FRUITS OF MY LABOURS FROM 2014

My New Year of 2015 started with a bang.

After being on the road for nine weeks in June and September in Canada and later in Scotland and Iceland, the articles I wrote and the images I took are beginning to be published.

As many North Americans start planning their vacations in the New Year, January is a sought-after month for exposure for tour companies, cruise lines, etc. So as a travel journalist, I'm very pleased with the placements.

So here are the links to the first of my assigned articles about my cruises on southern Ontario waterways and my cruise in the southern Hebrides of Scotland.

Ontario Waterway Cruises
© Photos by Pharos 2014

• River Cruising Canadian Style: the Rideau Canal in Senior Living

• River Cruising Canadian Style: The Thousand Islands and the Trent-Severn Waterway in Travel with a Challenge
• A Small Ship Cruise in the Scottish Hebrides in Europe up Close
  

On board the Glen Tarsan of the Majestic Line
© Photos by Pharos 2014

SMALL-SHIP CRUISING IN THE HEBRIDES (Part 6): LAST FULL DAY

Our last full day aboard the Majestic Line's Glen Tarsen was warm and sunny for a long cruise around the Ross of Mull on the southeast of the island.
It is a wild and rugged corner marked by huge cliffs, crags, and rocks. Golden Eagles are king here and soar and circle the heights. Here too are sea stacks, natural arches and caves. We lunched at Carsaig, a small bay with a few houses and a church, before we continued round the bottom of Mull. Seals were abundant in an area of low rocks.

The highlight of this day was a late shore excursion to Duart's Castle on the southeast corner of the island. This is the ancestral home of the Clan Maclean and is located in a perfect defensive position on a spit of land.

The castle has been here since 1350 guarding the Sound of Mull. But the Macleans surrendered it to the Duke of Argyle in 1691, along with all their land on Mull. It was abandoned in 1751 and bought back by the clan's 26th Chief in 1910. He began the restoration. Today it's open to the public and a very worthwhile castle to visit.

At 5pm the Glen Tarsen sailed to our last anchorage for dinner past this lighthouse (below left) that we saw on our first evening on board, and then tucked into a cove between a small islet and the Isle of Lismore.


We ate a special dinner together and afterwards took photos to remember everyone.  It was a sad time knowing we would be parting from new friends in the morning.


We sailed into Oban harbour (above right and below) soon after breakfast as the sun was burning off the morning mist.  Taking a last look at our ship that had been a superb home for a week with a great crew, we grew quiet, filled with memories....

The row of stately, Victorian hotels at Oban

IMAGES: © Photos by Pharos 2014. All rights reserved

BREATHTAKING TIREE

Soroby Bay with byre for the Highland cattle

Windswept, treeless, quiet, Tiree is the most unspoiled place I've been to in a long, long time. The white sand beaches are empty of people and the sea is turquoise.

I arrived in fog, the air so humid it condensed on my face. The light was terrible and I wondered if I was going to see the island as I had always longed to experience it. Next morning the breeze blew away the fog and the sun shone all day giving me perfect visibility.

Scarinish Hotel and harbour

There are two hotels here and a handful of B&Bs. Mine is the oldest, the Scarinish Hotel on the main harbour, which is tiny. The hotel is tired, but the rooms clean and comfortable. It overlooks the small harbour entrance. This is a workers' hotel — the snug is packed at 5:30pm every day as they stop for a beer on the way home. It's old-fashioned with worn wood and hasn't been painted since the 1950s. it's noisy too. The dining room is clean and serves reasonable dinners, but mediocre breakfasts. Service in the evening is extremely slow — I waited 45 mins from ordering to getting my main course. But there is little choice here. Tonight I tried the Tiree Lodge, and it was terrible. Poor service, chips with everything, and kids running around the resto. However the bar is nice and serves good IPA from Colonsay.

© James S. Ferguson as I was driving!!

I drove around this tiny island taking the odd side trip today and it was nothing short of stunning. There were no tourists, except the odd cyclists and the roads are all single-lane with passing places, which made me happy to be driving a midget car. The houses are mostly converted crofts and stand out  from the grassy landscape as they are white-washed. The islanders farm, sheep and cattle mostly, and the livestock run at liberty all over the place. They are the only cause of traffic jams!

I'd been longing to see some Highland cattle — rust red with huge horns. Not only did I see them, I saw them close, along with one calf and several bigger youngsters. They came right up to the fence for close-ups and one posed for his photo. These had all won awards except the calf. Their owners run the only place I ate a decent meal. Farmhouse Café is unprepossessing on the outside but is friendly, fun, and serves home-made, delicious dishes with quite a flair. It has a lovely view from the back where the tables are.



Some old churches dot the landscape. Two were still in use, but others have been converted into homes. There are largish farms, but not many, and the occasional modern windmill provides power to homes. Some residences cluster together in tiny villages, but most are widely spread out. Almost all enjoy the spectacular views.

In fact there is a new vista round every corner and they had me stopping so often that I took from 10am to 3:00pm to travel around an island that is 10 miles long and about 6 miles at its widest point. From the west coast, there is no more land until you reach the USA.

Salum Bay on the northwest coast

Images: © Photos by Pharos 2014, except where noted. All rights reserved