We picked up our rental car this morning and headed out for a full day of adventuring, mixed with trepidation and anxiety around left handed driving. Blue got the hang of it pretty quickly once we got out of Campbeltown.
We headed south to Southend where we tried to climb Dunaverty, the last McDonald stronghold on the Kintyre. When it finally fell it is said the coquerors threw the survivors off the ramparts into the sea.
Like many historical sites in Scotland and England, getting to them means crossing private property. It feels strange to us to open front gates and walk through, but when in Rome, as they say.
The wind was HOWLING today, gusts in the 50 mph range. Getting to the top of the Dun was not possible. While taking photos the wind whipped my phone out of my hands and then took care to plop it down in some seagull poo. Sigh. At least the phone didn't take a dive off the cliff after the McDonalds.
From Dunaverty we crossed to the other side of the bay to St. Columba's church, cemetery, monastery and all things Saintly. The caves, above, are called Kiels caves and much lore and mystery surround them. We found them full of pigeons.
Did I mention that the wind was very blustery today?
Footsteps carved into stone to commemorate St. Columba's landing in Scotland. Later St. Columba traveled to Iona to establish a monastery there - we visited it last year.
The Well at St. Columba's church - now in the midst of a sheep field.
Yes, this is Blue escaping INTO the church yard and cemetery.
Skull and crossed bones on a grave in St. Columba's church ruins. This skull is a happy one.
I was awed by the ocean today. The waves were massive and powerful, the sound was impressive, the pulse filled my heart and soul.
Limpet shells and seaweed on the shore.
After St. Columba's we traveled to the west side of the Kintyre to Macrahanish. There we looked west across the Atlantic ocean to America. Just outside Machrahanish is a standing stone and cairn; we managed to find it in a farmer's field situated on a high bench above a valley dedicated to agriculture - dairy, sheep and grass.
And near the standing stones was Kilkiven, another church ruin with several outstanding mideval stone slabs.
The wild primrose and buttercups were riotous.
Back on the east side of the Kintyre peninsula, we stopped at Kildonan Dun. This hilltop fortress was probably constructed in the first or second century AD. It is quite well preserved. In this photo you can see the site of another Dun across the water - look on the left along the horizon for the monument stone.
At Saddell some recovery and preservation has taken place for the grave slabs. Saddell was the home of a Cistercian monastery built after Somerled ran the Vikings out of Scotland, around 1150. Many of these "effigy" and high cross stones were carved in Iona and shipped across to Kintyre.
Not much remains of the monastery; this founding stone is still in place, however.
Goofing around with a bike in the Campbeltown Museum. Cannot imagine how to get on or off that thing.
A well earned pint at the Harborview. The odometer told us we drove 57 miles today; it felt like 357.
We met some interesting folk at the pub including Alec, a local historian and Gaelic scholar. He has visited North Carolina to trace the Campbeltown immigrants there. The barmaids had a blast with our horrible pronunciations of their local historical sites, but I took good notes and will be able to sound like a local by Wednesday!
And we discovered this amazing candy shop on the corner of our B&B street. Can't wait to try a few of these unheard of treats.