We were almost up with the birds in the morning eager to see what the weather was doing, but it was a bit cloudy and we had a really heavy shower of rain. However, as we were eating a very nicely cooked hearty Scottish breakfast, the weather brightened and the owner of the B & B (Callum) phoned ahead to find out if the Staffa trip was on - it was!! It then turned out to be the most glorious morning and we headed off to Fionnphort to board the boat that would take us over to Staffa where we would get the opportunity to see Fingal's Cave. The sea was calm and blue and we had a lovely sail over to the island of Staffa. There was even some wildlife to see on the way there
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| Seals basking on the rocks |
It was only when we got a bit closer that I saw lots of people already on the island and to my surprise and delight, discovered that we not only could walk onto the top of the island, we could also walk along the shoreline and into the cave itself!
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| People on the shoreline at Fingal's Cave |
We soon disembarked and walked onto the top of the island first so that the others who were already at the cave would have left by the time we got down and, as it happened, that plan worked out well!! The sun was beating down on us and it was really hot while we were on the island. We couldn't have asked for better weather for this part of the trip. We were met by this cheeky chap when we reached the top of the steps onto the island
We wandered around for a while taking some photos - here are some of the many that I took!!
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| Rock formation |
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| On top of the cliffs |
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| View of the cliffs |
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| Another view of the cliffs |
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| Stairs down to the pier and shore |
After descending the stairs back to the pier and shoreline, we walked along the rocks towards Fingal's Cave. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be as those rock formations are quite flat and level and there's also a handrail to hang onto if you're not too sure or a bit unsteady on your feet. Once you get to the cave, you can go part of the way in till you come to a chain. After that, you're not really supposed to go any further but, if you're very careful, you can, and we did!! We were really lucky with the weather and the relatively calm sea because, if had been the least bit choppy or rough, there's no way we'd have been able to get close, never mind inside!!
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| Inside Fingal's Cave |
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| Inside Fingal's Cave looking out |
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| Rock formation on the shoreline |
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| The walk along the shoreline towards the pier |
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| The walk along the shoreline towards the cave |
As we approached the pier, it was soon time to board the boat for our onward journey to Iona, another place that we had wanted to visit for a long time. We had a lovely view of Staffa as we left.
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| Island of Staffa |
We had a lovely view of Iona Abbey as we approached the island but, as you can see, the clouds had started to come in and the sun was quickly disappearing behind them!!
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| Iona Abbey |
We had a bit of a walk and a bite to eat before going to visit the Nunnery and the Abbey, and found Iona to be very peaceful. The weather did seem to be closing in a little though, but at least it was still warm and dry.
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| On Iona |
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| Sailing boat |
Next on the list to see was the Nunnery. The clouds had obscured the sun by now and we could feel some spits of rain in the air, but it was still quite warm and it didn't disrupt the visit.
After a nice wander among the ruins we headed the short distance over to the Abbey itself and, on the way there, we saw people standing watching out over the bay, and I heard the words, "There's about five of them" and quickly realised that there was a pod of dolphins out there!! We were very far away from the shore, but I did manage to catch a couple of fairly decent photos using the zoom lens. They are a bit fuzzy, but still recognisable as dolphins!! What a bonus this was!! It really was the icing on the cake!!
We then had a walk around the Abbey and the museum, and then the small chapel that stands just outwith the grounds. The rain hadn't really come to anything at all, so our visit wasn't spoiled.
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| Entrance to Iona Abbey |
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| Museum |
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| Museum |
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| Ruins outside |
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| Inside Iona Abbey |
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| Iona Abbey |
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| One of the stained glass windows |
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| Iona Abbey |
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| Inside the small chapel |
We left here, had a coffee then caught the ferry back to Mull as the weather was really beginning to close in even more. On the way back to the ferry I caught sight of these scarecrows, but can't help thinking that they weren't that scary any more as they had seemed to have lost their heads!
Once we got back to Mull we stopped off at the Kell Row once again in Fionnphort for dinner before heading back to Bunessan. As we were nearing Bunessan, you could see how the weather was coming in and how the clouds were gathering. I converted this to black and white as there was very little colour in the original photo.
As we got into the village though, there were some quite good reflections as the tide was in.
And here's another black and white conversion as there were hardly any colours showing up at all.
And that was that for the day. We'd had a great day out and all that was left to do was go back to the B & B to settle in for the night to prepare for the next day's sightseeing. We had planned a west coast road trip for the morning, so we just hoped that the weather was going to be kind to us! We were in bed by 10.30 p.m.!! Totally unheard of for us!!
We wandered around for a while taking some photos - here are some of the many that I took!!
After a nice wander among the ruins we headed the short distance over to the Abbey itself and, on the way there, we saw people standing watching out over the bay, and I heard the words, "There's about five of them" and quickly realised that there was a pod of dolphins out there!! We were very far away from the shore, but I did manage to catch a couple of fairly decent photos using the zoom lens. They are a bit fuzzy, but still recognisable as dolphins!! What a bonus this was!! It really was the icing on the cake!!
We then had a walk around the Abbey and the museum, and then the small chapel that stands just outwith the grounds. The rain hadn't really come to anything at all, so our visit wasn't spoiled.
Once we got back to Mull we stopped off at the Kell Row once again in Fionnphort for dinner before heading back to Bunessan. As we were nearing Bunessan, you could see how the weather was coming in and how the clouds were gathering. I converted this to black and white as there was very little colour in the original photo.
As we got into the village though, there were some quite good reflections as the tide was in.
And here's another black and white conversion as there were hardly any colours showing up at all.
And that was that for the day. We'd had a great day out and all that was left to do was go back to the B & B to settle in for the night to prepare for the next day's sightseeing. We had planned a west coast road trip for the morning, so we just hoped that the weather was going to be kind to us! We were in bed by 10.30 p.m.!! Totally unheard of for us!!
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