LEADER'S REPORT

When I left Aberdeen on my way to meet the rest of the Expedition in Edinburgh, the weather looked far from promising for the next fortnight, and except for a superb sunset over the Montrose basin, it rained all the time until we arrived in Stornoway, where we spent the night in the Scout Hut. However, we were again fortunate enough to be greeted at Rhenigidale by fine weather, which lasted for most of the first week.

We had the camp set in fairly good time. This year, the marquees were anchored with fence posts, and although we had high winds, the tents all stood up until the end. In this respect, at least, we learnt from Alan Bateman's experiences last year. Camp furniture was built over the first couple of days, thanks to Roddy MacInnes, whose field we were on, who lent us some sheets of hardboard with which we made some rather hilly tables. Without them, we might not have had any tables at all!

During this time, we were familiarising ourselves with our surroundings, and most of us managed to heave ourselves up the hill behind the camp. On the day I did it, we could see from St. Kilda to Sutherland on either side and many of the Inner Isles to the South-East. We were all struck by the stark beauty of the island, but soon came to see the severe limitations of the site at Rhenigidale. There are only three ways which are practicable for leaving the settlement—one is round by sea to Tarbert, another overland, and the other up Loch Scaforth, either on foot or by boat, to Maernig.

The boat ("Rock Bottom") proved to be very useful on the expedition. In it, we carried bags of lime round the coast for Roddy Maclnnes, later spreading them on the hillside as part of his grassland improvement scheme for his sheep. Many of the bags burst on handling, as they seemed to have been sitting at the landing place for months. However, most of the lime arrived where it was supposed to.

In fact, for a time it didn't seem that we were going to get a boat at all, since Admiral Harris agreed to take it round from Kyles Scalpay with a skeleton crew. As we left on a bigger boat with all our equipment, we saw him filling the tank of the outboard with what he (and we) took to be petrol. However, when we arrived at Rhenigidale, and for an hour or so afterwards, there was no sign of Steven. Later still, we saw the MacLeod's boat returning with "Rock Bottom" in tow—the engine had never started. On investigation, we discovered that he had taken the can of paraffin and not one of the three cans of petrol!

Kyles Scalpay slipway taken in 2006. © Copyright Bob Jones	Tarbert. CalMac's ferry "MV Hebrides" at Tarbert pier on a calm windless day. 1970 © Copyright Anne Burgess

Eventually, the time came to leave Rhenigidale and the friends we had made there. They were really sorry to see us go. When groups like ours come to Rhenigidale, it reminds them of the time there used to be 30 or 40 children in the school (now there are only two), and when the boats, now lying idle on the beach, used to be out fishing the Minches every day. Then the fish left, and with the First and Second World Wars, so did the young men, many never to return, either killed, or living now on Skye or the Mainland. As Mr. MacKay said "It's too quiet here—we like the noise of the young people." I hope we shall return, if not as a group then as individuals— let us help to keep Rhenigidale alive! The expedition, and its success, owes it a great debt. Andrew Wilson

Tairbeart ferry heading out. September 1974 Looking back to Tairbeart with Rubha Dubh to the right. © Copyright Trevor Rickard

This year we stayed 3 nights in the lovely Rhenigidale Hostel with a very wet, but rewarding day cycling over the postman’s path on a circuit.  Photos also on Flickr (before Crabhadhail).  We had great kayaking east to the isolated Parc area. We searched for the location of the killer whale incident, but I now think we looked in the wrong place: I hadn’t even remembered the SHS camp was at Rhenigidale! We may have to try again another year!