Island Hopping Completed... for now!

So far in this Island Hopping journey almost all of the larger islands in the west of Scotland have been visited. One notable exception is Raasay, off the coast of Skye and accessed from that island! However, now it is the turn of some smaller islands, so join us as we Walk to Davaar then Drive to Seil

Arriving back on the Kintyre at the northern end, it is worth taking the trip south to Campbeltown. From there it is possible, at low tide, to walk across to Davaar Island. The safe times for this journey are available in the Tourist Information, as are details of trips to Sanda off the southern coast. Davaar has an unusual attraction to offer the walker – a painting of the crucifixion in a cave on the southern side of the island. (This has been recently restored since an act of vandalism earlier this year.) The walk is across rocks so solid footwear is advisable! There is also a lighthouse at the northern end and from there Arran is usually easily spotted, especially as it is the largest island around.

Even if the option is not taken to go to Sanda, driving to the southern tip of the peninsula is worthwhile as, on a clear day, the coast of Ireland is visible. Taking the road to the Mull of Kintyre is also recommended for the possible view of Rathlin Island, to the north of Ireland. A piece of advice for those that decide to walk down to the lighthouse – remember the return journey is uphill and cars are no longer allowed on the final stretch of road! Another island that can sometimes be seen from around this area is Ailsa Craig, a very distinctive dome shaped lump in the middle of the water!

Now it is time to return to the northern end of Kintyre once more and continuing north on the road to Oban. For the next island to be visited a ferry will not be required as, like Skye, it is possible to drive to this one! Access to Seil is via the Atlantic Bridge although at this point, and especially at low tide, the Atlantic is not very wide. However, a bridge has been built and it would be a shame to ignore that! Also, a trip to Seil allows two more hops to two more islands – Luing to the south Seil and Easdale to the west. The former and larger of the two has a car ferry, while the latter is accessed by a small boat. Just make sure you have money with you as the ferry man collects the fares on the return trip!

Collectively, these three islands are known as the Slate Islands due to the fact that they are made of slate. This has been quarried extensively to provide roofing material for Scotland and beyond, including Nova Scotia! Slate also makes for good skimmers, flat rocks that are thrown across water in such a way that it (hopefully) skims, or more accurately bounces, across the surface. Chances are at the side of any body of calm water people will be seen taking part in this popular activity. So popular in fact there is even a World Championship that has taken place each year since 1997 – on Easdale, which also happens to be the smallest, permanently inhabited island off the coast of Scotland!

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