Coigach as it was - and is

When we lived in Coigach 25 years ago it was a different place. The mountains and islands remain unchanged, but the villages along the shore have had facelifts and now are all improved and well kept. B&B signs abound, gardens grace the front yards where green trees and bushes provide shelter from the wild sea wind, and houses that were once in ruin have been restored. The old wooden village hall is now a beautiful new facility with a proper kitchen, a large vaulted space for dances and other activities, rooms for meetings and a well-tended garden.

The Fuaran pub still sports its two palm trees - but is now gentrified and upgraded with a full menu of excellently prepared foods. The upstairs room is nicely furnished with booths and tables and the walls are tastefully decorated with prints and paintings. When we lived there, there was a limited menu of soup and sandwiches and it was all very casual. Now you have to make reservations for dinner. The dinner we had there was wonderful - especially the large scallops, succulent and tender and perfectly sauced.

The pool table now resides in the lower bar, competing with the dart board for limited space. The bar is still there but all the kitchy stuff - foreign bills & pennants etc. that used to cover the walls behind it are gone. It's nice - but sterile. The outside of the building has been completely redone and there is a very nice patio out in front for eating outside with a wonderful view of the sea. The pub is full of tourists because, other than the expensive hotel dining room, there is as of yet no cafe suitable for family dining.

The hotel in Achiltibuie is still operating - still expensive but offering the haute cuisine that has given it an international reputation since before we lived in the village. The bar is pretty much the same, but the patio where mothers and kiddies used to meet for a pint and a natter on Sunday afternoons has been enclosed with glass. This gives comfortable dining sheltered from the wind and with great sea views all around - but it's not got the same feeling. We indulged ourselves with a lunch of delicious dressed crab (large crabs simply called "edible crabs"). I have visions of cooking these beasties as my first experience with dealing with live seafood in Castlehill. They were often on our menu, both hot and cold and always yummy.

Sheep are still a common hazard on the roads and new lambs skipped in the crofts and dotted the hillsides. Jack went out with Iain a few times to check the field enclosures for possible lambing problems and was lucky to see the very newest of arrivals. But there are new animals to be found now - deer grazed below us in the croft below Tigh-Abbie and highland cattle turned their backs to the wind in a field along the road. There were shetland ponies and more cattle - it was fun to see the new additions.

The town of Ullapool has also changed - more and larger pubs and restaurants line the harbor and parking lots accomodate large touring busses. We were there on a holiday weekend and couldn't find a place to park anywhere near the harbor. The town was packed with tourists and there are more boats offering sightseeing and bird/seal/dolphin watching cruises. There was a large cruise boat anchored off the pier offloading tourists into rubber dinghies to deliver them to town. But the town still has the same white buildings along the waterfront and is a lovely town in a spectacular setting. It's still a thrill to come down the hill through the brilliant displays of rhododendrons lining the road approaching Loch Broom, and to see the white curve of the town laid out along the sheltered harbor full of bright fishing boats. It's a view I love.

Riding the Wee Mad Road

For the first 6 days of our trip we'd had typical highland weather - windy, cold and intermittent rain - so on the first sunny morning we decided to drive the length of the Wee Mad Road - turning off the main highway to the town of Drumbeg and then along the coast through Lochinver and down to Achiltibuie. The road to Drumbeg is wild and beautiful and the Wee Mad Road is as we remember it -

except that the sign is gone and if you didn't know where it was you could easily miss it.

The day was perfect - cool with sun and dramatic clouds casting ever-changing shadows over the mountains. The road would disappear completely over the top of impossibly steep hills and on that very narrow road you'd have to take it on faith that you wouldn't reach the top at the same time someone else was coming the other way - and that the road would actually be there somewhere on the other side. The gorse in full bloom cast a golden glow all along the roadsides and the sea and mountain views were spectacular. I still get the old thrill - I love every turn and twist and never tire of the beauty of familiar scenes!

A few miles down the coast from Lochinver is Inverkirkaig, a small settlement where the Kirkaig River runs down to the sea. There is a charming book store and tea shop there and we stopped for tea and scones and to deliver some books to the owner, Alex Dickson. His wife, Agnes, was also there and we found that she is a Gaelic singer and used to sing with our friend Pete Taylor at the Ceilidh Place in Ullapool. They both were very gracious and Agnes was kind enough to give us a copy of her latest CD, Ceol, Mo Chridhe - she has a lovely voice and the recording is a treat. If you're ever lucky enough to be in this area, be sure to stop by to enjoy browsing through this delightful shop - I love their selection of books.

Then back to the welcoming view of the Summer Isles spread out in the sunshine - and at the end of the road - home.

Tigh-Abbie - way back then and now

During our time in Coigach we had the privilege of staying in Tigh-Abbie, a lovely house resurected from the ruin that was John Alec Campbell's family home many years ago. Iain lovingly restored the house and made it into a beautifully furnished comfortable place where family can stay when visiting, or that can be rented out as self-catering accomodation (Google Tigh-Abbie for pictures and description).

