Loose Ends
23 September 1989
If I were simply on holiday for leisure's sake, I probably would have stayed an extra day or two on Skye, but now having seen my wild otter, and being near the end of my trip, it seemed a good idea to start tying up some loose ends.
K6 telephone kiosk near Doirlinn, Scotland, taken this day in 1989. Gone now. Photo ©J Scott Shannon.
One thing I definitely wanted to do was to visit Jim Conroy - the colleague from the otter colloquium who had offered me a Ph.D. position at the University of Aberdeen. He was stationed at the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology in Banchory, which was on the complete other side of Scotland, so if I wanted to spend more than a cursory amount of time with Jim, and secure lodging in the area, to boot, I would have to leave Kyleakin at the crack of dawn.
Being so early, there was barely any queue for the car ferry to Kyle of Lochalsh. I didn't know it at the time, of course, but this ferry crossing was to be rendered obsolete after the opening of Skye Bridge. This would be my last ride on the good ship Kyleakin.
"MacBraynes ferry at Kyleakin, Isle of Skye" ©tangosierraone on Flickr.
Taking the A87 east from Kyle of Lochalsh through Glenshiel, I arrived at Fort William in time for breakfast at Nevisport.
When I phoned Jim Conroy from Fort William, however, he told me this "would not be a good time" for me to visit. I was puzzled, because when I rang him just two days ago from Glenelg, he seemed eager for me to come a'calling. Now, all of a sudden, he doesn't want to see me? I didn't quite know what to make of that, but if Jim said don't come, that was it. I would now have to come up with a Plan B for today, and it took maybe all of a few seconds for me to think of one. I would pay a visit to fellow otter conservationists Jim and Rosemary Green at their home in Strontian, just a stone's throw from here. I'd already met Rosemary at the recent otter colloquium, and she'd extended an open invitation to me to visit afterwards.
Unfortunately, I did not have the Greens' phone number or address. Once in Strontian, I inquired at the local post office and got directions, but when I finally found the place, the Greens were not at home. *sigh* Nothing I could do. Strike two.
So now what? Well, I hadn't yet checked out all the places that Chris Mason had told me I might see otters, so... (looks down list) maybe I should try this place called Glenborrodale, on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula. Going there, I'd be backtracking a little to the general area where I started out on the 19th, but I was fine with that. Maybe I could stay the night at Fergie's Hotel Clanranald again? Speaking of which, that sounded like a good place to have lunch!
Unfortunately, it being Saturday, there were no vacancies at Fergie's, nor were there rooms at the Clan Morrison Hotel in Glenborrodale. I was beginning to fret I'd be sleeping in my car this weekend when the proprietor at the Hotel Salen found me a room at the nearby Loch Shiel Hotel in Acharacle. Whew! Once settled in, I gathered my gear, then set straight out to take some photos of that splendid vista I'd beheld on my first evening here.
Castle Tioram and Eilean Shona, Highland, Scotland, 23 September 1989. Photo ©J Scott Shannon.
And on my way out, I took that snapshot at the top of my post of the lonely phone box near Doirlinn. It's one of my favorite photos of my entire trip!
Then, in the late afternoon, it was back out to Glenborrodale to search for otters. Although I was very pleased to have seen an otter at Kylerhea, that was really too easy for my liking. I wanted to actually use my skills to track the animals, find their sign, locate a den (or a "holt" as they called them here), and study them the good old-fashioned way like the experienced field biologist I was. It would be a challenge, but I knew I was up to it!
Once again at the Clan Morrison Hotel, I spoke to the proprietor, Alan Morrison, and got his permission to explore the shoreline of his property to look for otters. I dictated my explorations to audio tape, but I won't bore you with the details, nor subject you to photos of otter spraints (it ain't pretty), but suffice it to say, I did find sign of the animals' presence and what I suspected was a path to a holt. However, no thanks to some water skiers nearby, I concluded there was no chance I'd be seeing otters here this evening. So, at sunset, I gave up my search and headed back to my hotel.
I wish I had made note of exactly where I had supper that night, because it was by far the best meal I had during my entire time in the West. I might have eaten at the Loch Shiel Hotel, but in my mind's eye, I dined at a roadside pub on my way back from Glenborrodale. Referring to my trip expense ledger, I ordered scampi, and for liquid refreshment, I had a long draught of McEwan's beer with my meal, topped off with a dram or three of Whyte & Mackay Scotch whisky. Absolutely top notch. And it turned out I had dinner with an otter that night, too, though unfortunately, as you can see, he was unavailable for conversation. ;-)
The one-and-only photo of Your Truly in Scotland, 23 September 1989.
My thanks to the friendly bartender for taking this picture. If ever anyone reading this recognizes this pub or bar, please let me know!
