Van Life Day 15 - Barra

We woke to glorious sunshine but there’s an old saying ‘too bright too early’ and sure enough, the clouds started gathering.

We headed south to have a look round Castlebay. It didn’t take long. I took some photos of Kisimul Castle, a McNeil stronghold from 15 century, still Covid closed as was the museum. However the Barra gin distillery was open for business and we’ll be trying the £37 a bottle, slightly seaweed flavoured, when we get home.

We continued on to Vatersay, going over the short causeway that separates the islands. They have a good system there where a few places have been made available for overnight stops, with an honesty box. It protects the machair if people don’t pull off the road randomly. It looked lovely just now as the primroses are at their best, and the whole machair is covered with daisies too. We had a beach walk on the east side then walked across the isthmus to the west side where there is yet another white sandy beach.

Just as we returned to Castlebay (they had today’s Guardian) we got a message from CalMac to say the boat time has gone back to 7.10 rather than 6.15 am tomorrow which is better as it is half an hour’s drive from #2 Croft where we are staying.

It started raining heavily when we joined the circular route back by the west coast to have our picnic at the pretty spot we stopped at yesterday. It looked very different without the sun highlighting the gorgeous colours of the water.

We stopped off at St Barr’s church which we’d visited before, but it was interesting enough to warrant another visit. The original Kilbar Stone, dating from 10-12th century, is in the National museum in Edinburgh but there is a replica. It is important as it is one of the few examples where both Nordic runes and Christian symbols are found together. The writer Compton McKenzie is buried in the graveyard. A simple stone near the gate intrigued me. “Enrico Muzo, Nato Il 12 Dicembre 1894, Deceduto Il 10 Agusto 1940. Morto per la Patria.”

I wonder how he got there in WW2. At 46 he was quite old to serve and the headstone stone gives no military rank.