John Alec was one of our favorite characters - a crusty old crofter who in his late seventies still worked at the sheep, and loved his pint. He was one of the "Three Worthies" pictured in our book - sharing a pint and a dram at the Fuaran, nattering away in Gaelic and telling old tales. All are gone now, those three old friends - and we miss them. How lucky we were to have been there at that time - to have known them then and to listen to their stories.











This is the house where John Alec was born in the early 1900's. By the time we lived there in the 80's it had fallen into a picturesque ruin that sat in the croft below Anne and Iain's house. At the time we left Coigach, Iain (a skilled mason and builder) was just beginning to plan its restoration so we had never seen the completed building.

Now Tigh-Abbie incorporates the old stone walls of the original house. Inside, the airy lounge holds copies of old family photos, bringing to mind the faces and history those walls have seen. The view from the large windows is the same beautiful view of islands and mountains enjoyed by generations of Campbells.

The house has every comfort - a beautiful kitchen with everything furnished that one could possibly need; a den with stereo system, TV, books and a fireplace to curl up by; two cozy bedrooms and a bath upstairs - and always the view.












We felt at home immediately - and Anne and Iain could not have been more giving and gracious. Thank you, thank you, thank you dear friends for making our stay a happy and comfortable one!

Castlehill - then and now

Castlehill.

I loved it from the moment I walked in - it welcomed me - it was home. It was drafty in the westerly gales and subject to mildew. Sometimes it had sheep in its front garden. But it was cozy and warm and wonderful and had traditional highland charm. It held us close for three years and was filled with music, comradship, holiday celebrations and ceilidhs, teas with friends, dinners with neighbors, and presents from a beloved visiting cat.







Castlehill is still there today. It has been transformed into a beautifully appointed holiday home with under-floor heating, a well appointed kitchen with all the mod-cons, a lovely bath with heated towel racks, inviting bedrooms and a fabulous view from the new sun porch. You couldn't ask for a better place to relax, watch the sea and revel in the wonderful changing light on the islands and mountains across Loch Broom.


But gone are the bright red gates that marked our home even from out on the sea, and supported Old Glory on the 4th of July.

Now there is a proper drive going up to the house with an ordinary gate that says "House for Let".





The back of the house has been torn off and rebuilt and the house has a much more modern open plan. Everything has been improved for comfort and efficiency and is done very well. Gone is the clapboard kitchen with the diabolical sock-eating washing machine and the two tiny stacked refrigerators. The new kitchen is everything you could wish in modern conveniences.



Gone is the coal shed that I loved - the shed of sheep-lust fame. My seed wall no longer calls the birds to sing and swing in the rowan tree outside the kitchen window. Now there is a proper back entry to keep out bugs and slugs and things that go squish in the night.





The old steading has been cleaned up and landscaped - the jumble of artifacts from long ago no longer clutters the floor and crowds the spaces. Everything is neat and clean and well-ordered.





A graceful arch now leads from Drake's next door to Castlehill, where a wire-topped stone wall was once the only way to cross - a challenge to darling little boys climbing over to appear in our kitchen in their wellies - waiting for a natter and a drink with ice cubes.






Castlehill would be a wonderful place to spend a holiday.

But it is no longer our highland home.

Home again

We're back from traveling the Wee Mad Road and I'm still trying to sort out my impressions. So I'll give you my thoughts on one thing at a time. First of all - friends!

We were welcomed with open arms by many dear friends that we haven't seen for years. It was a joy to see them again and meet their children and grandchildren. When you get together with old friends it's as if you've never been apart - and even though we all may have a few more gray hairs (or a few less) - the years fall away and it's like old times. It is still a joy and a pleasure to be together and to swap stories of days gone by and to catch up with recent happenings and future plans. To be with these people again was the most important reason for going back to Coigach - and it was lovely!

"Should auld aquaintance be forgot ......"

Our first stop was on the east coast at Portmahomack - home to Jimmy and Ruth Philp who brought wonderful music across with them to Castlehill and were the occasion for many a great ceilidh. Their children are grown now, with children of their own.





This was yesterday......



and today................................................



On to Coigach and the village of Polglass where Anne (Irish)and Iain Campbell were our gracious hosts - giving us the use of Iain's father's old homestead, Tigh Abbie (see complete description in future post). Anne and Iain have visited us several times in the US and it was great to see them again! I can't believe they're grandparents now - and it was fun to meet their grandchildren - the youngest of whom is the same age her mother was when we lived there.

One of our first calls was to the Summer Isles Hotel pub, where we met "Big Leslie" - happy, healthy and not at all changed from when we first met her some twenty years ago.

The five of us in good form........................


Our neighbor Peter Drake, whose beautiful boat, Sea Swallow, was the source of our many fantastic seafood meals, still lives next door to Castlehill. His children are grown and flown to other parts of the world. But he still fishes for lobster and he and his wife, Midge, run a busy B&B business - including the rentals of Castlehill - now a self-catering cottage. We had a delightful visit with them.

.....Then ............................and now.....


At Achnahaird we spent a lovely evening with Ali and Jane West and Aileen Muir, owner of the Polbain Gift Shop, who came up from Polbain for the visit. What a joy to remember old times and hear stories about old Alisdair and Margaret West and our favorite storyteller, Jim Muir - and to catch up with the latest village gossip.


