Lismore Island
We had been in Argyll for a few days now, and our agenda had largely been dictated by the inclement weather. There were no complaints, though; we had all found plenty of opportunities to challenge our photographic skills. No more so than Tom, who decided to take a different approach to the rest of us, by taking two film cameras with him. One of them was a plate camera!
That said, when somebody suggested a visit to a small, seemingly off-the-beaten-track island just off the coast, around an hour's ferry journey from Oban, there was unanimous agreement. If the weather was going to dictate our routine, we might as well have an adventure along the way! We decided to catch the first ferry out and the last one back, making the most of our time on the island.
We found ourselves at the front of the queue, waiting in the dark for what turned out to be one of the smallest car ferries we had ever seen. Loading was quick and informal and, before we knew it, we were on deck, looking forward to the day ahead. Les was quick enough to turn his attention back towards Oban and capture a fantastic image of the town, lit up in its night-time splendour.
Once on Lismore, things didn't quite go to plan. What we had interpreted as roads on the map often turned out to be little more than farm tracks, while other routes ended rather abruptly at closed farm gates. Unwilling to venture anywhere we might not be welcome, we retraced our steps and eventually, after half an hour or so, arrived at the tiny and wonderfully quaint village of Port Ramsay.
Here, the weather turned beautiful and we found ourselves in a photographic goldmine. Fishermen's cottages, picturesque bays, boats and wonderful views across Loch Linnhe towards the 2900 feet of Sgurr Dhomhnuill. What was supposed to be a thirty-minute stop turned into a ninety-minute exploration. Nobody seemed particularly keen to leave!
Eventually, it was time for coffee, so we headed for the Lismore Gaelic Heritage Centre and Café. What a find! Excellent coffee, possibly the best panini's in the world, and some very helpful advice on exploring the island and negotiating those troublesome closed gates.
Having also enjoyed a wander around the traditional thatched croft display, we set off towards Point, at the northern end of the island, where a small foot ferry provides another link to the mainland.
Once again, there was no shortage of photographic opportunities, and we soon dispersed in different directions, each finding something to catch our eye.
A further visit to the café (well, it would have been rude not to!) meant that the remaining time on the island was getting a little tight. Nevertheless, we managed to fit in the Tirfuer Broch, negotiating another set of closed gates along the way, the remains of the fourteenth-century Cathedral of St Moluag, the remarkable ruins of Coeffin Castle and finally the small port of Achnacroish, where we continued taking photographs while waiting for our return ferry.
We were all delighted with the day's adventure. We had captured some wonderful images, met some lovely people and, for once, the weather had played its part beautifully.
We settled into the journey back, thinking the day was more or less over, but Lismore clearly had a few more surprises in store. First came a wonderful sunset, seemingly presented especially for our return crossing. Then, as if that wasn't enough, a pod of dolphins appeared alongside the ferry, swimming with us for some time before eventually disappearing beneath the water.
And finally, to round off a thoroughly enjoyable day, we found ourselves enjoying fish and chips at the George Street Fish and Chip restaurant in Oban.
An excellent end to an excellent day. Lismore had certainly delivered!
Almost an ‘adventure’ brought back to life.
A continuation of the excellent road trip around Scotland by the Wirral Photographers Group.