Sunny Day on the Isle of Mull

Look what we awoke to this morning!

What a difference a day makes!

See that mountain in the background?  We didn't even know that it was there until this morning!  Who knows what pleasures we've missed?

But not today!  Our plans were to take the Ferry to the Isle of Mull, and we couldn't ask for more perfect weather.

After a scrumptious breakfast which included porridge with cream and whiskey (which was marvelous!), we headed to catch the 9:40 ferry.

The sun seemed to make everything sparkle!

Soon we were onboard and beginning our journey.  Not far out of the port of Oban, Dunstaffnage Castle came into sight.

You can see the top of the keep peeking up over the trees in the forest.  It looks so remote from this vantage point, but it is obviously not, since we drove by industrial buildings to get there yesterday.

As the ferry continued its journey, we passed this lighthouse, which I found to be quite lovely as well.

The ride took about 45 minutes, and waiting at the other end was a special bus to drive us to Duart Castle.  We probably could have walked, but it was about a 3 mile drive, and a one price ticket that included ferry, bus and admittance to the castle sounded like a fair deal to me!

The views from the lot were equally beautiful.

Honestly, can you believe the gloriousness of this day!

Here you see Duart Castle, obviously undergoing some renovations

It's just too bad that the scaffolding was set up, because this picture perfect day would have resulted in some awesome photos!

Duart Castle is the ancestral home of the Clan Maclean.  It stands in a spot where three lochs meet, upon a crag, at the tip of a peninsula.

In 1367, a papal dispensation allowed Chief Lachlan Lubanach Maclean to marry the daughter of the Lord of the Isles, Mary Macdonald.  Much of the island, as well as the castle, was part of Mary's dowry.   As with most castles, Duart underwent many battles and there were many renovations over the years to make it a stronghold, and over the years, it had changed hands several times. 

In 1911, Sir Fitzroy Maclean purchased this ancestral castle and began restoring it to its former glory.  It has continued to be in the Maclean family since.

The interior was filled with family heirlooms.  The walls were covered with old photos from days past, each one identifying the subjects.  One could spend hours looking through the artifacts that were on display.  It told the story from the late 1400's to the present day.  

There was a gown in perfect condition from 1803 which had belonged to one of the lady's in the house.  It reminded me of the very same gowns that you see in Jane Austin's pride and prejudice.  I just couldn't believe how well preserved it was.

One of the rooms featured an added bay window, looking north, where one could actually see Ben Nevis in the distance.  Yesterday, I don't think we would have been able to see the water from that room!  But today cleared out beautifully, allowing the picturesque views of the mountains so far away.

Near the white lighthouse there was a very small island that had an interesting story associated with.

Around 1520, the 11th Chief of Clan Maclean, Lachian Cattanach, married Catherine, the sister of the Chief of Clan Campbell, the Earl of Argyll.

After some time, when she failed to produce an heir, Lachian decided to have her stranded on the small island, which is now known as Lady's Rock, to await the incoming tide, which he knew would cover the island, causing her to drown.

Just as expected, the next morning found Catherine gone, and Lachian sadly reported her death to her brother, the Earl of Argyll.  He was invited to a banquet at the Earl's castle in Inverary (which we visited in past days), and when he arrived, he saw Catherine sitting next to her brother at the table.  

Unbeknownst to her husband, she had been rescued by a boat of men who just happened to be of the Clan Campbell, and they had safely taken her home to her brother.  

Lachian was permitted to lave unharmed, but he was found murdered in Edinburgh in Nov. 1523, apparently stabbed in revenge by another of Catherine's brothers.

We never did learn of what happened to Catherine.

Since there was plenty of time before the bus would take us back to the ferry terminal, we decided to walk around a bit to enjoy the scenery.

Across this bay stands another stately home that I was able to zoom in to see better.

Marty had his binoculars and was still looking for those sea monsters

Actually, he has been looking for seals, but once this fishing boat showed up offshore

His eyes were keen on seeing just what showed up on board.

In the meantime, I was happy to take more photos

You can see just how the castle stood upon the crag from the bottom near North Shore.

Marty took a photo of us beneath the castle

And, soon, it was time to board the Caledonian for the trip back to Oban.

On the way back, we passed the spot where Duart Castle stood majestically overlooking the loch.

The wind had picked up on the ride back, but we still had the sunshine to help keep us warm.

As you can see, it was a picture perfect day, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

When we walked down to dinner, which ended up being rather late, I took a photo of the McCaig's Tower 

You can see how close we were to it as we walked into town.

And here's a view from the pier.

You can rest assured that this is NOT a Roman Colosseum overlooking the town.  John Stuart McCaig decided to build this structure to keep local stonemasons employed during the winter months, and to provide a lasting monument to the McCaig family. He died in 1902, and the tower was never completed.  It actually feel into a mess of weeds and rubbish until the local council took it over, cleaned it up, and made it look as it appears today.

Last night's colors were green.  Tonight, they were purple.  If I were here longer, I could tell you if it changes again tonight, but, alas, we're off to Helensburgh.  (Pronounced Helensburr…..I have to keep reminding myself of the different pronunciation!)

Hope you enjoyed today's spectacular beauty!  You know that we did!