Ray's Movie of Arriving in Colonsay

Rainy Sunday Ferry Trip July 31, 2011

Considering that it is rainy, we decided to head for Dunadd. We had visited the Kilmartin Church with its numerous grave slabs on a past visit. People have lived in the Kilmartin area for thousands of years. More than 350 prehistoric and historic sites lie within six miles of this quiet village: burial cairns, rock carvings, standing stones and stone circles, medieval castles, ancient grave stones depicting warriors, early Christian crosses, deserted croft houses, and the fortress of the earliest Scottish Kings.

This time my aim was for fortress--the hill fort. The Gaelic kingdom of Dalriada was founded around 500 AD by Celtic immigrants from Antrim in Ireland, known to the Romans as “Scotti,” possibly meaning pirates or raiders. Only twelve miles of sea separates the Mull of Kintyre from Antrim. The Gaels of Dál Riata and Antrim traded across the sea routes, intermarried and sometimes fought. Chieftain of Dal Riata of Antrim, Fergus Mor mac Eirc, arrived here in Argyll to establish a kingdom, to find more room for himself and his heirs. The Scotti established their capital at Dunadd, an isolated, craggy hill fort that rises out of eerie, flat Crinan Moss, once marshland, now brown and barren. The hill fort of Dunadd glowers over the flatlands in the south end of the Kilmartin Glen. Though it appears higher because of the surrounding low land, it is only 174 feet high. The sea floor was higher in earlier days and this fort provided a great lookout for overseeing ships. Dunadd was the center of a civilization with trading links as far as Afghanistan and the Mediterranean.

A rocky path winds uncertainly upwards through terraces and gateways to the top. It is known for its unique stone carvings below the upper enclosure, including a footprint and basin scooped out of the rock, both thought to have formed part of Dal Riata’s coronation ritual. There is also a seat or throne. On the same flat outcrop of rock is an incised boar in Pictish style and an inscription in the Ogham script. The inscription is read as referring to a Finn Manach and is dated to the late 8th century or after. The Kings of Dalriada were crowned here, seated on the Stone of Destiny, brought with them from Ireland. St. Columba is believed to have performed the very first Christian coronation in Britain here, that of Aidan in 574.

We weren’t able to climb today because of the weather, but we hope to return later in the week. They say that apart from a small farm at the foot of the rock, the view from this birthplace of Scotland is much the same as it was in the days of Dalriada. The landscape is still empty and mystical and from its heights you can see Jura. The Stone of Destiny was taken from here to Dunstaffnage. From there in 843 AD, the King of the Scots, Kenneth MacAlpin, marched east to Scone to claim, by marriage, the Pictish throne, thus creating the beginnings of the kingdom called Scotland.

On the drive back we saw several large standing stone in groups (I believe these were the Nether Largie Standing Stones) and Carnasserie Castle, a ruined 16th century tower house, noted for its unusual plan and renaissance detailing.

We returned to the apartment then at 4, we walked down to the ferry terminal and bought tickets for the evening cruise to Colonsay. My main reason for wanting to go was to try to see the Corryvreckan Whirlpool. Ever since I saw the movie “I Know Where I’m Going,” an old black and white movie which used Colonsay as its setting and involved a scene with the whirlpool, I have wanted to see it.

The Gulf of Corryvreckan is a narrow strait between the islands of Jura and Scarba. Strong Atlantic currents and unusual underwater topography conspire to produce a particularly intense tidal race in the Corryvreckan channel. As the flood tide enters the narrow area between the two islands, it speeds up to about 10 mph and also meets a variety of seabed features including a deep hole and a rising pinnacle.

These features combine to create whirlpools, standing waves, and a variety of other surface effects. The Corryvreckan is the third largest whirlpool in the world. Flood tides can drive the waters of Corryvreckan to waves of over 30 feet, and the roar of the resulting maelstrom can be heard ten miles away. Writer George Orwell and his son (who lived at Barnhill in northern Jura when he stayed here to write “1984”) were briefly shipwrecked on the skerry of Eilean Mor (south of the whirlpool) when boating in the gulf. In the film I mentioned, they filmed in Corryvreckan and the nearby (but less fierce) waters at Bealach a’ Choin Ghlais. The footage obtained there was then used in back projections with the actors in a replica boat rocked on gimbals while buckets of water were thrown at them. Model shots of the whirlpool were made to give a medium view of the boat being drawn in to Corryvreckan.

Sadly, once the ferry left the dock today, the weather got progressively worse so that by the time we arrived in the Corryvreckan area, we couldn’t see a thing. It was slightly better on the way back, but still no sightings of the whirlpool for us. Oh well.

Oh, I think I forgot to mention that I finally tried that Irn Bru that everyone drinks over here. Wow—it is like drinking a drink made of those orange circus peanuts we used to eat as kids. So sweet! Yuck!!!

Also, on an Edinburgh bus the other day, there was a young girl who had the back of her neck pierced!!! Two big balls coming out of the back of her neck. It’s enough to make you faint just seeing it. How could she do that?

Funny sign at the Oban Bay Fish & Chips shop that says: Sit Doon & Carry Oot—for that is basically how sit down and carry out is pronounced here.

Pictures from top: View from our window this morning; man overboard practice guy; Colonsay; just north of Jura with its 3 Paps, this is where the whirlpool would’ve been if we had been able to see it through the clouds.