June 21 - Off day in Arisaig

All bike tourists should plan for days off the bike. They refresh the mind and body, and provide a nice break from the routine. Our break today was a trip on a ferry out to the Small Isle of Eigg, off the coast near Arisaig.

Eigg is a very popular destination for hikers in the area. The island is only about 5 miles long, so you can spend the day hiking from end to end. There are also side trails to the Sgurr (or peak), or the Singing Sands, or the Massacre Cave.

Our trip over on the ferry proved to be a wet, messy affair. The wind had picked up overnight, and the rain came down in sheets. I got a wee bit nauseated on the ferry, mostly because I hid inside the cabin area instead of coming out into the rain. I couldn't see the horizon very well.

But the trip over was made more interesting and fun by the addition of Dougal, a dog making the voyage to Rum with his owner (Rum was the next stop on the ferry after Eigg). He caused a bit of a stir by running away at the Eigg ferry terminal, but his owner managed to find him before the ferry departed.

A few of us decided to head for the Kildonnan Chapel, a church ruin situated on the southeast coast of the island. On the way, we encountered one of the locals, and had a nice chat about life on the island, organic gardening (he had a beautiful garden), the teepee set up in his back yard (Oglala Sioux design), and the new pier that was being constructed for the island. Nice man.

Organic gardener's house, Isle of Eigg

After a soggy walk around the tip of the island to the village of Kildonnan, we found the church ruin and investigated the grounds and cemetery. The cemetery had become overgrown with a wild strain of iris, which was in full bloom. It was quite beautiful, with the old headstones, irises, and church ruins. It all had a very gloomy appearance due to the overcast skies and contant rain.

Caroline seems insignificant compared to the basalt columns