.....Then - Ali with Alisdair

....................................Now with wife Jane.........




Back at Polglass we had a visit from Ken the Bread, world traveler and reconteur. It was wonderful to see him again - and as usual he regaled us with very funny stories of his past escapades and local goings-on. Ken had worked with Jim Muir at the salmon fishing during the time we were in Coigach - and he misses Jim a lot.

....In the kitchen at Tigh-Abbie

....At the salmon fishing with Jim Muir

Back to Achnahaird and a visit with Ann and Ali Beag. Ali plays a mean accordian - he used to be shy about playing but now writes tunes and has several CD's to his credit. He and Peter Drake play in a Ceilidh band for local dances and we have a CD of their music which we play along with our slide show at fiber fairs. Ali has a devastatingly sharp wit and he and Ann are delightful conversationalists.

While we were visiting, Ali had to nip off to the school where he was to speak Gaelic with a tinker who was giving a talk about a tinker's life to the children.


......Then


....................and now......

Down to visit Evelyn Bolster. We used to spend many happy evenings with Evelyn and her husband Arthur and our neighbors Joy and Ian relaxing by a cosy fire and solving the problems of the world. A good dinner and a fine dram or two filled us with the wisdom needed for the job.

Evelyn and I used to practise a few

tunes together and even played for a lady's tea once. Evelyn has kept it up and now plays with a local music group and is doing very well. I, on the other hand, have let my guitar languish unplayed for many years, and now only join the singers at our neighborhood music nights. Sic semper gloria.

Our next visit was with Annie Sinclair, who with her husband, Boysie, owned and ran the Achiltibuie store and petrol pump for all the years we lived in Coigach. She always had a lovely smile and made a trip to the store a pleasure. Now retired she lives a few houses down from the store and it was delightful to visit with her again.


Finally we got to spend time with our friends Kester and Diana Armstrong and their lovely twin daughters. They own the cottage down beyond the very end of the road at Culnacraig. We were so lucky that that they had chosen this very week to come up from their home in Hexham to Holiday in Coigach. We have known Kester and Diana from before the time they were married and were finishing their legal studies back in the 80's. Their friendship has been a treasure for all these years.

We spent our last evening in Coigach at the now spiffied-up Fuaran pub having a delicious dinner with Anne and Iain and the Armstrongs. We had a wonderful time - warm and funny and filled with memories and plans for the future and just plain fun.

We thank whatever gods may be for the joy of knowing all these wonderful people and the priviledge of calling them our friends.

As Burn's song has said ....

"seas between us braid ha'e roared sin auld lang syne ...."

So .." here's a hand my trusty frien' and gie's a hand o' thine

We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet for auld lang syne"....

The road goes ever on....

We are set to fly off to Scotland next week. It will be the first trip back to the village since publishing the book and I'm really looking forward to seeing dear friends and our familiar mountains again. We'll drive the Wee Mad Road and take a lot of pictures (we've seen photos of Castlehill in its new guise - we'll share the ones we take).

We know things have changed even in the 5 or 6 years since we were last in Coigach. So many old friends have gone - and we will miss them terribly. But we'll be busy enjoying the friends who are still there - and are looking forward to seeing some special people who are coming up from the south to spend the week at their cottage down at the very end of the road. We've known Kestor and Diana since before they were married - seen them qualify for their professions at the University, marry and have children - and now their oldest is at Cambridge following his own star. Many of the children we knew when we lived in Coigach are married and have children of their own. When did we get so old?

But the hills and the sea and the islands are still the same - and I know our hearts will lift and rejoice while we're there - and that we will feel the same deep sorrow when we have to say good-bye.

I'll write again when we get home.

Fiber rocks!

Well - it's spring in Minnesota. The trees are blooming and the streets are lined with clouds of red, pink and white blossoms. The lilacs are coming into full bloom and the smell is so headily sweet - it's a joy to be alive.

The Mother's Day weekend, however, was cold and blustery and we were out at Lake Elmo selling books at the Shepherd's Harvest Fiber Fair. Luckily our booth was inside - but even so it took a long time for cold fingers to function properly first thing in the morning. But it was a great weekend. We sold a lot of books and got to talk to some really interesting people so it was a lot of fun. Quite a few folks stopped by who had read the book and made us feel wonderful by their kind comments. And that is the best reward of all.

The Shepherd's Harvest takes place every year and is full of wonderful fiber arts, musicians (some of whom make lovely instruments), and sheep, llamas, goats and rabbits - anything that can be plucked or shorn for wool and fiber. There are sheep shearing demos, animal judging and sheep dog demonstrations. This year they had all types of herding dogs from shelties to old English sheep dogs (along with the usual border collies who are always wonderful to watch). And they have some neat classes - and luckily Eileen felt well enough to take a couple of them and do a bit of spinning and carding too. Every year we've been there the fair has grown and now there are four large buildings full of exhibitors - lots to see and do and eat - and entry is free.

Maybe we'll see you there next year!