Bunessan Old Mill

Heavy rain thoughout the day.

The rain didn't deter us from going out. Gran and the girls played 'Island Hopping' - a game my daughter 'invented' when we were on Colonsay 35 years ago. Basically it is jumping over mossy bumps with rivulets in between. Then we had Lunch in the lovely local Cafe, which certainly filled us up.

We wanted to visit the local Museum but found out that it closed at 1.00pm in the winter season. However, nearby was the Old Bunessan Mill, which contained many interesting artefacts.

The walls that can be seen today are the remains of a two-storey water mill that was last in operation before the First World War. Prior to this date, grain (oats, barley and corn) had been ground on this site for hundreds of years, with evidence of an earlier 18th century single-storey mill on the same site.

The main alterations to the mill building were carried out around 1830 when improvements were being made to the general management of the wider Argyll Estate on Mull. Bunessan was developed as a fishing village, and the road from the village to Loch Don was enhanced at this time.

The building comprises a large grinding room at the front and a grain-drying kiln at the rear.

The power was provided by a water wheel on the southern end, which was fed by a mill stream (lade) that diverted water from the burn, giving a 20 foot head of water to the over-shot wheel. Traces of the lade can still be seen running alongside the road above the mill for around half a mile to Linne a Dhuais. A system of sluice gates would have controlled the flow of water.

As we were leaving, the ladies had a game of 'Pooh Ferns' from the bridge - there being no sticks available!

If you would like to see photos of the Mill and its artifacts, head over to my Flikr set.

We are meant to be going home on Friday - but the Forecast is for strong winds over the weekend. Hopefully, the Ferries will be running to morrow!