If I were simply on holiday for leisure's sake, I probably would have stayed an extra day or two on Skye, but now having seen my wild otter, and being near the end of my trip, it seemed a good idea to start tying up some loose ends.
K6 telephone kiosk near Doirlinn, Scotland, taken this day in 1989. Gone now. Photo ©J Scott Shannon.
One thing I definitely wanted to do was to visit Jim Conroy - the colleague from the otter colloquium who had offered me a Ph.D. position at the University of Aberdeen. He was stationed at the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology in Banchory, which was on the complete other side of Scotland, so if I wanted to spend more than a cursory amount of time with Jim, and secure lodging in the area, to boot, I would have to leave Kyleakin at the crack of dawn.
Being so early, there was barely any queue for the car ferry to Kyle of Lochalsh. I didn't know it at the time, of course, but this ferry crossing was to be rendered obsolete after the opening of Skye Bridge. This would be my last ride on the good ship Kyleakin.
"MacBraynes ferry at Kyleakin, Isle of Skye" ©tangosierraone on Flickr.
Taking the A87 east from Kyle of Lochalsh through Glenshiel, I arrived at Fort William in time for breakfast at Nevisport.
When I phoned Jim Conroy from Fort William, however, he told me this "would not be a good time" for me to visit. I was puzzled, because when I rang him just two days ago from Glenelg, he seemed eager for me to come a'calling. Now, all of a sudden, he doesn't want to see me? I didn't quite know what to make of that, but if Jim said don't come, that was it. I would now have to come up with a Plan B for today, and it took maybe all of a few seconds for me to think of one. I would pay a visit to fellow otter conservationists Jim and Rosemary Green at their home in Strontian, just a stone's throw from here. I'd already met Rosemary at the recent otter colloquium, and she'd extended an open invitation to me to visit afterwards.
Unfortunately, I did not have the Greens' phone number or address. Once in Strontian, I inquired at the local post office and got directions, but when I finally found the place, the Greens were not at home. *sigh* Nothing I could do. Strike two.
So now what? Well, I hadn't yet checked out all the places that Chris Mason had told me I might see otters, so... (looks down list) maybe I should try this place called Glenborrodale, on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula. Going there, I'd be backtracking a little to the general area where I started out on the 19th, but I was fine with that. Maybe I could stay the night at Fergie's Hotel Clanranald again? Speaking of which, that sounded like a good place to have lunch!
Unfortunately, it being Saturday, there were no vacancies at Fergie's, nor were there rooms at the Clan Morrison Hotel in Glenborrodale. I was beginning to fret I'd be sleeping in my car this weekend when the proprietor at the Hotel Salen found me a room at the nearby Loch Shiel Hotel in Acharacle. Whew! Once settled in, I gathered my gear, then set straight out to take some photos of that splendid vista I'd beheld on my first evening here.
Castle Tioram and Eilean Shona, Highland, Scotland, 23 September 1989. Photo ©J Scott Shannon.
And on my way out, I took that snapshot at the top of my post of the lonely phone box near Doirlinn. It's one of my favorite photos of my entire trip!
Then, in the late afternoon, it was back out to Glenborrodale to search for otters. Although I was very pleased to have seen an otter at Kylerhea, that was really too easy for my liking. I wanted to actually use my skills to track the animals, find their sign, locate a den (or a "holt" as they called them here), and study them the good old-fashioned way like the experienced field biologist I was. It would be a challenge, but I knew I was up to it!
Once again at the Clan Morrison Hotel, I spoke to the proprietor, Alan Morrison, and got his permission to explore the shoreline of his property to look for otters. I dictated my explorations to audio tape, but I won't bore you with the details, nor subject you to photos of otter spraints (it ain't pretty), but suffice it to say, I did find sign of the animals' presence and what I suspected was a path to a holt. However, no thanks to some water skiers nearby, I concluded there was no chance I'd be seeing otters here this evening. So, at sunset, I gave up my search and headed back to my hotel.
I wish I had made note of exactly where I had supper that night, because it was by far the best meal I had during my entire time in the West. I might have eaten at the Loch Shiel Hotel, but in my mind's eye, I dined at a roadside pub on my way back from Glenborrodale. Referring to my trip expense ledger, I ordered scampi, and for liquid refreshment, I had a long draught of McEwan's beer with my meal, topped off with a dram or three of Whyte & Mackay Scotch whisky. Absolutely top notch. And it turned out I had dinner with an otter that night, too, though unfortunately, as you can see, he was unavailable for conversation. ;-)
The one-and-only photo of Your Truly in Scotland, 23 September 1989.
My thanks to the friendly bartender for taking this picture. If ever anyone reading this recognizes this pub or bar, please let me know!