The morning was overcast but a short
break in the cloud meant I saw bit of colour for the sunrise across
the sound of Iona. After breakfast in the house I walked with Stella
to the ferry back to Fionnphort and Mull. Stella’s car was parked
outside her friend’s house so we drove back along the A849 to a
small lay bye where an old abandoned track heads north and NE to
Camas Bay. There is a small wooden shed at the start of the track
and a couple of white vans were parked there.
Sunrise
across the sound
The way
to Camas
To the
trig point
The track is so rough in places that
wooden duck boards have been fixed across the bog flats so that
wheel barrows can be used to get supplies across. The reason became
clear at we walked almost a mile across to a group of granite
buildings. They are connected to one of the Iona groups to provide
accommodation for young people on Outward Bound type activities. We
saw two people there who were part of the staff running the place.
The small bay had a jetty on the opposite side with a ruined
building and quarry above.
End of
Camas Bay
We walked round the bay and
up into the granite quarry. It turned out the stone was used to
build Skerry Vore lighthouse. Skerryvore Lighthouse was designed by
Alan Stevenson and first lit in 1844.
The
quarry used for stone to
build the Skerryvore lighthouse
Above the quarry we continued
up the hill to the summit of Beinn Liathanach and the trig post
which like Iona is a circular concrete column. It was only at an
altitude of 81m but seemed much higher as we looked across Loch
Scriddain to the main west side if Mull. The weather deteriorated
for a while and squally showers blew in from the west. Fortunately
the rain stopped for our descent but the cold wind continued.
Trig
column
We
returned to the car then drove to Ardalanish bay in the opposite
side of the peninsula. It was still windy so we went for a short
walk to find some shelter behind a large protruding rock so we could
sit and eat our sandwiches. Then we drove to Bunessan to park then
walk the short way east to the small museum which had interesting
displays on the walls and information about the Camas quarry.
Adjacent was the old ruined mill and large circular stones. We
walked back to the car and drove back to Fionnphort where I bought a
couple of bottles of wine for the group evening meal at Bishops
House. We returned to Iona on the ferry and after the evening meal
retreated to the lovely room with a burning coal fire.
Old Mill
at Bunessan Museum
Skerryvore lighthouse
19th
century illustration
of Skerryvore lighthouse
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Whittle Wanderer
