From the archives: Sunday 10 October 2004

From October 9 to 12, 2004, I stayed in the Isle of Eigg. I have a long-standing acquaintance with that small island, which goes back to 1989. My abiding memory of that first visit was a stunningly beautiful island, littered with wrecked and cannibalised cars, generators throbbing in the night, and conking out just as you're having your supper (leaving you in the dark).


Sunday 10th October dawned overcast but clear. The visibility was going to be the dominant feature. After breakfast, I left Kildonan at about 10.30, I really should not be keeping my host from her work by yakking so much lol. My progress up Eigg's main road keeps being impeded by ripe blackberries. Which obviously, I have to go and pick. Anyway, the piece de resistance of the road north through the island comes when you descend Bealach Clithe [pronounced Byalach Cleey] and first the towering mountains on the neighbouring island of Rum (seriously, the place is called that) hove into view. At 2,800 feet, they are impressive at 4.5 miles distance. The next corner reveals the green swathe of Cleadale, the crofting community, over which the 1,000 foot high cliffs of Beinn Bhuidhe [Ben Vooy] tower to the east. I slowly ambled down the road, past the houses of Cuagach, the terrible sideroad to Laig Farm and the old folks houses. Then you arrive at a T-junction, at which I went left, towards Seaview. This house was occupied by Angus MacKinnon, one of the island's elders until his death, a few years ago. It appears to be empty now. The blackberries distracted me. You can walk to Camus Sgiotaig, the Beach of Singing Sands from Seaview, but don't fall off the cliffs. You've got a bit of a job finding the way down. Don't chase the sheep over the cliffs either. Please. Once on the beach, the white sands, if dry, produce a shrill shriek if you rub your shoes over it. Or just walk over it. The streams cut a deep channel right through the sands, and you've got to be careful not to fall through the layer of sands if the water has undercut it. Otters have been seen playing in the kelp on the tideline. Towards the south, there are caves and natural arches to explore. It should be possible to walk back to Laig Beach, a mile to the south, but do watch the tides. I climbed up the hill at the north end of Camus Sgiotaig and ploughed through some dead bracken towards the pass of Bealach Thuilm. If you want to you can cross the stile and descend into Talm, which is overlooked by an 1,100 foot high cliff, Dunan Thalasgair. I climbed up the green hill behind the Dunan right to the top of the cliffs. Took me 15 minutes, but left me well out of breath. On the top, I got a signal on the mobile. Transmitter is located at Mallaig, 10 miles distant to the northeast. I went through the gate and proceeded to walk south. The views were phenomenal. I could see the Outer Hebrides from Barra Head north to South Uist, then again North Uist to Berneray and possibly Harris. To the south, I saw Tiree, the Treshnish Isles and Staffa and Mull. Having gorged myself on this panorama, I went south. Right by the edge of this cliff, only inches away from it. Not for those suffering from vertigo. Met a lady with her children, who had climbed up to the ridge from a point a few miles south. Then it's a case of following the cliff edge south, and choosing a route. Those heading for Kildonan just take aim for the farmhouse and make your way across. Beware of barbed wire fencing, and beware not to underestimate the distance.


Along the top of Beinn Bhuidhe, south of Dunan Thalasgair

 
Singing Sands Beach


Rum, seen across Laig


Cleadale

Referendum

I'm not that much of a political animal, although I can get a bit hot under the collar over local issues. Windfarms is one of them. But that's not what this post will be about. It will be on quite a contentious issue: Scottish independence.

At the moment, the devolved government in Edinburgh is run by the Scottish National Party, headed by its leader Alex Salmond. The stated aim and objective of the SNP is to gain full independence for Scotland, and to leave the United Kingdom. During the elections for the Scottish Parliament in 2007, the SNP promised it would organise a referendum on independence within its first term in office. The party scraped into office by the margin of 1 seat, leaving it in a minority government. It needs the cooperation of other political parties to get any major legislation passed. The other main parties at Holyrood (the seat of the Scottish Parliament) are opposed to full independence for Scotland.

As matters stand, the SNP will not be able to organise a referendum, as they do not hold the necessary mandate in parliament. It is therefore necessary for them to persuade other parties to agree to a referendum. And that's where it gets interesting. Independence comes in shapes and sizes, it is not as black and white as it may appear to be on first sight. The Scottish Government could be granted powers to levy its own income tax, in other words, that more powers be devolved to it from the UK Government in London. Full independence would mean that Scotland would organise its own defence, and have its own foreign policy. And there are all sorts of shades of grey in between.

Which brings the focus on the referendum, and the questions to be asked therein. If the SNP wants to get its referendum off the ground, it would appear likely that concessions need to be made at this stage - in terms of how far any increase in devolved powers would go as a result of said referendum. It is, however, not a wholly Scottish affair. It is a United Kingdom matter. Will this referendum, and its outcome, lead to the break-up of the Union?

My perception of this situation is that it could, potentially, lead to the break-up of the UK. The way politicking is going at the moment in Scotland, I cannot see a referendum coming off the ground. If anything, bearing in mind the SNP's stated objective (the break-up of the United Kingdom), I would be opposed to having it.

Tuesday 13 October

Overcast and windy this morning, but as yet dry. The rainfall radar suggests the odd spot of rain is possible.

I am sad to report the death of my aunt at the age of 70. She was the youngest sister of my mother who passed away nearly 18 months ago.

Inverness could lose a landmark building to the wrecking ball, if councillors vote to demolish Viewhill House, the city's former youth hostel. I remember staying there in 1996, before the new hostel was built on the eastern outskirts of the city centre. Viewhill House was built 170 years ago by an engineer who constructed the Caledonian Canal alongside Thomas Telford. The below picture, from July 1996, shows the view from the building. 

Monday 12 October

Overcast today, but dry. Rain covers the Scottish mainland north and northwest of Inverness, but whatever rain we had has now moved away east. The moutains on the mainland, 50 miles to the east, stand out fairly clearly this afternoon. It does not feel very warm at all, with the mercury only just above 10C today.

Locally, it appears to be a thin news day, which is not unusual. Just been into town myself for a few bits and pieces, including (on request) a book on Norse Mills in this island. Late in August, I went on a guided tour with a dozen other folks to half a dozen sites where mills used to be situated. It was an interesting trip, not just because of the subject matter, but also because the weather was plain awful - wet and cold.


Norse Mill and Kiln at Shawbost, 29 August 2009

Evening notes

The land-based search for 83-year old Clifford Wannop, missing whilst on holiday in the Isle of Skye, has been stood down. Police will conduct inquiries as for his use of public transport in Skye or appearance in nearby villages. Mr Wannop hails from the Channel Islands and is described as very fit for his age.

Tomorrow, the Royal National Mod 2009 will swing into full gear. This annual celebration of Gaelic culture takes place in Oban, on the west coast of mainland Scotland, some 90 miles northwest of Glasgow. The focus is on music, although acting and sports also have a part to play. Four years ago, the Mod was in Stornoway and I recorded several dozen performances - you can have a listen via my Mod page.

I am pleased to note that Coastguard tug Anglian Prince is back in operation after it broke down near Ullapool last week. AIS Minch shows it in Loch Ewe this evening, awaiting a call out for its services. A tug was put on stand-by in the Minch some years ago, as it is used as a shortcut by ships carrying dangerous cargoes like crude oil. If anything goes wrong, the tug can be there within a short space of time, rather than having to come all the way from Oban or even further afield.

Anglian Prince at Stornoway on 18 April 2007

Sunday 11 October

Fairly bright in the Western Isles today, although there are some clouds and showers about. It is a typically quiet day (it being Sunday), and although we have now had a Sunday ferry for 3 months, I have not noticed any change to the Stornoway Sunday. The ferry leaves in a huge cloud of exhaust fumes (which nearly took my breath away yesterday) at 2.30pm and slips back into its birth some 6½ hours later quite unobtrusively. More so because it's dark at 9pm now.

