Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Up at 7:30 again. Breakfast of lorne sausage, bacon, egg, toast and tea. Left just after 9:00 a.m. for Pennygown Cemetery. Very old place with burials from hundreds of years ago, ancient roofless chapel, several standing celtic crosses. Some stones are only field stones. Many McPhails are buried here as they have farmed Glen Forsa for some 800 years. There are several Fletchers here too, including my great great grandparents, Alexander Fletcher and Catherine McPhail, some of their children including Kate (Fletcher) Cameron and Colin Fletcher. Took pictures. Returned to caravan by 11:45 a.m. to heat up lunch of mince and potatoes so kindly provided by Mhairi Campbell. Dessert of trifle. Finished by 1:30 and headed out for the Ross of Mull. Very windy today. Raining as we set off.
Took a wonderful scenic drive through some of the most fabulously wild scenary anywhere, I’m sure. From caravan we headed for Salen and then turned left onto B8035 just past the hospital. Turned right just past a house called Alt An Searmain where once lived a ‘wild west cowboy’. He had been a Mull native who went away to America and returned upon his retirement. Dad knew him as a boy (1940s) and the man was about 80 then. Then drove along the wild shore of Loch Na Keal. Passed the remains of an old house where a newlywed couple were reportedly killed instantly, and most likely entombed there yet, when a massive rock fell off the hill face above. Sheep absolutely everywhere – pity the shepherds who have to climb hundreds of feet to gather them all! Saw Derryguaig where great great grandmother Catherine (McPhail) Fletcher died in 1904. Her daughter, Kate, later of Dervaig, was there then too. Saw Balmeanach where my Paterson great great grandparents once lived too. Continued along the shore of Loch Beg and of Loch Scridain to Pennygael. Turned up the hill just past Pennygael Hotel, then past Leidle Farm, which I photographed, where my great great grandmother, Annie Paterson, was born and remained up until about age 7. Went up past there on a long a sometimes harrowing road that hugged a vertical drop in a dense, mossy wood. Came out at Carsaig Pier, now half destroyed and quickly turning into a ruin, on Carsaig Bay. Heavy rain came on. Seals, 3 or 4 of them, popped up and came closer to see Dad and I. Barked once or twice. Really cute animals! Then back on scary road. Had to back up once, which I really hated, on the precipice side, to allow another car to pass. I would say 90% of the roads on Mull are single track roads.
Then followed the A849 to a fork in the road where you can go to either Lee or Ardtun. This is just past the monument, on the left, to Mary McDonald who wrote ‘Morning Has Broken’ (or ‘Child in a Manger’). Took the Lee road past 2 hairpin bends, went a half mile. Just above a ‘new house’, is the caravan of Alex Fletcher, a distant (although connection still unproven) relative through the Laudale branch. He is a big and hearty fellow, rough but kind, a true Highlander trying his best to dig at his family tree roots. He is currently a road man and loves all kinds of machinery – just like my Dad. The visit was just great. He was a half hour late for our visit, so we awaited him in front of his caravan on the wind swept hill with an awe inspiring view of Bunessan, but beyond that Staffa (Fingals Cave), Dutchman’s Cap and Tiree – simply amazing, almost impossible to describe with words. The light was ever changing, the wind whistled eerily, you could see, hear and smell the sheep. I was glad Alex was late, allowing me more time to stand a bit longer in this wonderful place. We arrived at 4:30 p.m., saw Alex by 5:00 p.m., left him by 8:00 p.m. He presented us with two gifts, a DVD called “Eagle Island” and a book I had heard of “Tea With Chrissie” which is about the ‘other’ Burg (not our Burg at Kilninian) but the one at the point at Loch Scridain. Took the road through Glen More. Saw some deer, rabbits, toads. Back at caravan at 9:45 p.m. Had cold lorne sausage sandwich and tea. Journal writing until 10:30, then bed.