Almost as soon as
Marcus left from Arisaig for a planned trip to Bristol, the boat electronics went into
mourning. I woke up to a carbon monoxide alarm going off (never happened
before), the boat computer freezing completely and the chart plotter displaying
a never seen before error code. Possibly all set up to ensure I mourned his
absence too....
Helpfully I had been left with a reasonably long
list of jobs to complete to keep me occupied while confined to the boat as some
dubious weather came through. Sitting on one of the most distant mooring bouys,
with 40kt winds and rain lashing down, trips ashore were not especially
appealing. There is little to say about time spent on a boat in the wind and
rain, but I am now reasonably confident in my ability to pull apart a winch,
cover it in grease and oil and put it together again with no parts left over. I
also had the opportunity to practice some sail sewing (batten pockets with
several layers of canvas to fight the needle through!) and do some extensive
rope whipping - exciting times!
When the wind relented I did manage to explore the
surrounding area on some lovely runs so there are a few photos below in case
anyone wishes to visit the area - something I would highly recommend.
Considering the tiny size of the place, Arisaig has an interesting history. In
the Second World War Arisaig House was used as the headquarters for the
Scottish section of the Special Operations Executive; agents undertook pretty
extreme training in the local area prior to deployment (learning how to jump
off moving trains and planes for example). There is also the amazing Wild
Woodland Garden of Larachmhor on the outskirts of the village - home to an
array of exotic planting and a hint of magic!
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| Calm after the storm - views out to Eigg and Rum |
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| Rhu Point Beach - popular with sea kayakers |
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| Gardens of Arisaig House |
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| Riverside run to Prince Charlie's Cave (cave not found) |
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| Silver sands of Morar |
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| Coastal path near Traigh Beach |
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| Traigh Beach |
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| Another of the many stunning beaches north of Arisaig |
Through some incredibly stroke of genius and fortuitous timing, Marcus and Hektor arrived in Fort William just in time to catch the Hogwarts Express steam train to Arisaig. It seems you can either book tickets months in advance or just turn up on the day and talk nicely to the guard to get a ride.
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| The 'Jacobite' waiting for Marcus and Hektor to arrive in Fort William! |
Hektor repaid the guard with a Bertie Botts jelly bean (vomit flavour) which didn't seem like an entirely fair transaction. The route between Fort William and Mallaig is pretty incredible anyway but with the addition of a steam train into the mix it was a good start to Hektor's half term holiday. Marcus will likely be booking a cabin on the sleeper train on all future trips south, having discovered the seats weren't a great option (Hektor apparently slept really well though.....). Normal activity will resume and Marcus will be back to writing future posts now he's back on board
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| Hektor enjoying explorations of Larachmhor Gardens |
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| Larachmhor Gardens - magical in the sun |
Follow our progress here.
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