Tiree and back

The flight that really wetted my appetite for wandering around slow-and-low. A friend rang on a whim (CAVOK) and at short notice we set off for Oban in his Auster 5.

Poor photos I know, but rattled film camera through plexiglass... we set off from Kirkbride over the Solway and past Dumfries making a bee-line for the Crinan canal.

The weather really was exceptional and we soon spied Mull lurking under it's own weather system.

Glassy water conditions as we approached Oban airfield.

We were welcomed warmly by the airfield owner and persuaded to stay overnight, largely by the kind loan of a tent and the fact that we weren't the only ones. Etive Taxis duly turned up and took us into Oban for some grub.

After a surprisingly comfortable night, the weather still was fine, so we set out for Mull and Glenforsa Airfield.

Returning to Oban for a second night, the next day dawned with the weather still holding, so we took the decision to continue outward to Tiree.

A very official reception at a very impressive terminal building on Tiree, efficiently pointed us out along the aptly named Reef Terrace to the Scarinish Hotel for the night - only to find the same girl pulling pints behind the bar that evening.

On the way home I had to get a snap of Duart Point, Mull. Back during school days in the Lake District, an old boy and then Factor of Torosay Castle invited a group of us up for a summer holiday working party, preparing the place for public openings. We had a great time, out with the local keeper who was building a catamaran in his Nissan hut (I always wondered if the keeper sailed it around the world like he intended) and gaining beer credits by whitewashing the Craignure Inn. I was introduced to poet Lionel Leslie and remember a cup of tea with him at Duart Castle, whilst watching the seals on the rocky shore.