More later.

Front picture

I have once more changed the picture, heading this blog, to an image I took last Wednesday during a visit to Bosta Beach in Great Bernera. What is littering the beach is seaweed, torn loose in recent gales. The island in the distance is called Old Hill, which can be seen from near the Butt of Lewis, some 35 miles to the northeast.

70 years ago - this Tuesday

On 13 October 1939, the Royal Navy's HMS Royal Oak, at anchor in Scapa Flow, Orkney, was struck by four torpedoes from German submarine U-47. The first torpedo did no major damage when it struck just before 1 am. The last three torpedoes, fired at 1.16 am, proved fatal. Within 13 minutes, Royal Oak turned turtle and went to the bottom, taking 833 crew with her. She currently still lies in 100 feet of water, upside down, reaching 5 metres / 17 feet below the surface of the water. The site is marked by a green wreck buoy and has been marked as a wargrave.

Tomorrow, the 70th anniversary of this tragedy will be remembered in Orkney's main town, Kirkwall. Last year, I visited Orkney and called in at the Royal Oak memorial ashore at Scapa, near the local Coastguard Station. I'll share some of the pictures I took at the time, dedicating this entry to the memory of all those lost there in 1939.






The wreckbuoy

Appeal to those across the pond

I relay an appeal by Dr Jeff Masters, who writes a blog on tropical cyclones (hurricanes etc.). He is warning that a satellite which provides crucial data on forecasting tropical cyclones, QuikSCAT, is about to fail. The satellite measures windspeeds and direction at the earth's surface, and has been in action for 10 years, well beyond its 2-3 year lifespan. If the funding cycle is initiated now, a replacement satellite could be in orbit by 2015. QuikSCAT's data save $135m a year in costs for shipping etc.

If you are in the USA and read this, please take the time to head over to Dr Masters' blog and get in touch with your local Senator to urge them to vote against a senate amendment, which would see a $172m cut in NOAA's budget to be diverted to law enforcement.

Please relay.

Saturday 10 October

Fairly bright in Stornoway this morning, with some drizzle on and off. Some light showers show on the rainfall radar out in the Atlantic. It looks as if our temperatures are on a slow downward slope (what do you expect in autumn).

A search is continuing on the Isle of Skye, south of here, for a man of 83 who has been missing since October 3rd. Clifford Wannop went for a walk in the Kinloch area of Skye, about 6 miles south of Broadford, and has not returned. Mr Wannop, pictured on this BBC link, is described as fit and active for his age, giving the impression of a man in his sixties rather than his eighties. Kinloch is a hilly, wooded area, bordering on the Sound of Sleat, which separates Skye from the Scottish mainland. There are several walking trails in the area, one leading to a deserted village (Leitir Fura), and one other going the 8 miles northeast to Kyle Rhea. Three regional mountain rescue teams will conduct a thorough search today, Saturday.

A northern bottle-nosed whale, which had become stuck in Loch Linnhe near Fort William, has died. A huge rescue effort had been mounted all week to try to coax the cetacean out to the open sea. At one stage, underwater recordings of the sounds of a killer whale were played to try to get the whale to move away. It did not manage to get past the Narrows of Corran, which would have allowed it to proceed to open waters.

From the archives: Saturday 9 October 2004

A perfect autumn day. Crisp, cool, practically windless. Skye looked perfect in the morning sun, as I took the bus down to Broadford, and then on to Armadale. I just could not get enough of the magnificent landscapes along the 27 miles to the ferry terminal. Coruisk came in on time at 11.40 and left 5 minutes later. It's been called all sorts of unfriendly names, like an 'inverted flowerpot'. On one of its first journeys, it lost a propellor on rocks in Mallaig harbour, in August 2003. But it chugged across the Sound of Sleat in 23 minutes, and offered the familiar view up to Isle Ornsay, Sandaig Islands to the north and Eigg and Rum to the southwest. After two hours of dawdling through Mallaig, Lochnevis entered the harbour and embarkation began. The couple that I met yesterday at Strathaird was on board, following my glowing endorsement of the 7 hour round trip. I talked them through the first 75 minutes to Eigg. On arrival, at 3.20, my host, Marie, was waiting on the pier, also to collect her daughter on half-term hols. The ferry waited 20 minutes, doing nothing, until formal departure time came. I sat in the jeep to be driven the 100-200 yards to An Laimhrig, the Anchorage. This is the teashop/craftshop/general store building at the end of the new pier. Check out the Isle of Eigg website www.isleofeigg.org for further details. Having bought a can of coke, I speedmarched off up Pier Hill towards the Lodge and Galmisdale. The low autumn sun lit everything up in a way I had never seen in the 15 years of coming to the island. It was, again, a perfect afternoon. I continued up the hill, to Galmisdale, with its glaringly red roof. Then further along to Grulin, where I went as far as the Bothy, 1 1/2 miles in. I sat in the sun, looking out over the water to the Isles of Muck, Coll, Mull and the Dutchman's Cap and Staffa. At 5.15, I decided to head back. Temperatures started to drop, and I was glad to reach Kildonan, where I was going to stay for the next few days.


Kyleakin


Lodge gardens, Isle of Eigg


Grulin, Isle of Eigg; An Sgurr in the centre

Eigg and chips

That is the title of an excellent article on the BBC News website about the island of Eigg, situated about 90 miles south of Stornoway, 15 miles southwest of Mallaig off the coast of western Scotland. The islanders have gone from strength to strength since they gained ownership of Eigg in June 1997. Before that, they had suffered 30 years of maverick landlords who were only interested in the place as a playground or tax dodge. Said lairds were not prepared to make substantial improvements to the island. So, since June 1997, the islanders have done it themselves. In February 2008, they went live with a 24/7 electricity grid, after having to rely on capricious diesel generators for decades. Three windturbines, a handful of hydro-electric schemes, photo-voltaic cells - you name it they have it. And now the Eiggeachs want us all to join in. I can just about see them winning this Big Green Challenge for which they are shortlisted.

I have supported the islanders of Eigg for over a decade. And continue to do so. Go for it, guys!

Lost at sea

Over the past years, I have been relaying a long list of incidents at sea, sometimes with a tragic outcome. The latter is likely in the latest accident. This morning, at around 4.30, a crewmember fell overboard from a creelboat, the Kirkwall registered Noronya some 15 miles northwest of mainland Orkney. The man did not wear a lifevest or survival suit. A coastguard spokesman said the expected time of survival in seas of 10°C was a few hours. We are now nearly 12 hours down the line, and still no word. A search continues, with lifeboats, the naval vessel HMS Bangor and other fishing vessels.

Friday 9 October

An overcast day, with occasional rain since midday, accompanied by strong winds. These could strengthen to galeforce, according to the forecast.

Between 11 and 12 this morning, I was watching the service in St Paul's Cathedral, London, to commemorate the 179 British service personnel who died in the war in Iraq. The service marked the end of the British involvement in that conflict. Although I missed part of the address by the Archbishop of Canterbury, I'll go so far as to say that I probably agree with what he had to say on the matter.

With the benefit of hindsight, it is always easy to say what went wrong and how it could have been handled better. The war was commenced on the orders of politicians, and executed to the best of their abilities by the armed forces. The most positive outcome was the removal of Saddam Hussein from power, within a few weeks. The subsequent mayhem did show up the Achilles heel of going in guns blazing without a thought for the future. This was very much a Bush war, with George W. finishing off the job his daddy never finished in 1991. It is a commendation for the soldiers who were ordered in to do this dirty work that they did so professionally. It is a good thing that the home front rallied round to support. The war in Iraq was based on a faulty premise, namely the presence of weapons of mass destruction, which turned out to be a weapon of mass delusion. But this is all hindsight. The deed was done, a regime change was effected. When will we see a similar ceremony for the boys, home from Afghanistan, or more to the point, not coming home? I don't want to think about that. It might not be in the lifetime of the current British monarch.

