An Island Odyssey. Hamish Haswell-Smith
We located it with some difficulty after struggling through waist-high bracken – a huge stone ‘armchair’, with only one arm, set on a steep slope above the sea on the east side of the the Mull of Cara. Its odd angular shape bears no relationship to the weathered rock outcrops which surround it. The ‘Brownie’s Well’ close by is a spring which provides fresh water and has never run dry.
There are many stories telling of the Brownie’s irascible disposition but impish sense of humour. I was told by an old man that on one occasion when fishing near Cara he and his son beached their boat to have a drink of water from the Brownie’s Well. When they returned to the boat the thwart (benchseat) was missing. They were mystified and looked everywhere but there was no sign of it. The next day while passing the same spot they looked up and saw the thwart stuck between two rocks at the top of the hill. Obviously the Brownie had been up to his usual tricks.
There is another well east of Cara House and behind the house is a ruined chapel which can easily be mistaken for a sheep pen. It fell into disuse in the late 18th century and was used for a time as a kitchen. According to a record dated 1456 it was called ‘the chapel of St Finla’ and Dean Monro said it belonged to Icolmkill (Iona) and that Cara was a monks’ retreat.
The island has belonged to the Macdonalds of Largie (Kintyre) for centuries. Flora MacDonald was closely related to them and some time after 1745 she and her brother stayed at Largie for a year. In the end she emigrated to Carolina after her brother was sadly killed in a shooting accident on Cara.
He may have been shooting wild goats as there are many on the island but they were concealed from us by the thick bracken which we had to plough through to reach the west side of the island. It was off here during the Second World War that a newly built P&O ship with a cargo of copra was hit by a German bomb which went straight down her funnel. The blazing hulk drifted for two days before coming to rest on Cara where she burned for a further six weeks.
For centuries Cara was the control centre for Gigha, Jura and Islay’s smuggling activities. It was here in 1786 that the Prince of Wales revenue cutter dug up eighteen casks of foreign spirits, so it was obviously essential that the house should have a good view of the sea approach and the mainland. And I suppose it was little wonder that twinkling lights were often to be seen on dark nights in the Brownie’s attic room!
The Brownie’s Chair on Cara
GIGHA
There is a well in the north end of this isle called Tobermore, i.e., a great well, because of its effects, for which it is famous among the islanders; who, together with the inhabitants, use it as a catholicon for diseases. It is covered with stone and clay, because the natives fancy that the stream that flows from it might overflow the isle; and it is always opened by a diroch, i.e., an inmate, else they think it would not exert its virtues. They ascribe one very extraordinary effect to it, and it is this: that when any foreign boats are wind-bound here (which often happens) the master of the boat ordinarily gives the native that lets the water run a piece of money; and they say that immediately afterwards the wind changes in favour of those that are thus detained by contrary winds. Every stranger that goes to drink of the water of this well, is accustomed to leave on its stone-cover a piece of money, a needle, pin, or one of the prettiest variegated stones they can find.
Some of the natives told me that they used to chew nettles, and hold them to their nostrils to staunch bleeding at the nose; and that nettles being applied to the place would also stop bleeding at a vein, or otherwise.
. . . The inhabitants are all Protestants, and speak the Irish tongue generally; they are grave and reserved in their conversation; they are accustomed not to bury on Friday; they are fair or brown in complexion. . .
. . . There is only one inn. . .
I remember years ago taking the family over to Gigha in the small open ferry with a sheep for company. When we ambled along the island’s main road a friendly young thrush hopped from the hedgerow onto my son’s outstretched arm, and there wasn’t a car in sight. Now the vehicle ferry from Tayinloan makes swift and regular crossings and fast footwork is sometimes required to avoid the island traffic.
But Gigha still retains its charm and fully justifies its Old Norse name of ‘God’s island’ or ‘the good island’. And the visiting sailor is always assured of a warm welcome – mooring buoys in Ardminish Bay, hot showers ashore and a cosy bar at the local hotel (which won an architectural award).
Gigha enjoys a key position on the sea route along the Kintyre peninsula. In the autumn of 1263 King Haakon’s fleet of more than 100 ships anchored here before the Battle of Largs and was delayed by bad weather. Haakon used the time to secure the allegiance of the local chiefs and to excuse the Lord of the Isles from having to take up arms against his other overlord – the Scots’ King Alexander. Another king, William of Orange, landed on Gigha in 1689 and gained the support of MacNeill of Gigha. MacNeill also remained loyal during the 1745 uprising but this is not altogether surprising as the Duke of Argyll was his overlord.
The old watermill on Gigha
The island’s renowned hospitality comes with a relaxed way of life, a nine-hole golf course, a balanced community of about 140 souls, and one of Scotland’s most beautiful gardens.
When William James Yorke Scarlett, owner in the 1890s, was away on the mainland and his servants were taking time off for a round of golf, a fire burned down most of the main house. It was eventually rebuilt and renamed Achamore House. But it was Sir James Horlick (of bed-time drink fame), owner from 1944 to 1973, who converted the deciduous woodland around it into a truly magnificent garden which he planted with many rare species collected worldwide. Apart from the varied tree cover there are rhododendron (including the famous Horlick hybrids), azalea, laburnum, Primula candelabra, and various sub-tropical plants such as palm lilies, palm trees and flame-trees (Embothrium longifolium) which grow happily in Gigha’s mild climate. Sir James was a benevolent landlord who modernised the farms, built up a dairy herd, started a cheese factory, and drove through his gardens in a dragon-caparisoned motorised tricycle. He died at Achamore House in 1972. The gardens are open to the public from April to September inclusive and May is probably the best month to see them. The plants were gifted to the National Trust in 1962.
The red and yellow sandstone ruins of the 13th-century Kilchattan church are near Achamore gardens. St Catan was an Irish missionary of the 6th century who settled in Bute. There are a number of interesting carved grave-slabs in the churchyard dating back to the 14th century and the nearby ogam stone is the only example of its kind in the west of Scotland. Ogam is an ancient Celtic writing which is still largely undeciphered.
The beaches at Ardminish and the many other attractive coastal bays and inlets are of fine white Hebridean sand. There are a number of interesting caves around the coastline but the largest, Uamh Mhor on the west coast, is difficult to approach from the land. It was probably occupied in prehistoric times, was certainly a favourite hideout for smugglers, and has never been fully explored. And at the most southerly point, Sloc an Leim – ‘the squirting pit’ – is a long subterranean passage through which the sea rushes violently during westerly gales and then jets up to a great height like a geyser.
The two largest lochs, Mill and Upper Loch, are very ancient artificial lochs with small islets which may be crannogs. They used to be kept regularly stocked with fish, but the very narrow adjacent loch, Tarr an Tairbh (‘tail of the bull’), is not recommended for fishing as it is reputed to hide a shy bull-like monster which I may have actually seen. There is a derelict watermill near Creag Bhan – Gigha’s highest hill – which I wanted