back to Ardbeg for a healthy lunch of clootie dumpling (like Xmas pudding) and sour cherry cheesecake, both made with a liberal dose of Ardbeg's finest whisky.




Because of the sunshine, we stopped off at the other two nearby distilleries for a reprise of a few photos, before heading back to the cottage. I spent the afternoon wandering along the beach and snoozing on the couch, while Jeremy went back to Bowmore to taste a few more whiskies. Although he'd been in the shop the other day, he really needed to have a tasting to complete his set of Islay distilleries.




The evening brought a seal into the bay, and a rainbow in the sky above, just perfect for our last night in Islay.

Rainbow over Port Ellen - credit:S

Islay Part 2

13th Sep

Loch Ness Monster or Sea Otter - credit: J

The weather forecast was once again wrong and we had bright sunshine this morning, but the cold northerly breeze kept the temperature down to 17 degrees, in spite of London's record high temperatures in the 30s. George and Megan went for a walk down to the cemetery beside Kilnaughton beach before breakfast where Megan was licked by a highland calf, while Jeremy and I had a sleep in. Jeremy also went for a walk and spotted sea otters and got a great shot with his new telephoto lens. The rest of us got to see them later as we drove down our unmade road. They were a bit far out to be more than lumps in the waves, but at least we saw them! Jeremy.

The Paps of Jura - credit:S

Today's itinerary was a trip to the neighbouring island of Jura, 35 miles long, 8 miles wide, population 200. This involved a half hour car journey to the top of Islay to Port Askaig then a short car ferry trip. There is a fabulous view of the Paps of Jura from Port Askaig - two breast-like mountains, both of which were wearing nipple warming clouds this morning. Jura seems very bleak at first, with no sign of habitation anvd nothing but rolling hills and peaks covered in reeds, tussock and patches of heather (unfortunately past it's best flowering). After about 20 minutes drive, you arrive at Craighouse, the only significant settlement on Jura. There is a small fishing harbour, a hotel and of course the all-important distillery, with primary school,church and a few other services further up the road. It's a very small remote community and must take a certain kind of person to live there.

Jura Distillery with Cabbage Trees - credit:J

We had a successful free tasting session at the distillery shop, and both Jeremy and George found a Jura variant that they liked enough to buy. The young lass in the shop asked us where we're from, and as part of his answer, George mentioned the NZ cabbage trees outside, at which point she got very excited, as she and her colleagues had been having a huge debate last week about what kind of palm tree they
are, and no amount of Googling helped them (unsurprisingly). She can now impress them all with her new found knowledge of cordyline australis.

Lunch at the Jura Hotel was amazingly good with the local produce the star: fresh scallops and wild venison burgers (there are thousands of red deer on Jura). We also got to try a locally made gin: three local ladies have started a small scale operation producing a very perfumy gin called Lussa infused with locally foraged botanicals (much like The Botanist).

Paps of Jura - Credit:J

With the unexpected sun still shining, we decided to drive all the way to the end of the "long road", the only road on Jura going up the east coast. It's the A846 and supposedly the narrowest A road in the UK. As you leave Craighouse, it's right by the water, great for spotting seals (or seal, as we only saw one) and seabirds. It then goes inland and upwards, with wide vistas of the moorland and the Paps behind on one side, and picturesque rocky bays with mainland Scotland behind on the other. This is the more sheltered part of the island, so we even found ourselves in leafy woodland, proving that trees can grow on Jura. Towards the end, the road is more like someone's ill-kept driveway, with a wide stripe of grass down the centre, and lots of potholes - not holes really, just sunken areas, where the boggy ground tries to consume the road. It made for a slow and bumpy journey, and a challenge dealing with the few other vehicles as there weren't many passing bays.

Cove, Ardlussa Estate - credit:S

Once we crossed the Lussa river, we had to pass through the Ardlussa Estate, and it really did feel we were using someone's driveway! Lovely little coves and beautiful trees all through here. Eventually we decided the road was getting to the point that a 4 wheel drive would be more suitable, and given a rare spot we could turn around, did so, and headed all the way back to the other end of the long road for the ferry. Incidentally, the ferry is timetabled to go hourly, but in reality it goes whenever there are enough vehicles to fill it, which is surprisingly often!

