Phun Cruise 2012: Friday 15 June 2012

Forecast is NE 5-7 as expected so we decided to explore the island. We followed the marked path round the island, which visits the lighthouse at the far end. The houses are spread out along the winding road along the W side of the island. They have more of a mainland appearance than those on the islands further south, in that each house has a proper garden round it, sometimes consisting of the old lazy beds from an earlier era. Looking out over the Minch we were very glad we were not sailing – it did not look inviting. We eventually reached the lighthouse which is one of the oldest in Scotland and was the first light on the Outer Hebrides. The old accommodation buildings have been taken over by a trust which seems to be having trouble getting them back into order. It is not an easy place to get the builders in as there is barely a track to the place. The alternative is to come to the tiny quay near the lighthouse, but I don’t think it would be wise to use the antique crane there!

The return leg of the walk was on the windier side of the island. Shouldn’t complain – lots of the country is getting lots of rain and we were only getting cold wind. There has been very little rain here for the last 3 months. The peat had in some places dried out and opened huge deep cracks and all the boggy ground on the walk was dry – in normal weather it would be a harder walk.

Back at the village we visited the community shop and enjoyed welcome tea and scone. The bunting was out at the primary school. This evening they are holding a closing celebration and inviting lots of old pupils. This and other small primary schools are all being closed and merged into a fine new school at Tarbert.

There was not too much wind to row back to the boat, but soon after our return the wind got up to the level where rowing would be a real problem. We normally don’t take the outboard as it makes it more difficult to land and carry the dinghy, but there are times when it’s really useful.

The wind has been F5-6, touching 7 and the boat swings about a lot. With the rudder lifted the swings are not so wide. Tomorrow it looks as if the weather will be no better so there is no plan to go anywhere – if the wind does not drop we may have to just stay on the boat.