The weather improved greatly today and I went to one end of the island and hiked out to the beach at Crossapol Bay. This is a long, wide beach with high dunes. Every beach here in the islands is different and yet there is a sameness to them in the white sands and colorful rocks. The azure or turquoise colored water and low waves are inviting but the temperature is definitely not.
Near Crossapol are the two Breachacha (brek-ka-ka) castles on the shore of Loch Breachacha. The old castle dates to the time of the Lords of the Isles but its history is conflicted. One account says it was given by Robert the Bruce to Angus Og MacDonald of the Isles but changed hands between the MacDonalds, MacNeils and MacLeans. Another account says the castle was seized by the MacLeans of Coll in 1431. In either case the castle clearly was a MacLean stronghold in the 15th century. A new castle was built in 1750 and the old castle became a ruin until it was restored to livable condition in the 1960s, by Nicholas MacLean-Bristol. Today it is occupied by his wife, Lavinia MacLean-Bristol
After my initial exploration of this part of Coll I met up with a local artist, Kip Poulson (handyman, guide, etc.) who took me all over the island to view the land and the beaches. Originally from England, Kip has lived on Coll for more than 30 years and raised his family here. He pointed out the remains of Viking dwellings, now no more than stones marking the outline of these shelters. He drove us over rolling hills with no visible road to the tops of the hills overlooking beaches such as Toriston, Ballyhough and Feall. The views were astounding and I must now wander down to a few of these beaches in good light and capture their beauty in photos, though I know the pictures will never do the place justice. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate the rest of the week!