After a well earned cup of tea at the cottage, we treated ourselves to dinner in the poshest restaurant in Port Ellen, at the Islay Hotel. Expensive but cheap enough in Wellington terms: about $120 per couple. We've had to book all our restaurant and distillery tour sojourns, as the island still seems very busy in spite of the time of year. Lots of American and German tourists, with a few Japanese whisky lovers too.

Loch Tarbert, Jura - credit:J

14th Sep
The day started with high level cloud, but the sun started making an appearance mid-morning. We'd booked an 11am tour of the Bruichladdich distillery in Bruichladdich village, a 35 minute drive from our cottage, so had to be slightly more organised this morning.

Oldest still - credit:J

Bruichladdich distillery has an interesting history. It was bought out from the original family by White McKay who then closed it down, and it remained closed for several years. A holiday maker to Islay found out about it, and decided to buy it. He was a bit of a radical, and broke away from some of the local traditional whisky making ways, calling the distillery the Progressive Hebridean Distillers and even started making gin. He was so successful he sold to Remy Martin for a huge profit. In spite of the closure and the recent ownership changes, some of the equipment dates back to 1881 when it was built, and one of the stills is possibly the oldest functioning still in the world. Their process was quite different to Laphroaig's, with the mash tank the original 1881 giant open tank made out of cast iron, and all the washback fermentation tanks were made from Oregon pine. They don't want to change anything as that could change the flavour of the whisky.

Ugly Betty Gin Still - credit:J

The highlight for me was Ugly Betty, the still where they make my favourite gin, The Botanist. The raw spirit is imported from England, then distilled with the 22 botanicals foraged on Islay, including gorse flowers, wild thyme, hawthorn flowers, red and white clover flowers and apple mint. They get 250,000 bottles from each distillation so they only have to do it once a year. They were bottling The Botanist while we were there.

We had lunch in Port Charlotte, a quaint seaside village of whitewashed houses, across the water from Bowmore (Islay has a strange shape, almost like two deformed walnut halves separated by a stretch of water called Loch Indaal, so Bowmore and Port Ellen are on one half and Port Charlotte on the other). Yan's Kitchen is a great restaurant that Jeremy and I discovered the last time we were here - a Chinese guy making Spanish/Italian food on a Scottish island! Again we had great local seafood (scallops and crab claws) as part of a tapas menu. Jeremy tried a very strange beer, made using some of the smoked barley usually used for making whisky, so it was like a barbecued beer. I thought it was disgusting but J was unperturbed.
By now it was quite hot with glorious sunshine.

Portnahaven - credit: S

We continued another 15 minutes down the coast to the southern most tip, a fishing village called Portnahaven. Built as a planned village in the early 19th century to encourage the fishing industry, it is a u-shaped cluster of white rendered cottages, each with window frames and doors painted in shades of blue, arranged around a long narrow inlet. Picture postcard perfect! There was about a dozen Grey Seals in the harbour, two basking in the rocks, and the rest bobbing with their heads just above the water. There are a couple of islands at the mouth of the inlet, one with a substantial lighthouse called the Rhinns of Islay lighthouske, built in 1825.

Grey Seals, Portnahaven - credit:J

The coastal road between Portnahaven and Port Charlotte has amazing views across Loch Indaal to the other half of Islay. We could even see the American Monument perched at the end of the Mull of Oa. It was erected to commemorate those who died in two ship wrecks in 1918 (a couple of American troop carriers, one torpedoed and one involved in a collision), but it's unfortunately rather ugly. All for of us walked out to see it on previous trips to Islay, so won't be doing so this time.

Portnahaven - credit:S

We headed home via the Coop supermarket at Bowmore for dinner supplies and more tonic for the gin, and had a quiet evening in.