I have a lot more time for George W. Bush's successor, Barack H. Obama. But I did not believe my ears this morning when I learned that he had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. What for?? What substantive achievement has Obama chalked up, other than going round talking to people and talking to people and talking to people. For goodness sakes, there won't be a donkey left with its hind legs on where that man has been and gone. I think it is too early - and I'm not the only one with that opinion.

From the archives: Friday 8 October 2004

Today is the 5th anniversary of my blogging activities. Although I have been reposting entries from before 8 October 2004, I added those diary entries later on. It was on that date that I sat down at the communal computer in the youth hostel at Kyleakin, Skye (now closed) and wrote:

Once again in the Youth Hostel at Kyleakin. Strange day today. As I was waiting for the usual 10.20 bus to Broadford, I noticed two young people getting into the water of the Kyle. It was a bracingly cool morning. Bright and sunny, but rather nippy. And there were two youngsters getting into the water and going right in! The female appeared to be skinny dipping, oh dear. At Broadford, I proceeded to the Elgol postbus, where the driver was huffing and puffing to get all the mail, the milk, the papers, the everything on board. It wasn't until 11 o'clock that we finally got going. I had meanwhile come to chat to an elderly lady on the bus, who was quite knowledgeable. She lived at Elgol, which I was not going to reach. My destination was the little path just south of Strathaird across to Camasunary. But, that was not for another 75 minutes. The driver complained that he was a Jack of all Trades but master of none. On arrival at Torrin, we dumped mail not just in postboxes, but through open windows, on top of a baby's playpen, in dustbins, disused freezers, and little homemade boxes at the side of the road, marked 1/2 7. Meaning, half of number 7. It was all good fun, and we duly arrived at Strathaird at 12.15. Fifty minutes late. The path to Camasunary was well boggy at first, and stony afterwards. The views are stunning, and I'll add pictures when I get hold of them. I did not go very far, since I would not want to miss the return bus at 5pm. Bla Bheinn (Blaven), Beinn na Cro and the backdrop of Loch Slapin, Loch Eishort, Sleat, Suisnish and the distant mountains on the mainland dominated the backdrop on the ascent. At 1pm I was at the pass, alt. 189m, and my jaw dropped. The massive curve of the Cuillins' main ridge, forestalled by Sgurr na Stri, Camasunary. To the south all the Small Isles were visible, Eigg, Muck, Rum and Canna. Just to the right of the Cuillins the Isle of Soay could be seen. And on the horizon the double hump of Barra and the ridge of South Uist. A very sad cairn announced the location where the ashes of a cheif (sic) constable of Inverness-shire had been scattered by his daughter. Hers had been scattered in the same location 5 years later. A fantastic piece of scenery. Hobbling back to the main road, where I had to wait an hour for the bus back to Broadford. Fortunately, a couple from Israel/USA were also waiting, so we passed the time in pleasant chat, although the temperature was dropping like a stone.


Skye Cuillins


Rum and Soay


Bla Bheinn and memorial cairn

Thursday 8 October

A better day than yesterday, with only scattered, light showers. Not the huge downpours that plagued us through the afternoon on Wednesday. The wind is expected to pick up again by the end of the day.

One of my sources for local news is a website called Hebrides News, and its attendant letters column. The news is pretty good, the letters column an opportunity for all and sundry to vent their spleen and hold forth on their pet hates. A local letter writer is going to be taken to court for all his bother, after he criticised a candidate for the General Election. More here. Just goes to show, there can't be much wrong with the place if that is headline news. After the people having to be cut out of crashed cars and megasized fishfarms.

Regionally, the story of the plane that wasn't properly de-iced and had to be diverted to another airport drew my attention. In April 2008, an aircraft took off from Aberdeen in freezing conditions, only to find it was losing control. It was diverted to Wick, in the far north of Scotland, where temperatures were higher. The ice melted naturally. More here.

Wednesday 7 October

A cold day, with bright intervals and heavy showers, quite a few with hail. Temperature managed double figures, but is presently at 6C. Went out by car to Great Bernera, 25 miles west of Stornoway as had not visited that place for over a year. Bernera is a relatively small island, just off the west coast of Lewis, quite rocky and with a very scenic, rocky shoreline. Visited Bosta Beach, on the northern shore of Bernera, and the adjacent cemetery where I discovered another dozen war-related gravestones.


Road hazards


Downpour outside Breaclete




Valasay




Tobson








Bosta

Tuesday 6 October

Occasional showers passing through this morning, but also sunny intervals. The changeable weather continues. Further south, the remains of tropical storm Grace are approaching the southwest of Ireland, now part of a frontal system extending south from a low pressure system near the Faeroes. It's October, and we'll know it.

More later

From the archives: Monday 4 October 2004

Today's weather is a little better than at the weekend, but still very showery. I take the 10.20 bus to Broadford and alight at the bottom of the road to Heast. This is a settlement 5 miles south of Broadford on the shore of Loch Eishort. Six years ago, I walked up this road a little way, but I'm now up for the whole hog. Not a terribly inspiring route, but the approach into Heast is nice. The village is only 2 miles east of Boreraig, but it's not possible to find a route. Right by the seashore, a fishing pier with a lot of fishboxes and the stench of diesel. Across the harbour lies Heast Island. I tried to walk east, parallel to the shore, which was tricky. Going west, to Boreraig was a signposted route. Unfortunately, following the heavy rain of the last few days, the Heast River was in spate and could not be crossed. Thwarted on both sides, I could only retrace my steps up the road.There is a nice view once you crest the highest point, at 200 m / 675ft. It ranges from the Red Cuillins in the west to Scalpay, the islands in the Inner Sound and the hills between Kyle and Applecross. I wanted to make things interesting by cutting cross Braigh Skulamus, from gridreference NG660206. This path was fine, until it got wetter and wetter, the closer I got to Harrapool. Nipped into one of the local hotels for a bite to eat, then started to look round for a shop selling boots.There was an outdoor shop next to a veterinary surgery. Have to be careful not to go into the wrong door there. In the hotel, the barman was sanding and revarnishing his bar. Had a general look round the village before returning to the Coop. This provided me with tonight's dinner. Went back to Kyleakin on the bus at 4. There is a restauran tacross the road from the hostel, and I went in there to check out the food. At one point, I joined a family for dinner who were also in the hostel. Nice convivial evening. In this restaurant you serve yourself. Food good, no atmosphere. It's the King Haakon bar. Kyleakin is the Kyle (Narrows) of Haakon. So no Ky-lea-kin please, it's Kyle-akin. Still noisy pipes in the hostel. It offers Internet access, a TV-room. I sit in the dining area and offer people advice on the district. Am I a walking tourist office, or what?

Who is who?

Researching the two Rolls of Honour for the Isle of Lewis yielded a strange piece of confusion. Although I have requested assistance from the Historical Societies for Uig and East Loch Roag, I do not expect this to be cleared up anytime soon.

The two servicemen pictured below are both described as John Macleod from 1 Enaclete and Finlay Maclean from 36 Breasclete.

1916 Roll of Honour


1921 Roll of Honour


1916 Roll of Honour


1921 Roll of Honour

Tropical storm Grace

In amongst the high powered drama being acted out in the northwestern Pacific, tropical storm Grace nearly slipped under the radar. This is a system which is located 575 miles southwest of Cork, Ireland and rapidly heading north to northeast. Because it is over waters of 18C, it is not expected to live long as a tropical cyclone, which requires water of 26C / 80F or warmer to be sustained. Nonetheless, I am extremely wary of tropical systems making it as far north as this; in 2007, a system called Gordon brought force 11 stormforce winds to the Irish Sea. In 1987, the remnant of Hurricane Charlie brought an unexpected hurricane to the southcoast of England as it sped up the English Channel.

