This is a shot just to show the beautiful coastline that we drove along for many miles.
On the way to the ferry terminal, we saw this crumbling castle on the coast, so we walked through some farmer's fields until we came to it. There was no access whatsoever, due to the rugged rocks immediately surrounding it, and the posted warnings of falling masonary, and the heavily locked old door. I'm pretty sure that I could have found a way in, but I thought that I'd better not just in case things went sideways. This castle is called Mingary Castle, and upon looking up its history, I found that it was inhabited for over 400 years! It was the centre of numerous bloody clan wars dating back to the 14th century, and it was laid siege to several times, and visited numerous times by Scotland's King James IV, all because of its importance to controlling the local waterways. Lots of cool history, all in a ruin that stands unattended and slowly disintegrating on the coast.
Here was the Kilchoan ferry terminal! The yellow sign actually reads "Waiting Room". I like how the fare wasn't collected until after everyone drives on and the boat starts to leave!
Approaching the Isle of Mull. Lots of lighthouses in this part of the country.
Approaching the Isle of Mull. Lots of lighthouses in this part of the country.
Driving to the south end of Mull, we came across these rotted fishing boats pulled up on shore. Made for a good reason to stop!
Of course, half the fun is exploring the boats!
On one of our breaks, Emma demonstrated her awesome tree-climbing skills. She was at least 5 feet off the ground!
The imposing Duart castle on Mull. This is owned by the 16th(?) chieftain of the Maclean clan. Apparently Macleans from all over the world visit this during huge clan gatherings. Amazing private collection of arms, armour, and clan treasures from the last 600 years.
The colourful seaside village of Tobermory on Mull.
The next day we started our hunt for the Loch Ness Monster. We thought that we'd begin at the old Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness.
Isaiah decided that he'd start looking carefully over the dark waters of the Loch.
He did take a break to join us in a family shot overlooking the castle. Funny thing is that we are all still wearing the same clothing that we wore in our Paris family shots! Time to change our clothes soon!
Sophie claimed to find Nessie, but I was a little suspicious being that we were in the gift shop...
Isaiah also claimed to have seen something, but we doubted him of course. Funny though, when we later looked at this photo, we realized that he may have been on to something. Could this be the final proof that the world needs?
The imposing Duart castle on Mull. This is owned by the 16th(?) chieftain of the Maclean clan. Apparently Macleans from all over the world visit this during huge clan gatherings. Amazing private collection of arms, armour, and clan treasures from the last 600 years.
The colourful seaside village of Tobermory on Mull.
The next day we started our hunt for the Loch Ness Monster. We thought that we'd begin at the old Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness.
Isaiah decided that he'd start looking carefully over the dark waters of the Loch.
He did take a break to join us in a family shot overlooking the castle. Funny thing is that we are all still wearing the same clothing that we wore in our Paris family shots! Time to change our clothes soon!
Sophie claimed to find Nessie, but I was a little suspicious being that we were in the gift shop...
Isaiah also claimed to have seen something, but we doubted him of course. Funny though, when we later looked at this photo, we realized that he may have been on to something. Could this be the final proof that the world needs?
Thanks for checking out this part of our journey! Next stop, the Orkney Islands!
Cheers,
Jimy MacJohnson
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