On the way to Islay...

[rhythmaning]

On my way to Islay, I dropped in on my friends in Skipness – the ferry to Islay goes from near their hamlet.

It was a good visit; we drank a lot, as usual. The kids were out most of the time, and when they weren’t, they seemed to be playing computer games.

Instead I had a very cute cat, a whisky and a log fire to keep me warm.

My friends, who look after the castle on behalf of Historic Scotland, too, told me that the castle was haunted: once when locking up long after dark, he and his son saw a light when no light should have been there; another time when locking up, he clearly heard footsteps on the floor above him, but there was no one there. He now no longer locks up after dark!

The boat didn’t leave until the following lunchtime, so I went for a walk around the castle and the chapel on the beach before having lunch at the seafood cabin in the shadow of the castle.

Of course, I took some photographs…

The chapel has a lot of old, weather-worn gravestones bearing carvings – anchors (reflecting both the coastal community and, perhaps, the “fisher of men”), wreaths, angels, and skull and cross-bones. There are also some Norman carved graveslabs dating back to the 12th or 13th century – these are under cover to protect them from the elements.

Comments

[lizziebelle.livejournal.com]

Wow, great photos! There's nothing here that's more than 300 or so years old, and things that old are pretty rare.