Hooray for the Hebrides!
As those of you who follow me on Facebook and Twitter know, I spent last April on a writing retreat on the beautiful Scottish isle of Eigg (pronounced ‘egg’).
I absolutely love this corner of north-western Scotland, right from my first visit in 1985 (which was my first visit to the U.K. altogether). It’s so wild and dramatic and the unpredictable weather is part of the charm. While I was there this year, we had snow followed by a week of the best weather I’ve ever experienced in Scotland. As I said, unpredictable.
Eigg is one of the Small Isles, four small communities just south of the Isle of Skye. Eigg is the most fertile and most heavily populated (at just over 100 people, that’s still pretty empty). The others are Canna, Muck and Rum which is that beautiful mountainous profile you can see in the photos across the sea. I love islands so right from my first viewing, I felt the urge to get onto these beautiful scraps of Scotland and at last, this year, I managed it.
I booked into the lovely Lageorna Guesthouse and spent a month writing like a demon when I wasn’t sighing over the beautiful scenery. My room high up under the rafters looked straight across at Rum, which has about 20 people on it and a huge herd of deer. The changing light kept me absolutely entranced.
So I thought today, I’d share some of my favorites of the many, MANY photos I took while I was there.
First up, look at these beautiful beaches! Lageorna was just above Laig Beach which is a photographer’s favorite. The photos with the gorgeous Lola the collie were taken at the famous Singing Sands. Actually they don’t really ‘sing’. It’s more of a squeak. But the view is spectacular, as you can see!
And it’s not just the beaches that are beautiful there. Check out snow on Rum and the haunting ruins of Kildonnan monastery, where the Vikings slaughtered the monks back in the 7th century. It still has a very particular atmosphere. The woods surround the house the lairds of Eigg used to live in (since 1997, the community has owned the island).
And sunset was always my favorite time of day. You can see why!
The Singing Sands is a hangout for mermaids. Clearly the mermaids appreciate fine scenery. Here we have the Mermaid’s Table, the Mermaid’s Bath and the Mermaid’s Archway.
And finally, just to prove I DID do all that work, a few pictures of my work stations. I loved this whole experience so much, I hope to go back again next year. if you get the chance to see this hidden part of the world, don’t miss it!