I copy my entry from my Tropical Cyclones blog - I have noted the line "Threatened landmasses" as NONE; by the time Grace reaches any land, it will be part of a frontal system.

Tropical storm Grace / 09L
Warning 03 from NHC for 1500 GMT
Position 45.4N 16.4W
Location 575 miles SW of Cork, Ireland
Movement NNE at 28 knots
Maximum sustained windspeeds 55 knots
Maximum gusts 70 knots
Winds of 34 knots or higher occur within 70 miles to the south of the centre
Threatened landmasses NONE
Next update 2100 GMT

Monday 5 October

Fairly bright today after a very chilly start; the mercury went down to only just above freezing through the night. Up at 11C / 52F as I type.

It is 10 years ago today that a fatal train crash at Ladbrooke Grove, a few miles west of Paddington Station in London, claimed 31 lives and injured more than 400 others. An outbound local service had failed to note a red signal, and moved into the path of an incoming express, which was travelling at high speed. Although both drivers applied brakes, the trains collided with a combined speed of 80 mph. The collision was followed by a fierce fire, in which a large number of the dead perished. Both trains were diesel powered. At 8.11 am this morning, survivors and relatives of the deceased gathered at the memorial at Paddington.Two other rail disasters followed within 5 years: in October 2000, the Intercity from King's Cross to Leeds left the tracks outside Hatfield, Hertfordshire, due to a broken rail, claiming 4 lives. The eerie thing for me personally was that I had travelled on the same service, the 12.00 to Leeds, exactly a week before. Two years later, a train derailed at Potter's Bar, not far from Hatfield. The deathtoll here was 7.

Boreraig and Suisnish

Boreraig and Suisnish were once communities in their own right, and my visit there was related to my interest in the history of Western Scotland. Both townships were cleared in the 19th century, and the villagers forced to abandoned home and hearth. Lock, stock and barrel, they had to load up and march east. The landowner did not give a damn what happened to the people. His land was now void of people, and he could do as he liked. The evictees meanwhile were trekking across rough country to Heast and on to Drumfearn. Their first night was spent on the bank of the Eishort River, in cold and wretched conditions.

My visit to Boreraig and Suisnish, in pretty awful weather conditions, was pitched in low mood on account of their history. The sad ruins stand as a memorial to those that were cast off in desultory fashion. Read David Craig's On the Crofters' Trail for the heart wrenching stories behind the Highland Clearances.

From the archives: Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 October 2004

Saturday 2 October 2004

Come downstairs to be met by the sight of a distracted warden who is taking all the hot water taps apart. Apparently, a new boiler was installed only recently, but it isn't working properly. Book into hostel for the weekend, then go on the bus to Broadford at 10.20. Fifteen minutes later, I'm dropped off outside the Post Office there.Walk over to the Post Office van marked Elgol, and jump on. I ask to bedropped off at Kilchrist, 4 miles southwest of Broadford. It's a bit of a tight squeeze on board, but that isn't going to be for a long time at any rate. Dropped off a few hundred yards beyond the church, near the reed covered Kilchrist Loch. Find the track that is supposed to lead to Suisnish on the coast, south of here. This is a derilict village, cleared of its inhabitants in the 19th century, together with its neighbour Boreraig. My efforts to reach Suisnish along this path are thwarted by some appalling weather. A shower kicks off, leaving me to dash for relative shelter amidst the ruins of Kilchrist village. There is a strong westerly wind, blowing the showers over the nearby Beinn na Cailleach. Once that has passed, I continue on my way, but I lose track of the path. Find myself scrabbling on the banks of the Allt na Inbhire, trying to cross. Well, I give that up as a bad job after half an hour, and make my way cross-country to the Marble Line walkway. This used to be a railway carrying marble from the quarry up the hillside to the pier at Broadford. It closed suddenly at 1912. This path is well maintained and signposted. After a gate, it worsens slightly to a rough hillpath. Crossing the fence at Loch Lonachan is troublesome because of standing water. This continues to be a nuisance, not helped by frequent heavy showers. The valley opens out, and I duly arrive into what I thought was Suisnish. How wrong can you be. After checking my bearings against various landmarks and their relative position, I have to concede that I am 2 miles out and actually in the enclosure of Boreraig. Wander through the sad remains of that village (pictured above, courtesy Flickr-user Deano-T) and try to eat something in the pouring rain. Carry on as far as the Boreraig River, then turn back.Get a massive scare outside the village, when I'm taking a break at 12.52. As I look northeast, I see a fierce blob of light. About 2 seconds later, a deafening crash follows. I'm in the middle of a thunderstorm and there is NO shelter. I wait for the storm to move away, crouching down, then go on my way north.

Once I rejoin the Marble Line path (pictured, courtesy Flickr-user Robinvanmourik, I feel like a train, going at 4 mph. Pass above some of the houses near Kilchrist, then the branch which leads to Coire Chatachan, below Beinn na Cailleach. The path finally ends under the high voltage power line,where I have to divert to the road. Do some shopping at the Broadford Co-op, then join the 6pm bus back to Kyleakin. The YH is still plagued by pipe trouble. Have a nice chat with other hostellers. One couple offer me a lift over to Broadford tomorrow, Sunday. This gives me the chance to do the walk to Boreraig and Suisnish properly. Weather prospects also appear to be better.

Sunday 3 October
After breakfast I was taken to Broadford, so that at 10 a.m., I was already heading down the Marble Line path again. Fairly bright day, and the path had had a chance to dry out. The crossing of the stile presented no big problems, and at midday I was back at Boreraig. Had a bit to eat, then resumed the trek at 12.20. The only thing was that by now, a big wall of grey had moved in from the west. After passing through Boreraig, the path became a narrow and precarious affair through rock and stone. Had to encourage sheep to move out of my way.It meanwhile started to rain with gusto, which made the path all the more hazardous. Due south of Carn Dearg, the path went up a crazily steep incline. With a little bit of handiwork, I arrived on the clifftop above Suisnish at 1.25. The view, for as much as there was, switched round to one of Strathaird and Loch Slapin. I found out yesterday that my boots were knackered. They are letting in water by the bucketfull, and I'm beginning to feel chilly. The passage through Suisnish (pictured, courtesy Flickr user blackpuddinonabike) is absolutely sodden. The path leads above the present-dayfarm buildings, then veers north. I slowly progress towards the road-end at Camas Malag. At 2.15, I encounter an elderly couple who want to go to Suisnish and ask me how far it is. Fifty minutes. I was a bit concerned because of their unsuitable footwear. Did not comment on that to their faces though. Arrived at Camas Malag at 2.30, and sat down on a hill just north of the road end. The rain had relented and was now showery. After half an hour, I carried on to the main road at Kilbride. This leads past a marble quarry, with the showers still going on. From that point, I had to walk along the B8083 Elgol - Broadford road. Not much of a bother because of light traffic. It just got alittle hairy along Loch Kilchrist, as I didn't have a lot of leeway, and the road runs along the loch shore. At Kilchrist, I cut through the wilderness to the Marble Line Path. I did not fancy a 3 mile roadwalk. It's a bit of a chore, and have to jump barbed wire, but I gain the path. Sit under a bridge to avoid a shower, then head north down the now-familiar curves of the Marble Line. At Broadford, I discover a dead sheep at the point where the path goes back to the road. From the village, I nip back to Kyleakin by Citylink bus.

