Wednesday 20th May

Today we knew the weather was going to be nice so we made the most of it.  We went to the Mull of Kintyre, the end of which is rather bleak and looks like a hillier version of the north York moors.....heather everywhere!  We went down the road and saw the lighthouse which looked SO far down... we thought it might not be a good idea to go all the way as we didn't like the prospect of coming all the way back up!  So, we made pur way across the heather to a memorial which was dedicatd to those who lost their lives in a 1994 helicopter crash.  Walking a little further on from the memorial we got a view of the coastline.  Also we could see Northern Ireland from here!

On our way back we stopped off at Keil Point.  After some lunch, we investigated the caves there which I have to say were SO smelly! (Poop everywhere!) On the other side we took a look at St Columba's footsteps (one ancient and the other carved in the 1800s), and the nearby St.Columba's Well.  We walked along the beach for a bit and saw some seals sunning themselves on the rocks, before heading back to the sandier part of the beach.  We saw some Gannets diving earlier but they had moved on by the time we had returned.  Shame, as I was hoping to try and get a photo of them diving!

Next we went to Machrhihanish for a walk which sold itself too well, as it was more like a gentle stroll.  The view wasn't as 'stunning' as it had implied, as the walk took us through part of the village and past a Marine Environment Research Station which wasn't what I would have called pretty.  However, the Gauldrons at the end were impressive and we would have rather had a walk along the ridge however there isn't such a walk that we know of.

Heading back to the cottage we stopped off at Saddell Abbey which comprised of almost overgrown ruins and a number of family plots.  There was a hut with information about the Abbey and it also contained some carved stones - some with effigies.  The Abbey itself is an old ruin but has the air of history about it,the kind you can imagine being haunted - which makes sense because there is a story of a local tailor being chased by a huge black spectral hand.  But what I kept thinking was: why a hand? I wondered if mushrooms or alcohol was involved, or perhaps a bat - you never know how much these stories are exaggerated....!