Island Life – Ship Log

MS Island Sky - 25 May-7 June 2011

Day 2 -Tresco, Isles of Scilly - Saturday 28 May 2011

As soon as we were safely at anchor between Tresco and St Mary’s, some if us took the opportunity to go ashore by zodiac, to make the most of the time available to explore Tresco. For the rest, a lovely lunch was followed by a zodiac transfer to the Carn Near slipway near the gardens. For those of us who didn’t fancy the walk across the common and heathland, then across the helicopter landing site to the garden entrance, there was transport laid on by the garden staff.

The gardens had the most amazing, albeit bizarre, mixture of temperate and subtropical plants, including Echium, massive clumps of daisies, banks of Proteas and huge subtropical Banksia trees.

Some of us enjoyed a cuppa or a coffee at the café (while being entertained by amazing tame song thrushes, blackbirds, chaffinches and other birds) before setting off to walk back to the slipway. Tony led a nature walk after we had visited the gardens and this passed a couple of large ponds where there were wildfowl. All our walks today were beautiful – taking us through the forests or out into the open across dune vegetation, or along the beaches, what a great day to be here.

DAY 7 - Canna, Rum: The Small Isles, Scotland - Thursday 2 June 2011

After a quiet night at anchor at Tobermory, we sailed at daybreak and woke to view the gentle outline of the Isle of Canna, one of the Small Isles group The island is made of successive basalt lava flows – that is what creates the terraced topography. It is believed that the lava flows originated from a large volcano on Skye that erupted approximately 60 million years ago as theNorth Atlantic Ocean was forming. The Zodiac ride was calm and short, and we were joined ashore by two knowledgeable local guides, long-term island residents, who took us for a stroll around the settlement and Canna House garden. Near the pier we passed a quaint church made from large sandstone and granite blocks with a round tower based on the ancient Irish style which overlooked the bay. An impressive Celtic Cross survived on the site of the old village and burial ground. The light rain did not dampen our enthusiasm for the island!

Kinloch Castle, set in lovely mature policy woodland, was built in red sandstone all the way from the Isle of Arran, and was completed in 1900. The soil used to make the gardens was brought in from Aryshire. The castle has been preserved in its original style – displaying the decadence of the Edwardian lifestyle that existed before the war in 1914. As we wandered through the rooms, we were overwhelmed by the assortment of bizarre knickknacks, stuffed animals and technical gizmos collected by Sir George Bullough. For the entire afternoon, summer had arrived in the Inner Hebrides.

Day 8 - St. Kilda, Scotland - Friday 3 June 2011

In the early morning we arrived off St. Kilda, which loomed at the last minute out of the mist, before heading intoVillageBayon theislandofHirta. We were very lucky – although it was misty the seas were calm, and the Captain manoeuvred the ship right in close to the settlement. The view spread out in front of us was spectacular, with sea cliffs along the coast, steep hills in front, scattered ruins of the original village of the settlers and little dark brown Soay sheep that are unique to this area.

The island supported a permanent population until 1930 when they requested to be evacuated from the island. The island is now under the care of the National Trust for Scotland, and has dual status as both a Natural and Cultural World Heritage Site, one of only 25 amongst 800 in the world!

After lunch the mist lifted obligingly. We were offered an hour-long zodiac cruise along the dark gabbro (volcanic rock) cliffs of Dun, looking through the natural arches to have a taste of the swell on the west side of the island. As the breeding season is in full swing, there were fulmars, kittiwakes, some shags, and huge numbers of puffins. Several grey seals kept poking their heads up to watch us drift by.

Day 9 Tanera Mor (Summer Isles), Inverewe - Saturday 4 June 2011

Overnight we had sailed back from St Kilda and round the northern end of the island of Lewis. Early morning saw us steaming across a calm se and into position off the island of Tanera Mor, the only inhabited island of the Summer Isles. After breakfast we disembarked and took the short zodiac ride across to the jetty.

A short walk took us to the local tea room which doubles as a post office for the locally-produced stamps, which proved a big hit. The more energetic climbed up the roadway and across the heather-covered peat to the top of the island, for breathtaking views across the summer Isles, the adjacent mainland, and, clearly visible in the distance, the Outer Hebrides.

We headed north, and had a wonderful barbecue lunch on the Lido deck as we sailed into Loch Ewe and anchored in the channel near the jetty at Inverewe Gardens. This was another sheltered spot and we arrived at the garden’s jetty via zodiac, then met informative local guides for a walk through the gardens. What a magnificent place! We wandered through the narrow wooded pathways, enjoying the plants and trees, including the last of the rhododendrons, culminating in a novel walled garden.

There was so much to see and some of us came away with some new ideas to try in our own gardens. We stopped at several lovely lookouts to take in the views of the surrounding hillsides and mountains.

Day 11 -Stromness, Orkney Islands, Scotland - Monday 6 June 2011

We departed on a half-day Heritage Tour that took us, and the order varied depending upon which coach we were in, to St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, then to the ruined Stone Age village of Skara Brae (5000 years old), and finally to the Ring of Brodgar and past the standing stones of Stenness. In Kirkwall, we visited the magnificent St Magnus Cathedral. This is one of Scotland’s most beautiful medieval cathedrals! It is carved out of old red sandstone and although it is hundreds of years old has withstood the test of time and the elements. The inside of the cathedral is even more spectacular than the outside, with stained glass windows set into the tall arched ceiling that allows light in and gives the interior a warm red glow.

The Orkney Islandshave a rich history – they were originally settled in about 4000 BC, and fortunately for us, many of the Stone Age settlements have been well preserved. Skara Brae is one of the finest examples of a Neolithic village settlement anywhere. It has been built into some ancient coastal dunes. As we walked around the ruins we had a glimpse back in time to what it must have been like to live and survive in such a place. The entrances were very small, and the ceiling very low. Life would have been very tough in those days! But what a view!