Sunday 4 October

Quite a nice day, if a little on the cool side. The sun is out, although cloud was always present. The mercury struggled to get into double figures, but as there is very little wind, this is not very noticeable. Went out for a stroll around the Newton Basin, to check out this overturned boat which I noticed during yesterday's gale. Just as I came back, efforts began to right it. Which succeeded, 2 hours later. Whether it is still in working order after more than 24 hours of immersion into the briney waters of Stornoway Harbour is quite another matter.


Newton Basin, with the houses of Seaview Terrace in the background

The ferry did a run to Ullapool early this morning, to catch up with the backlog of traffic, caused by yesterday's cancellation of all crossings. It was unusual to see the Isle of Lewis coming into port at 1.30pm on a Sunday, but a welcome sight nonetheless. Yesterday's empty shelves caused by said cessation of services was later alleviated, when the lorries carrying our supplies diverted to Tarbert in Harris, where the ferry from Skye was still running.


MV Isle of Lewis entering port on Sunday afternoon

The rescue services across the Highlands and Islands have been busy this weekend, and not just keeping the yacht Elinca safe in Loch Tealasbhaigh in western Lewis. On Friday, a diver failed to return from a dive off Ardnamurchan Point, the most westerly point on the Scottish mainland, 100 miles south of Stornoway. Bad weather yesterday hampered the search, which was stood down yesterday afternoon. It was resumed today.

Local yacht in trouble

Local yacht Elinca, shown left, is the focus of a rescue operation off the far west coast of Lewis. She ran into difficulty after a gearbox failure in stormforce winds this morning, and requested Coastguard assistance just before 9 am. The Coastguard helicopter R101 flew the 45 miles to Loch Tealasbhaigh, where Elinca was anchored in to a lee-shore. Five non-essential crew were airlifted to safety, and arrived at Stornoway airport about a quarter of an hour ago (heard the helicopter go by overhead). The lifeboat was sent to the scene, but as this involves a 60 mile trip north around the Butt of Lewis in force 9 to 10 conditions, she is only expected to arrive there about now, 4 hours after the call was first made.More information on the MCA website.

Location of yacht

Saturday 3 October

The west northwesterly wind is reaching galeforce, and the ferry is cancelled all day. Most of the ferry services in the west of Scotland are disrupted or cancelled. Showers are passing by at frequent intervals, and the rainfall radar looks like a severe case of blue measles.

Still we should not complain: typhoon Parma is battering the Philippines, and you should brace yourself for some more catastrophic news from that country. 

If you are flying in and out of the UK to or from the USA, you should expect major delays. The air traffic control computer at Prestwick, near Glasgow, has broken down and all incoming flights are handled manually. That is causing delays of several hours.

Looking down history

In recent years, I have assisted someone to trace their ancestors, using census returns. In Scotland, censes are taken every 10 years, starting in 1841. They are publicly available up until 1901; the 1911 census will become available in 2 years from now. A census provides an eerie look back down the year, showing a very narrow insight what was going on in the land on a specific evening. A babe in arms in 1891, for instance, living in a town in northeastern Scotland turns up visiting his aunts in Stornoway as a lad of 10 in 1901. The inaccuracies can provoke furious conjecture, particularly as the census takers in the Western Isles may not have been familiar with the Gaelic names and their spelling.

A different, more poignant insight, was created by an interim Roll of Honour here in the Isle of Lewis. There are actually two Rolls of Honour, one published in 1916 and the final one (for the First World War) in 1921. The 1916 Roll, which I finished transcribing this week, lists 4360 names, as opposed to 6030 in the 1921 list. Not all the names in the 1916 list are present on the 1921 list, and the total number of these discrepancies could run in the hundreds. The poignancy lies in seeing names of men, still alive in early 1916, who would die in later years of the war. The Battle of the Somme, which commenced on 1 July 1916, would claim many, as would the Iolaire Disaster on 1 January 1919. Quite a few other names are not on the 1916 list, as they had not yet joined up. I remember the case where one brother signed up for military service after his brother had been killed on the Western Front. Both never returned.

Image courtesy Daily Mail

Friday 2 October

Overcast and wet this morning. Tonight will see the advent of severe gales from the west, which will persist into tomorrow. Winds will gust up to 70 mph and I can see as plain as day that we are NOT going to have a ferry service tomorrow, neither a freight ferry. The Met Office has NOT issued a gale warning for our area. Yet.

Adverse weather conditions are certainly an understatement for conditions likely to affect the northeast of the Philippines. Typhoon Parma is headed for Aurora province in Luzon Island, with winds of 120 knots, that's 135 mph. Meanwhile, further east, Typhoon Melor is grinding west towards the Northern Marianas, with places like Guam and Saipan under threat of its 130 knots of wind, 145 mph. What comes next? Not really clear. Melor could head north towards Japan; the projected strength of wind in 5 days time, as it approaches Kyushu is still 140 knots. The forecast for Parma has more holes in it than a Swiss cheese, so I would not like to be the forecaster in charge of that system.

Laxford Bridge in northwest Sutherland, which was closed yesterday after an army transporter fell off it, is to be reopened to light traffic later today. Lorries are still being diverted east and north. Good news for local residents though, who were concerned about emergency cover.

Road closed

An accident involving an army lorry has closed the A838 road in northwestern Scotland, causing lengthy detours for people heading for the villages of Rhiconich, Kinlochbervie and Durness. The lorry toppled off the bridge at Laxford Bridge, causing damage to the bridge. The three gunners on board escaped with minor injuries. The road is likely to remain closed for some time, forcing travellers to divert east and north, through Altnaharra and Tongue. For instance, the 30 mile journey from Lairg to Laxford Bridge will now be 80 miles long. (Image courtesy BBC.)

From the archives: Friday 1 October 2004

At Inverness
Went to the station to catch a train to Kyle of Lochalsh. It's still a nice trip, and the weather has improved on yesterday's rain - at least it's dry. Trundle my way west in 2½ hours, arriving in Kyle at lunchtime. I go into the station building to have a look in the museum. Have to be careful with my pack, which I leave at the door. Part of the museum is without electricity as a result of flooding. Nice display of railway memorabilia. Walk into the village, after glancing out to the warship that lies moored at the pier. Nipped into the Tourist Information Office for some ideas, and there is a tour with a glass-bottemed boat. Before setting out, I walk through the village to a viewpoint above Kyle which looks out to Skye, the bridge and east up Loch Alsh. At 1.30, there is too little clientele in the tour, but at 2.30 there is sufficient interest to warrant the man to set forth. It's very interesting to look out under the water and see all the junk on the floor, the different types of fish and seaweed. We head out to a clump of skerries in the Kyle to view a colony of seals that are basking there. Not in the sun, it's cloudy. Then we sail to the far shore to observe the wreckage of a minelaying vessel which blew up in 1941. A fire had broken out on board, and it was towed across the Kyle. Had it blown up at the quayside, the village would have been devastated. View beds of seaweed on the way back to Kyle. After the trip in the glass-bottomed boat, I walk over the Skye Bridge to Kyleakin. Just before the span of the bridge proper, you pass the cottage on Eilean Ban, where Gavin Maxwell lived, of otter fame. He died there in 1969. There is a gate to the bridge, and I believe you can stay there. At the bottom of the bridge, I turn left on the roundabout and wander into the village. Kyleakin has improved for the better since the bridge came, 9 years ago. The big marshalling yard for the ferry is now a neat carpark. I arrive at the youth hostel at 4pm, an hour early. Leave the rucksack there and try to walk into a sideroad just off the bridge roundabout. The farm at the end has everything fenced off, so no access. Try the main road to Broadford, but that only has limited stretches of secluded old road. Have to double back to Kyleakin. Check into the hostel at 5pm and am allocated a bed in room 6, which has only 2 beds in it, plus a sink. Go downstairs to prepare my dinner and have a nice chat with other hostellers. Who describes my surprise when I meet up with some folk who were with me at Kirkwall earlier in the week. Use the laundramat. Saw a musical event advertised for tonight in the Saucy Mary pub, across the green. Go there at 10, but the music is no good, neither is the beer. Have a very poor night's sleep, on account of some heinous rattle and clanging in the pipes of the central heating system.

