Trip to Scotland 1983: Four and half months in the Highlands and Islands

[DCampbell16B]

22p ferry
£2.55 to Portree
£1.00 bus

Am actually on Skye. No room to stay in Kyle last night. Bus to Portree. Caught Youth Hostel bus to Uig. Driver is very interested in folk music. Try to stay through Sunday. Walked up Glen Conon(?). Saw falls and lots of ruins. One standing stone w/in sight of hostel. Mist on hill, don't know how far to go [I just went off for a walk eastward across the moor]. Turned back and had tea. Sat around playing pipes (Highland) and whistle all evening. Scottish wardens and assistant warden into folk music and Irish girl came in, plays whistle and guitar. Good and Gaelic speaker, Cork. Quite a number of Americans here tonight [if I remember correctly, I think I avoided them. I see Americans all the time ]. Am actually on Skye in Uig (Trotternish). Heard Gaelic on the bus today. 3 older people talking (seat mate). [I still remember them. It was an older couple seated together and their friend or relative was sitting behind with his head right up between the couple. I don't know what they were talking about, but there was a constant, good natured "Cha robh, cha robh!"]

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Small waterfall in Uig

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Uig Loch Snizort Idrigall

[Jock Scot]

£3.30 Restaurant
26p Tank you
43p Spam

Last night a kid threw up in his bed in hostel. Place was like an oven. This morning down to Inverlochy. Can see back of Nevis, cliff side. Weather cloudy, but no haze. Castle still standing. Battle on west of castle in field. Man said last group of soldiers came over the hill on south. Read. Drove(?) Campbell's into river and over to Loch Linnhe. Inverlochy Castle walls about 6ft thick, at least one has a passage. All fenced, can't get in. Barbed wire.

Inverlochy Castle from west. Front gate to right of picture.
Battlefield at Inverlochy. Royalist came up from Cow Hill behind picture. John Splendid viewed from hill to left. 1st battle 1431 under Donald Balloch (Clan Donald) and Royalists under Earl of Mar. Some of battle to rear of picture at British Aluminium Factory base of Meall an t-Suidhe. Ate At a Chinese restaurant. Jasmine tea, very fragrant, not substantial. Bought Thank You card for Argyll. Meal OK but not as large as in states. Relatively expensive, but I haven't indulged much. Slept afternoon. Finally identified bog myrtle.

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Battlefield at Inverlochy

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Ft William (?)

[Asking for help from those who know. This entry lists two pictures which I am not sure I have found. I am posting these two here with what I have them labeled, but I am not sure my label my label on "Ft William" is correct. Any proper ID will be appreciated.

And did I get my history right?]

Well alright, the top picture is the railway sidings at Fort William in the left foreground with the estuary of the river Lochy, flowing right to left, that is about to run into the sea at the head of Loch Linnhe.

The bottom picture is taken from the shore of Loch Linnhe, looking at the wall of the old Fort in Fort William right in front of you. Today the superstore "Morrisons" and the railway station are lurking out of sight a few yards over the wall. Cow hill, with the radio mast, is in the background.

[kilted scholar]

May I say that this is a very interesting, fascinating, thread. Keep it going!

[DCampbell16B]

£1.30 Dunvegan
30p guidebook
£2.10½ food
£2.30 hostel

Sarah, second wife of Norman 23rd Chief looks like Annalies. This morning weather spitting rain. Hitched a ride to Portree, Dunvegan, Uig crossroads w/ man, wife and granddaughter. He was BBC Gaelic broadcaster. Walked one mile, picked up by Australian couple and taken to Dunvegan castle.

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Dunvegan Castle

Walked almost back to Loch Greshinish before getting a ride w/ Leicestershire couple who were heading to Portree. Changed rides [?unclear] and took me all the way back to Uig. Bought food, came back to the hostel and tried to sleep. More Americans here than I've seen in hostels total I think. Should call MacLeod tonight. Dunvegan ok, but not as comfy as Cawdor or as ritzy as Inverary or Blair. Very wet from knees down. Try shower and bed for a while? Dry pants anyway. [Many hostels, especially places that attracted serious hill walkers and climbers, had special rooms set aside with clothes lines and some heat to dry wet things] Free Church next door. Noon service English, 6pm Gaelic. Sitting in hostel can see Waternish Pt. across Loch Snizort. Can see Harris? No, it is North Uist. 1st sight Outer Hebrides. Met Canadian Vancouver who had been working repairing heavy equipment Libya. Also long discussion language w/ man from Cambridge and one other. Later 2 Germans, and American (traveling w/ [unclear].

