Day Four!!

Yesterday was Sunday, and we woke up on the Isle of Skye to leave for Isle of Barra. We used to think it was ‘Bear-a’, but the Scottish tell us it’s actually pronounced ‘Bar-ra’ with a rolled ‘r’. Our journey began when we woke up at 6 o’clock in the morning, changed and literally left right away. We drove back down the hillside we were staying on, to Sligachan, through Portree, to get to Uig where the ferry was crossing to Loch Maddy. Loch Maddy was where we had to go first in order to get to Barra. Once there, we drove down the island of Uist from north to south to get to another ferry which would finally land in the north of Barra. Our hostel is in the south. Barra is smaller though, so it only takes 20 minutes or so to drive around one half.

Ferry # 1

The first ferry from Uig to Loch Maddy left at 9:00, and we were about two hours early. We wanted to grab breakfast, but it was a Sunday and everything was closed! We sat around for the whole time, throwing rocks into the ground… it was not so fun! The scenery, however, was stunning. The ferry was a big one, we were able to sit in the restaurant on the fourth deck and have breakfast. I ate so fast because I was hungry, and then when the ferry started moving I immediately felt sick. No wonder! I went up another level to a lounge and laid down on a couch, mostly snoozing the rest of the way.

We arrived in North Uist, and the drive down the island was so beautiful! What else is new? There was a perfect mixture of crystal clear blue waters and hilly countrysides. Also, Uist had the most sheep I’ve ever seen. We were again early (shocking!) for the next ferry, this time three hours to spare. Myself and my sister went into a pub called the ‘AM Politician’ and had something to eat, while my mom rested in the car. I had a humungous pot of tea which was meant for two all to myself, plus a scone with jam. The rest of the time we waited in the car by the ferry dock, snoozing and listening to music.

On the second ferry, it was much smaller and quicker to arrive at Barra. The port we left from was Eriskay and arrived at the north of Barra around 5pm. Barra is special, because it is the home of Kisimul Castle which was built and lived in by Clan MacNeil. On my mother’s side, we are McNeils! There is the slight difference in spelling, but my mom considers that side of the family’s roots to be here. We can trace some direct relatives to living here in Barra, from around 1800-1820. The hostel we are staying at is in Castlebay, where the castle is sitting on a little piece of land in the bay… makes sense! Dunard Hostel is the name and it is so charming, I love it! I’m writing this by the fire place in the sitting room, having some tea. Later on I will right about today’s adventures! 

Once we got to Castlebay yesterday, we lugged our bags into the hostel and had a quick rest before we all went for dinner to Kisimul Café, a spot overlooking the bay and castle. We all ordered the same thing; haddock and chips! And boy, was it delicious. Once that was over my mother and I went for a short walk around the town (more like a village) and found a little historic path that was filled with information on Barra’s herring industry in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. It said that the bay used to be so full of boats, around 600 at the largest, you could walk across the bay stepping from boat to boat! It is so picturesque here, I never want to leave. And if the MacNeils used to live in the castle, than this might be where my ancestors are from! We headed back to the hostel and I spent a bit of time on the computer before heading to bed. 

Overall, the day was heavy on travelling and we were very tired. Today was more eventful- will post later!