The ferries at Kyle of Lochalsh in 1992, before the bridge was built


Kyleakin Harbour


Kyleakin; Youth Hostel to the left, Skye Bridge to the right

Thursday 1 October

Today is the first anniversary of Atlantic Lines, and it's also just about five years ago since I started on this blogging lark. Although distractions like Facebook and Twitter have come along, I still find the best way for me to write fully is on here. Our community, which we knew as J-land, has disappeared, for all intents and purposes. Although many are still in touch through Blogger and other platforms, the community spirit is no longer there.

Today is also the start of October, with summer finally behind us. As I said a little while ago, the Western Isles of Scotland lost their summer in the middle of July - it has been at best mediocre since. Today is overcast and cold, with the mercury only just getting into double figures: 10C at the moment. Tomorrow will see a deterioration in the weather, with a gale springing up later in the day. I have adjusted the graphics in the sidebar accordingly.

The Pacific is bracing itself for a double whammy of supertyphoons. Parma is currently at 130 knots (a trifling 150 mph), and Melor will follow suit, reaching an incredible 145 knots, which equates to 170 mph winds - sustained. The gusts will be as high as 200 mph. The Northern Marianas Islands are in line for Melor, while Parma will deal Luzon Island in the Philippines a glancing blow.

One year on

On 30 September 2008, AOL gave us a month's notice to quit and abandon our journals. Yes, it's a year ago. Tomorrow will be the first anniversary of this blog, Atlantic Lines. As I said a few days ago, much has changed. Not always for the better, but not necessarily wholly for the worse either.

On 30 September 2004, I was in the process of relocating from the Northern Isles to the Western Isles. I'll post that day's diary entry below.

For the first time in weeks, I had a room (or more accurately: a cabin) to myself. At 7 a.m., I found myself in a rain- and windswept Aberdeen. Delayed my departure from the ferry until the latest possible hour. Slouched off into the city at 10 a.m.. First thing needed: a townplan. Second: a post office, to send off maps and other stuff related to Orkney that was no longer required. A dark-coloured lady tried to chat me up in the PO, what a laff. Spent the rest of the morning sloping round the soaking-wet streets, with that bloody big pack on my back.Want to find the library, but Aberdeen, the Granite City, is very grey and even greyer in this rain. After I buy a pastry in a shop, and miserably eat it on a bench, I locate the library. I walked past it several times during 40 minutes, just past the Robert Gordon University. No, the library wasn't that great either. Few terminals, very limited time, and the terminal I was on crashed. Went to the station and found there was a train to Inverness at around 3pm. I was on it. Aberdeen I just do not like. Folk are friendly enough. Train departed at 3.25 and it was pretty full. As we went east, the rain relented although it stayed overcast right the way through. I can't say I'm riveted by the Moray or Aberdeenshire countryside - sorry, was in a foul mood all day today. Arrived in Inverness at 5pm, and booked into the Youth Hostel on Millburn Drive. Then went back to the Safeway for shopping. Had a lot of bother finding my way round, I had become quite used to the Co-op and Safeway stores in Kirkwall. Cooked supper,did the laundry, went on the Internet using vouchers. Fairly good deal: £1 for 20 minutes, or 24 minutes if you join the club. As membership was free, I gladly joined back in Kirkwall. Show a couple of young hostellers how to use the laundry machines. There is a group of disabled kids in who are on a trip out of Shetland. In Inverness, you can only get into the rooms using a swipe card. Some strange characters in my room tonight. Typical Mediterraneans, don't like them.

From the archives: Wednesday 29 September 2004

In the morning, I jump on the bus to the Houton Ferry, to go to Hoy. Crossing was rendered uninteresting, because we were required to stay below decks all the way to Lyness. On arrival, I have to time my walk carefully. Lyness itself is just plain unsightly. It used to be part of the Scapa Flow naval base, and after the war the Royal Navy just pulled out and sailed off into the sunset. The base was just left to fall to ruin. Worst are all the buildings, also scattered over the hillside beside the village. I walk north along the B9048, in the general direction of Moaness, at the northern end of Hoy. After about 45 minutes, I have left the village and am in the farming area of the island. Workmen are laying long stretches of blue piping, which I later learn are water mains. At 12.45, I reach a picnic site by Pegal Bay.This abuts a small, fenced-off nature reserve. All along this road you'll encounter milestones, totting up the distance between Lyness and Moaness. After Pegal Bay, the road veers inland to cross over the shoulder of Pegal Hill to Lyrawa Bay. Below Lyrawa Hill, 5½ miles / 9km outside Lyness, I encounter Betty Corrigal's grave. This is a recent feature, a fibre-glass tombstone dedicated to the memory of a young woman who committed suicide after falling pregnant out of wedlock in the 18th century. She fell for the charms of a sailor, who afterwards disappeared. She was buried in an unmarked grave, because suicides are not buried in consecrated ground. She lay undisturbed for 160 years, until her coffin was found by peat cutters in 1930. Her body had remained virtually intact, only the noose beside her had turned to dust. She was reburied, but during WW2, sailors frequently got her out. Finally, in 1949, she was buried for the last time. An American minister asked for the current headstone to be erected, but this was not done for another 27 years. After a moment or two, I squelched my way back to the road. I walked up the track, onto the nearby Lyrawa Hill, to view the gun emplacements that lie abandoned there. Nice views east, towards Wideford Hill near Kirkwall, and the hills above Houton. At 2pm, I went back towards Lyness. Forty minutes later, I was very kindly offered a lift back to Lyness by an elderly Australian couple who were here to trace ancestors by looking round graveyards. Their car made short shrift of the remaining 4 miles, and I was left with 1½ hours to kill around Lyness. Wandered up the hill to an ugly, derilict, concrete building that looked as if it had been some sort of HQ. Everything covered in layers of dirt, electrical wiring hanging all over. To escape the chilly north wind, I sat down in the lee of the building for a cuppa. Then ambled down to the ferry terminal. Ferry arrived at 4pm, but they raised the ramp again. It's not due to sail until 4.40. Have a look round the Scapa Flow museum, and the hazardous dockside. Ferry leaves on time, and I'm having a pleasant chat with a nice couple in their mid 50's. They offer me a lift back to Kirkwall once at Houton. One other person joins me in the car, but not before somebody returns me a glove I had dropped somewhere. I'm dropped off outside Safeways for shopping at 7pm. On return to the hostel, I decide to take the late ferry to Aberdeen. A quick taxiride at 10.30 duly delivers me to Hatston, where the ferry lies docked. After about 10 minutes, I'm allowed on board. Am shown to my cabin, where I take a shower, then retire for the night. The ferry sails at midnight, and exactly 4 weeks after arriving in Orkney, I'm leaving the islands. The swell rocks me to sleep.

Postscript: I'd be back in Orkney in October 2008 - will post pictures in a later entry

Train crash

Image courtesy Press and Journal

Yesterday afternoon, just after 2pm, the 1038 Inverness to Thurso train collided with a car on a level crossing at the village of Halkirk in the far north of Scotland. Its 3 occupants were killed, one of them was flung from the vehicle. The train came to a halt about a quarter of a mile down the track. It had been travelling at 50 mph when the collision happened. Investigations into the cause of the accident are on-going, and the names of the deceased have not yet been released, such pending the outcome of a post-mortem. None of the 18 passengers and 4 crew was hurt on the train. They were transferred to a nearby hotel. The train was taken to nearby Georgemas Junction railway station.

Services to Thurso and Wick remain suspended; trains from Inverness terminate at Forsinard Station, from where buses are put on. Travellers are advised to allow an extra 60 minutes for their journeys. More details here.