[I met so many really interesting people both at hostels, but especially from hitching rides. I had many rides from locals, but also from all over the world who traveled to see Scotland

[Jock Scot]

With reference to your comment about quite a presence of a fair few Americans at Dunvegan. Your visit may have coincided with a MacLeod international gathering that happens every four years at Dunvegan. As they have just done this year. I will let you do the calculation!

[DCampbell16B]

2023 - (4x 10) = 1983

QED

[Jock Scot]

[DCampbell16B]

Was going to hike but weather looked threatening. Is now raining. Was clear this morning. Most everyone staying again. Change to kilt just for change of pace?

Sat around in afternoon and played pipes, whistle. Not much else. Decided not to go to Gaelic service. Reread a copy of Blood Sport [Dick Francis novel. I was a big fan of his books. There were some days that I just needed to read, even though there was so much else I could be doing considering where I was.] Sat in the quiet room and watched the sunset. Played solitaire [patience] and watched folks come in from the pub and card tricks.

[DCampbell16B]

£4.30 Ferry
13p apple
38p food
£1.71½p food
88p tea
£1.80 hostel
28p fish
70p bus

Packed and watched ferry be late. Did Jim's card trick for someone last night and impressed him. [Jim was a shirttail relative a few years older than mewho taught me that trick when i was probably 10 or 12. He lived two doors up from me and passed away quite suddenly about a year ago.] Ferry at 2:45. Do some sightseeing on the north shore Uig Bay? Looking over edge, rocks, incredible, clear, aqua, water. Up to Dun Skudiburgh Harris facing wall 5 to 6 ft high 12ft long intact. Room shapes. Not vitrified. Lots of rock, semicircular. Whole top of hill has loose rock (and back of hill) which may be extensive outer works.
Top of Idrigall can see Cuillinn though in cloud, also Lewis or rocks. MacLeod's Tables. Seal off Uig Pier. [It just poked its head up and was watching us] Bought food. Ferry Hebrides uses elevator to car deck. Due to leave 2:45. Left (after 4:05). Can see Cuillinn at sea. Duntulm, N, S Ubhist? Ate hot Mackerel Sand,[?? Unclear], mashed potatoes and biscuits w/ tea. Real meal [I was eating very light to save money]. Harris feels different from Skye.* Went for a walk [around Tarbert]. Ladies next door and next door both sell hand knit things. £22 and £25 Fair Isle sweater/jumper. Kilt hose £4. Talked with man in the one ship about WWII, Gaelic, Economy, Gaelic, US, Gaelic. If weather good tomorrow go to Traigh Luskentyre. If not, Gaelic.

[*I'm not sure I can explain the difference I felt. I still remember it though.]

[DCampbell16B]

£1.80
50p

Shopping van and banking van came by today. Shopping about 12, bank about 3:30. Order 2 cans spam. Can get bread here. Everything damp this morning and rain threatens. Oh well...

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Traigh Luskentyre from Bealach.

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Traigh Seilabost

Ate lunch on dune and watched the tide come in.
Traigh Luskentyre from other side Bealach Eorabhat
Water is aqua shades. Sound of breakers. Way out are huge ones.
Walked back to hostel, got ride for 1 mile. Total 15-16 miles. Ate. Very tired. Headache. Overdid it again. This irks me. Convivial evening. 10 people in hostel.

[I remember sitting at the table for supper with a French girl, an Italian girl and an English girl. Nice evening... ]

[I remember the Kyle Stockinish hostel. It was on the east side of Harris, south of Tarbert on the Golden Road. One evening I embarrassed myself playing 1 on 1 soccer/football with the wardens son. He was about 10 years old and made me look stupid. The warden lived in part of the house. The hostel portion was a very large room. It had a tiny coal stove built in part of the wall. It was about 18x18" (half meter each way) and as deep into the wall. One morning it was pretty cool inside, so myself and another worked on starting a fire. It took some newspaper inside a little ring of wood, with the coal on top. We got it burning, but it was rather an exercise in futility as the fire was so small and the room so big that it didn't really warm up the room before the hostel closed for the day.

The Kyle Stockinish hostel is now closed. The there hostels in the Western Isles are run by different organizations.]

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Map Harris showing Kyle Stockinish. It is south of Tarbert on the east shore of Harris. The hostel is marked by a red triangle.

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Hostel page. Each hostel stamped your pass, and usually had a date. Kyle of Lochalsh was a beautiful stamp, but it took a whole page!

Scottish hostels. I don't know either of these organizations, but these websites will give you a flavor of hosteling.

https://www.scottish-hostels.com/
https://www.hostellingscotland.org.u...lling/islands/