We arrived to see an island shrouded in cold fog. Someone asked where King Kong was...
It was a long slog to the village, along ricky paths...
and up stone steps...
following signs in the fog...
We sought refuge in the church, where we had lunch (we all had lunch packed, having planned on an outdoor picnic)...
A short orientation tour was called off as we couldn't orientate ourselves, but not before we visited the old light house...
The view from the top was spectacular.
As the week went on, the weather steadily improved and we all got to see more and were able to fall in love with this desolate rock.
On one cold and wet day were had lunch in this hut...
while the wild ponies sheltered from the wind behind some ruined cottages...
The main area of the island is rolling moorland, with steep slopes to the sea in all directions...
This is the Motorway...
The only vehicles seemed to be a couple of Landrovers and half a dozen quad bikes.
At the very northern end of the island is another lighthouse, reached by steps worthy of The Lord of the Rings...
This is one of the cottages that can be rented by holiday makers. A splendid view, fog permitting!
This is about as good as the beaches get...
At some point, someone stole my camera and forced me to pose...
This is the remains of one of the engines of a Heinkel 111 bomber that tried to land on the island, but hit the cliffs instead. It is not the easiest place to get to but does seem to be well visited, and respected.
The animal life kept me mesmerised all week.
Wild goats - this one is known locally as Wingnut, after the shape of his horms.
This one was having a great meal, clinging to the smallest of ledges...
And wild sheep too!
Plenty of very young lambs to go Ahhhh at....
Wild dear were a very nice surprise too...
Not to mention the seals!
There was domestic livestock too. Sheep with lots of lambs...
and Angus cattle...
The week was full of the over-use of the word Shag.
Some of the students were studying seabirds called Shags (like the black one below)...
but over here, shag is also slang for having sex. Students could be heard declaring "6 shags this morning - not bad, eh?" or "Not a single shag all day!" Bless them!
Once the fog cleared, the sunsets were fantastic. Funny to think that the next piece of dry land in this direction is Newfoundland...
I must confess to becoming a bit possessive about this island after a few days. On the Tuesday I found myself resenting the daytrippers who seemed to stagger to the top of the path, have dinner in the pub and then stagger back to the ferry again. Strange, but with its one pub, one shop, no internet and a phone signal that seems to emanate from Wingnut, this place really is something special.
And then it was time to leave. We were sad to go but we were all ready to get home really. First stop, Burger King...