My sympathies are with the relatives and friends of the victims, who are reported to be elderly.

The Sun

Logo courtesy http://goalpost.wordpress.com

The Sun is a tabloid newspaper here in the UK with the highest readership, put at over 3 million copies sold each day. It is (in)famous for page three girls (who show off their assets). I usually glance at the paper when I'm buying my daily rag, the Press and Journal. I have very little time for The Sun, as it contains very little news (IMHO). I'll leave it at that.

Political Britain was all afluster today when The Sun announced it was no longer backing the Labour party (who have been in government since 1997), and instead switched its allegiance to the Conservatives. Only in Scotland did the Sun shift from Labour to nobody else. That's a piece of non-news if ever I heard one. The Sun, as I stated above, does not carry news (of note), and its editorial stance looks as if it is written on a sheet of lavatory paper. Yet it has delusions of grandeur, saying it backs winners in general elections.

This shift in political allegiance is very nice for the Conservative Party, as much as it was not nice for them in 1997, when the Sun started backing Tony Blair's Labour Party. It does show that The Sun has not got an opinion of its own, it does not stand for anything. The paper's editor has said that it backs the party that best appears to serve the interests of its readers.


Some people think that the Sun is for those who cannot be bothered to engage their brain. That's not true. You have to think very hard to read the Sun. Because you DO have to think for yourself - is what the Sun thinks is good for you really good for you?

Wednesday 30 September

September goes out with a bang, several bangs in fact. Typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis and flooding. It almost sounds like the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Typhoon Ketsana started off by causing severe flooding in Manila on Saturday, dumping more than 16 inches of rain on the Philippino capital in 12 hours. More than 100 people lost their lives, and they are still cleaning up. Three days later, Ketsana had blown up into a fully fledged, category II typhoon and slammed into Vietnam. A similar deathtoll, and a similar number of people homeless - 730,000 in the Philippines and Vietnam combined. Even northern Cambodia was affected, and 11 lives were lost there.

Ketsana had barely disappeared from the weather charts when the Earth had an itch and jolted 3 inches under the Pacific. Six and a half miles of water were bumped upward and outward, and swamped the Samoan islands with a 25 feet tsunami. Even Hawaii, thousands of miles away to the northeast, saw 5 feet of tsunami running by. The devastation in Western and American Samoa is huge, and the deathtoll as yet incomplete. Yesterday evening, as the wave rolled round the Pacific, I (and hundreds with me) spent several hours relaying warning messages on Twitter.

Twelve hours after the Samoan quake, which measured 8.3 on the Richter scale, the earth moved again, and this time it was Sumatra that bore the brunt. Although no sizeable tsunami was generated, the devastation in western Sumatra was once more huge. The death toll at time of posting was quoted as at least 1,000, and probably much higher.

More natural disasters loom for the Pacific in the next few days. Two typhoons, one actual and one in the making, are shunting up Typhoon Alley to the east of the Philippines. Melor will slam into Guam on Saturday with winds near 110 mph, whilst Parma (further west) could cause problems in Luzon Island, Philippines before making for Taiwan.

The Atlantic hurricane season? What's that?? There have so far been 6 named storms, of which 2 in September, which is supposed to be the peak of the hurricane season. I am pleased for those in Hurricane Alley who (so far) have been spared the worst, although you should never count your chickens before they're hatched - and there is two months of the season left. The reason for the quietude of the Atlantic this year is an abnormal temperature pattern in the eastern Pacific, which is warmer than usual - it is called El Nino. As a result, atmospheric conditions are unfavourable for tropical cyclones to form in the Atlantic. Long range forecasts state that a tropical cyclone could form in a week or so from now. I'm keeping an eye on developments on my TC blog.

Western Isles residents wanted for study

A PhD student from Lancaster is looking for residents of the Western Isles who are willing to give an hour or so of their time to talk about the use of language. Α project is being run across the UK and Ireland about the difference between how older and younger people speak and how they feel about it.

If you are interested to participate, or know people who want to take part, please leave a brief note in comments. I’ll relay the email address (which will show up in the comment notification) to the academic concerned, and you can then make arrangements direct. Confidentiality will be upheld by this blogger, and for anyone participating in the study.

Please relay.
Thank you.

Tsunami

The PTWC is currently under heavy demand, and it is best to put their link into your feedreader, and keep abreast of developments that way. Waves of 5 feet in height have washed ashore in nearby islands at intervals of 8 minutes (which can be up to 1 hours apart). Over the next 5 to 6 hours, waves are expected to propagate across the Pacific. Warnings and watches remain in force until further notice.

LOCATION         FORECAST POINT     COORDINATES     ARRIVAL TIME
 --------------------------------    ------------    ------------
 AMERICAN SAMOA   PAGO PAGO          14.3S 170.7W    1759Z 29 SEP
 SAMOA            APIA               13.8S 171.8W    1810Z 29 SEP
 NIUE             NIUE IS.           19.0S 170.0W    1822Z 29 SEP
 WALLIS-FUTUNA    WALLIS IS.         13.2S 176.2W    1835Z 29 SEP
 TOKELAU          NUKUNONU IS.        9.2S 171.8W    1844Z 29 SEP
 COOK ISLANDS     PUKAPUKA IS.       10.8S 165.9W    1846Z 29 SEP
                  RAROTONGA          21.2S 159.8W    1929Z 29 SEP
                  PENRYN IS.          8.9S 157.8W    1954Z 29 SEP
 TONGA            NUKUALOFA          21.0S 175.2W    1851Z 29 SEP
 TUVALU           FUNAFUTI IS.        7.9S 178.5E    1932Z 29 SEP
 KIRIBATI         KANTON IS.          2.8S 171.7W    1935Z 29 SEP
                  FLINT IS.          11.4S 151.8W    2025Z 29 SEP
                  MALDEN IS.          3.9S 154.9W    2037Z 29 SEP
                  CHRISTMAS IS.       2.0N 157.5W    2100Z 29 SEP
                  TARAWA IS.          1.5N 173.0E    2104Z 29 SEP
 KERMADEC IS      RAOUL IS.          29.2S 177.9W    1938Z 29 SEP
 FIJI             SUVA               18.1S 178.4E    2003Z 29 SEP
 HOWLAND-BAKER    HOWLAND IS.         0.6N 176.6W    2008Z 29 SEP
 JARVIS IS.       JARVIS IS.          0.4S 160.1W    2028Z 29 SEP
 NEW ZEALAND      EAST CAPE          37.7S 178.5E    2044Z 29 SEP
                  GISBORNE           38.7S 178.0E    2100Z 29 SEP
                  NORTH CAPE         34.4S 173.3E    2112Z 29 SEP
                  NAPIER             39.5S 176.9E    2140Z 29 SEP
                  WELLINGTON         41.3S 174.8E    2150Z 29 SEP
                  AUCKLAND(E)        36.7S 175.0E    2212Z 29 SEP
                  AUCKLAND(W)        37.1S 174.2E    2239Z 29 SEP
                  LYTTELTON          43.6S 172.7E    2255Z 29 SEP
                  NEW PLYMOUTH       39.1S 174.1E    2317Z 29 SEP
                  NELSON             41.3S 173.3E    2323Z 29 SEP
                  DUNEDIN            45.9S 170.5E    2331Z 29 SEP
                  MILFORD SOUND      44.6S 167.9E    2358Z 29 SEP
                  WESTPORT           41.8S 171.6E    2359Z 29 SEP
                  BLUFF              46.6S 168.3E    0044Z 30 SEP
 FR. POLYNESIA    PAPEETE            17.5S 149.6W    2045Z 29 SEP
                  HIVA OA            10.0S 139.0W    2214Z 29 SEP
                  RIKITEA            23.1S 135.0W    2247Z 29 SEP
 PALMYRA IS.      PALMYRA IS.         6.3N 162.4W    2102Z 29 SEP
 VANUATU          ANATOM IS.         20.2S 169.9E    2117Z 29 SEP
                  ESPERITU SANTO     15.1S 167.3E    2123Z 29 SEP
 NAURU            NAURU               0.5S 166.9E    2138Z 29 SEP
 MARSHALL IS.     MAJURO              7.1N 171.4E    2147Z 29 SEP
                  KWAJALEIN           8.7N 167.7E    2220Z 29 SEP
                  ENIWETOK           11.4N 162.3E    2309Z 29 SEP
 SOLOMON IS.      KIRAKIRA           10.4S 161.9E    2155Z 29 SEP
                  GHATERE             7.8S 159.2E    2227Z 29 SEP
                  AUKI                8.8S 160.6E    2244Z 29 SEP
                  HONIARA             9.3S 160.0E    2244Z 29 SEP
                  PANGGOE             6.9S 157.2E    2245Z 29 SEP
                  MUNDA               8.4S 157.2E    2248Z 29 SEP
                  FALAMAE             7.4S 155.6E    2304Z 29 SEP
 JOHNSTON IS.     JOHNSTON IS.       16.7N 169.5W    2212Z 29 SEP
 NEW CALEDONIA    NOUMEA             22.3S 166.5E    2216Z 29 SEP
 KOSRAE           KOSRAE IS.          5.5N 163.0E    2233Z 29 SEP
 PAPUA NEW GUINE  KIETA               6.1S 155.6E    2303Z 29 SEP
                  AMUN                6.0S 154.7E    2323Z 29 SEP
                  RABAUL              4.2S 152.3E    2349Z 29 SEP
                  LAE                 6.8S 147.0E    0015Z 30 SEP
                  KAVIENG             2.5S 150.7E    0016Z 30 SEP
                  PORT MORESBY        9.3S 146.9E    0039Z 30 SEP
                  MADANG              5.2S 145.8E    0041Z 30 SEP
                  MANUS IS.           2.0S 147.5E    0050Z 30 SEP
 HAWAII           NAWILIWILI         22.0N 159.4W    2311Z 29 SEP
                  HILO               19.7N 155.1W    2314Z 29 SEP
                  HONOLULU           21.3N 157.9W    2315Z 29 SEP
 POHNPEI          POHNPEI IS.         7.0N 158.2E    2318Z 29 SEP
 WAKE IS.         WAKE IS.           19.3N 166.6E    2322Z 29 SEP
 PITCAIRN         PITCAIRN IS.       25.1S 130.1W    2329Z 29 SEP
 MIDWAY IS.       MIDWAY IS.         28.2N 177.4W    2349Z 29 SEP
 CHUUK            CHUUK IS.           7.4N 151.8E    0020Z 30 SEP
 AUSTRALIA        BRISBANE           27.2S 153.3E    0036Z 30 SEP
                  SYDNEY             33.9S 151.4E    0038Z 30 SEP

