I finally Landed

Yesterday, I landed in Scotland. Yes, I arrived several days ago. However, Yesterday was the first day I set foot on Scottish soil.

I landed at Kerrera Marina on the island Kerrera. It is just across a small bay from Oban, Scotland. Oban was my planned port-of-call. These days, the UK has no port-of-call. All your arrival and departure information is done online

Oban Across the bay at Sunset

I woke up at 5:30am. The sun was just coming up. I jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed. Then, I put my bicycle together. I was surprised at how well it went together. It’s been packed away in the bow (front) of the boat for over two years. I checked it out, and almost everything was working. The rear derailleur cable had broken. So, I can’t change gears. Of course, then the default is the highest gear.

Coming to Kerrera ysterday, I went past Castle Bay. I could see the castle from the boat. I planned to ride my bike to the other end of the island and photograph the castle at the morning golden hour. That comes very early since Scotland is so far north.

It would be a four mile walk without the bike… each way. That would not include the hike to the castle. I opted to ride the bike as best I could. Then walk the bike on the steeper hills. This plan worked out really well.

Along the way, I passed a placard on a stone. The very first transatlantic telephone cable ran from Newfoundland to this point on Kerrera island. Wow! I learned something new and still have the whole day ahead of me…. Bonus!

First Submarine Transatlantic Cable Placard

When I reached the end of the road, I could have continued riding my bike through the fields, but chose to leave the bike by the fence and hike the rest of the way. I’ve been cooped up in the boat for over a week. I good walk would be nice.

I walked past sheep in a field, softly stepping through a bog trying to stay dry. For the record, that’s not possible. It’s also not comfortable in bike shoes.

When I rounded a corner in the path… there was the castle. It wasn’t as I had envisioned from the boat, but still very cool sitting on a high rock promontory.

Castle Glyen

I walked up to and even inside the castle. I walked all around taking photos. When I first walked in and saw the fireplace, I thought this was a really small Great Room. There was a placard explaining that this was the kitchen.

The Kitchen

There were originally four floors. You can see the remnants of the spiral staircase. There were at least three floors at this part of the castle.

Primary Stairway

There was a beautiful view from the castle window. In the distance, I could see the big mountain on Jura where I sat out the gale a week ago.

View from the Castle Looking South

I was happy with the light. It certainly was worth getting up and moving at that early hour. When I was done taking photos, I took a different path back to the bike. Along the way, I remember what a National Geographic Photographer in Breckenridge told me. “Hike to a location and photograph on your way back”. I didn’t exactly do that. However, remembering his words made me turn around. The photo below is what I saw.

Castle Glyen

I was feeling really good. My first full day on land , beautiful morning light, and great scenery to immerse myself in.

I had almost reached the bike, when the path was occupied by a couple sheep. I wasn’t sure how they would react to my sudden appearance. They were sheep. So, I wasn’t expecting any aggression. I slowly took off my backpack and grabbed my camera. They didn’t move. I was afraid they’d run away. I took this shot below.