It was all Bot's idea in the first place. At the Conference in January he got us all going with the crazy idea of organising our own expedition to Vatersay (none of us knew where it was). Things eventually started happening and after numbers had dropped from ten to five and then increased to six again we very nearly gave up. However, we persevered and eventually, at the end of August, found ourselves on one of the most beautiful Hebridean islands which I have ever seen. Vatersay is just south of Barra (the ferry from Castlebay takes about twenty minutes) and is the most southerly inhabited island (population: 80) in the Outer Hebrides as well as having the most westerly inhabited house (barring the army radar station on St. Kilda) in Great Britain (though not Northern Ireland). The island is formed of two rock outcrops running east to west with a "neck" of sand about five hundred yards wide and a mile long joining the two in the middle and on which we camped. Five beaches facing north, south, east, west, and north-west gave plenty of variety but all were deserted in strange contrast to those muddy stony ones in Italy where Fred had been a few weeks before and where every inch was covered in baking humanity! Come to the Riviera of the north for your holidays! I met Hugh at 6.30 on Monday, 19th August in Oban and after a rough crossing on the Claymore we arrived to find Castlebay windswept and wet. The weather prevented Hector MacLeod from running his regular ferry to Vatersay and so we had to spend the night camped in Castlebay.

Vatersay Bay 11/06/2007

(Yes this is the Hebrides, not Bermuda! - Ed)

© Copyright Frances Watts

The same bad weather which hindered us had also caused a disaster which affected us very closely. When visiting the island at Easter, Angus John MacNeil had acted as ferryman and had been very helpful. Alas, just before our arrival his boat, on a trip to Mallaig had been lost in a gale and all five crew on board, all from Vatersay, had lost their lives. This tragedy cast a shadow over the island but the islanders nevertheless made us very welcome in their midst. For the first three days the weather remained wet and windy and we were not helped by the absence of the marquee, stranded at Northbay Airport. After the other four had arrived on the Wednesday we decided to move our site to a more sheltered spot nearer the schoolhouse. Here we had a well drained site right beside the road which meant that there were no problems with stores and mail.

However, the island having had very little rain for three months the streams soon ran dry when the weather improved. Consequently we had to get it from the schoolhouse, about two hundred yards away, in buckets. Alas, Mrs. Campbell's supply soon dried up so we were reduced to filling and getting Donald to deliver an old dustbin full of water from the village pump about a mile away. We soon learnt to leave this inside the marquee overnight after some inquisitive cattle had over turned the half-full dustbin and left us without water. The camp itself consisted of a 12 ft. by 12 ft. marquee, three sleeping tents, one food tent and one store tent as well as a "bog" tent. Other amenities were a gash pit (nicknamed "Janice") 8 ft. 2½ in. deep which we are claiming as an S.H.S. record. Some difficulty was experienced in collecting driftwood but the tables which we left there will remain for many a long year as a monument to our industry. Unfortunately we had to fill in the gash pit because it was a danger to passing cattle. Food was quite reasonable thanks to Hugh's efforts. Steak and kidney pudding tastes much better when cooked in an oven. Although I say it myself the bread (cooked up without a recipe) was quite edible, if a little "heavy". Having catered for eight and there only being six of us we certainly did not starve. Activities were not organised in any way, and some unused to this spent much time in sunbathing and playing football, perhaps regretting their lethargy later. Others "did" the island (2 miles north to south, each section 2½ miles and 3½ miles long east to west). All ports of the island, from Coalis to Earisdale were visited and photographed in the glorious weather which we had throughout our stay. Pete did ornithology and Olly attempted a geographical survey of the coastal features of Barra and Vatersay which was however hampered a little by a wayward member of the opposite sex. On Vatersay itself round houses and duns were examined and speculation was rife as to their origin. Very little of the early history of Vatersay is known because up until the turn of the century the island was owned by the Gordons and occupied by a tenant farmer. In 1907 (?) eleven men from Mingulay landed on Vatersay and refused to return to their island because they were too isolated and badly off there. Known as the "Vatersay Raiders" they demanded to be allowed to stay and occupy the island and eventually the Ministry of Agriculture stepped in and bought the island, and split it up into crofts. The following poem was written about them:

Theiseabhal Beag, viewed from the beach.  15/07/2007                     © Copyright Stuart McMahon