Pacific Tsunami

Copied from PTWC:

A TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH ARE IN EFFECT ...

A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR

AMERICAN SAMOA / SAMOA / NIUE / WALLIS-FUTUNA / TOKELAU /
COOK ISLANDS / TONGA / TUVALU / KIRIBATI / KERMADEC IS / FIJI /
HOWLAND-BAKER / JARVIS IS. / NEW ZEALAND / FR. POLYNESIA /
PALMYRA IS. / VANUATU / NAURU / MARSHALL IS. / SOLOMON IS.

A TSUNAMI WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR

JOHNSTON IS. / NEW CALEDONIA / KOSRAE / PAPUA NEW GUINEA /
HAWAII / POHNPEI / WAKE IS. / PITCAIRN / MIDWAY IS. / CHUUK /
AUSTRALIA

FOR ALL OTHER AREAS COVERED BY THIS BULLETIN... IT IS FOR
INFORMATION ONLY AT THIS TIME.

THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. ONLY
NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE
DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND
ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS
NOTE THE MAGNITUDE UPGRADE TO 8.3

ORIGIN TIME - 1748Z 29 SEP 2009
COORDINATES - 15.3 SOUTH 171.0 WEST
DEPTH - 33 KM
LOCATION - SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
MAGNITUDE - 8.3

From the archives: Tuesday 28 September 2004

Houton Ferry Terminal, Orkney Mainland


The weather has quietened down since Sunday's gale, and there is now only a gentle greeze. I go into town to hire a pushbike. At 11, I paddle down the Old Scapa Road after a preliminary circuit of the town centre. This took me down Junction Road to the Orkney Ferries terminal, then along all sorts of back roads to the cathedral. At 11.10, I'm heading southwest along the A964 towards Orphir. It's a nice, sunny day and make good progress. Consider a shortcut at Kirbister to Finstown, but don't like the prospect of hills. Have an interchange with a tourist bus, all along the road to Scapa Garage. On arrival at Houton Terminal, it's 12.30. It's a steep descent from the main road. Nice view across to Hoy. There are two piers here, one of which is the terminal for the ferry to Lyness, Hoy. Watch the world go by behind the ferry office, then head off when the ferry comes in. By that time, I've finished lunch. Back up the hill to the main road, then left towards Brig o'Waithe. The view opens out to Graemsay and Stromness, but it's a long, long way to the A965, particularly with a headwind. Backside gets sorer and sorer as I go along, but ** finally ** I gain the main road.Turn right and am now running the gauntlet of all the traffic. Pass the sideroad to the monuments, then stop off at a petrol station to buy an icecream and a coke. As I progress further east, the weather decides it's warm enough for a shower. So, at the corner of the A986, I hide in the busshelter to don my waterproofs. Reach Finstown without further mishap. Here I decide to go to Kirkwall along the Old Finstown Road, if only to avoid the traffic. Well, I'm not very good at hills and there is a lot of traffic on this road as well. Decide on a break a little way west of Smerquoy Farm, but sitting in the verge of the road isn't that nice either. Get overtaken by a full schoolbus, and finally sail into Kirkwall at 5pm. Blimey, wasn't I knackered. Return the bike to the shop on Tankerness Lane, drop into the Internet Café across the road. This is part of an IT training enterprise, which also serves coffee and snacks. Return to the hostel after shopping at Safeways.

Ketsana

As I reported in my previous post, this typhoon has now made landfall in Vietnam. Initial local reports state that at least 23 people have been killed by the storm, with 170,000 evacuated. Windspeeds reached 90 mph.

Image courtesy NPR / AP

The storm surge, which accompanies tropical cyclones, has swept 1 km inland at Hoi An, threatening hotels and other buildings at the resort. 

Tuesday 29 September

Well, we have the sun back. In abundance. Brilliant day, after several days of rain and murk. I don't really mind the rain and / or wind, but several days in the row gets a bit depressing.

There is an alert concerning the cervical cancer vaccination Cervarix. A girl of 14 died on Monday after the jab was administered, and tests are currently on-going in the exact cause of death. Meanwhile, parents are being urged to be vigilant towards any adverse reactions, displayed by their daughters following administration of Cervarix. The programme of vaccinations is currently suspended, but will resume shortly. If this concerns any of your family (in the UK, or elsewhere), please read this BBC news article carefully.

The Pacific currently has 4 tropical cyclones on the go. Typhoon Ketsana, which wrought havoc in the Philippines over the weekend, is making landfall in Vietnam, 110 miles southeast of Hue, with winds of 110 mph. The city of Da Nang, some 80 miles from Hue, reported sustained winds of 48 mph over the past 24 hours. Tropical storm 18W is going through the northern Marianas with galeforce winds. Parma is on its way, about 400 miles in its wake, with 20W some 850 miles east of Guam.