Castles, Cornflakes and Drunken Frog Hunting - Barrathon 2012

Making plans for the weekend

Dolphins following the ferry

The clue is in the name. Castlebay. The approach by sea to the main settlement on the Hebridean Isle of Barra is dominated by the castle perched on its rock in the middle of the bay, accessible only by boat (or swimming if you are so inclined). The castle is only a 5 minute boat trip from the shore and as it had been a few years since I had last been there I was keen to take another look and it wasn’t too hard to persuade the other Lynx Pack runners to go as part of the post Barrathon entertainment. 

Our transport

leaving Castlebay

Landing at the Castle

The site is believed to have been occupied since earliest times but the castle wasn't built until the turbulent 15^th Century as the seat and stronghold of the clan MacNeil after the Chief Gill-Adhamnain MacNeil was given the Isle of Barra by Alexander MacDonald, the Lord of the Isles. In the 18^th Century the chief of the clan MacNeil left the castle for a house on the island which was probably much more practical if not more comfortable, and the castle fell into ruins, was gutted by fire and its stone plundered to be used as ballast in boats and in construction of other buildings in Castlebay such as the post office. In 1837 the 41^st chief of the clan was forced to sell Barra as he fell into financial ruin.

In 1914 Robert Lister MacNeil of Barra inherited the title of clan chief but by now the line of succession was firmly based across the Atlantic however in 1937 he purchased the castle and set about restoring it into a living home, if not faithfully recreating its original design and with liberal use of modern materials such as concrete. In 2000 Ian Roderick MacNeil of Barra put the castle into the care of Historic Scotland under the lease of one pound and one bottle of Talisker whisky each year.

The view back to Castlebay

The incorporation of the new into the old lacks the sophistication of modern restoration projects and an uneasy juxtaposition of elements gives an unsettling effect. Finding a bedroom with a fully fitted en suite bathroom was a surprise and it was strange to find windows that had been clumsily glazed with Perspex rather than glass. This is a restoration project where it feel that the new has been forced upon the old rather than fully incorporated or blended. Nonetheless nothing can detract from its imposing character and stark beauty and the impression of formidable strength and impermeability, there is no question as to why this location was chosen for the castle.

Usually the eagerly anticipated approach to Castlebay involves sailing past little islands, glimpses of magnificent sandy beaches on Vatersay and of course the imposing structure of the castle on its rock guarding the entrance to the bay, but not this time. Thick, thick mist had descended down to sea level, so much so that there appeared to be two Calmac ferry men stood at the bow of the ship acting as lookouts while the foghorn was blown at repeated intervals whilst the passengers made nervous jokes about the accuracy of the boat’s satnav system. 

Castlbay appearing out of the gloom

And suddenly the castle appeared looming out of the gloom, it was incredibly atmospheric and throughout the evening the mist cleared and closed in again giving tantalising glimpses of the castle.

ghostly apparition

By morning the mist had cleared and left a grey overcast but quite humid and still day for the race. After an appearance by the Olympic torch at the start and local celebrity Father Roddy of BBC2's "An island Parish" fame was introduced to the crowd were set off on our 13.1 (hilly) miles. After a slightly over enthusiastic start coupled with a dodgy stomach the race became a bit of an ordeal for me after about 4 miles and I spent the next 6 miles persuading myself that the self loathing created by running a slow time would be far less than the self loathing created by a DNF….while a significant proportion of the field proceeded to overtake me including Hamish, my heb half nemesis. Everyone else seemed to have ran well though, Bert had started slowly but predictably enough ran a pretty good time, Geoff seemed to fly round and John also was going very strongly. Judging by the photos that Innes took it was hard to tell if Mike was enjoying himself in the race or not but I certainly got a boost from seeing Innes at the top of the infamous hill. The ladies race was won by a New Zealander on holiday with Gillian in 2^nd and it was good to see that Gillian hadn’t lost her fitness while off on her world travels. Simon did his usual stop/start running moving up and down through the field like a yo yo and he was narrowly beaten in a sprint finish by John who, out of us all was the only prize winner.

Climbing the first hill

Me in front of Bert in a race - now that doesn't happen often!

Hamish "enjoying" the hill

Simon enjoying the hill

Mike enjoying the hill

Me - for the record i didn't enjoy the hill!

 I was just glad it was a picturesque course as it gave me something else to focus on as my running speed reached glacial pace.

Anyway after a swim, sauna and the buffet to end all buffets it was back to the hotel for some chill out time before venturing out the Kisimul café for a curry and then on to the Celidh.

Prize winners

In their party frocks

Kisimul curry cafe

The Barra celidh is one of the best ever and this year was no exception and the hall was packed out with people dancing to the tunes of the Vatersay Boys. Another celebrity  had made an appearance on the Island to perform at the celidh – Michelle McManus of Pop Idol fame and similarly to last year when Bert was determined to have his photo taken with Father Roddy he was now determined to have his photo taken with the lovely Michelle. Unfortunately he was too shy to ask so I had to and Michelle was very nice about it. Bert shy - aye, right!

Bert knew that wearing a kilt would make him a hit with the ladies

Perfect post race recovery drink

The post Celidh entertainment takes place in the Castlebay bar before the final stagger back up the hill to the hotel and it was during this stagger up the road that we became aware of a loud noise emanating from various areas of grassland – a loud grating noise with a constant rhythmn which almost sounded as though it was made by a machine so mechanical was its repetition. I peered into the dense grassland at the side of the road but nothing was moving and someone suggested it may be a frog or a toad which did seem feasible at the time. However after a few drinks at the castlebay bar I was less restrained and clambered over the barbed wire fence into the thick, dense, not to mention wet, shrubbery. As I stumbled towards where I thought the noise was coming from all went quiet. Definitely a frog, thought I. I retreated slowly and after another whisky decided it was bedtime for the fearless frog hunter. Naturally Simon was delighted when I crashed into the bedroom at 2am soaking wet and covered in grass and weeds to report my discovery….

On reporting my discovery to the others at breakfast time John, who is the font of all knowledge about Scotland and its natural history, confirmed that what i had been hunting and what had been making that distinctive noise was definitely that rare species of bird, the Corncrake. Simon misheard him and for a time seemed to think I had spent the night crawling through the fields looking for a cornflake. Obviously a hangover impairs your hearing too.

After the Sunday morning visit to the castle it was time for tea and cakes and a visit to the Herring trail, a walk along the shoreline of Castlebay with informative signboards mounted on barrels describing the former Herring industry on Barra. The Herring industry attracted many workers to Barra in the 1800’s and was a key factor in Barra’s relative wealth. It was said that at the height of the “herring boom” it was possible to walk from Castlebay to Vatersay across the decks of all of the fishing boats anchored in the harbour.

No, i don't know if they do....

the trail stretches along the shoreline

Herring barrels

Vatersay beaches in the background

relaxing in the sun

tea and cakes

On Sunday afternoon we all went our separate ways in search of entertainment and so Simon, Bert and I went for a cycle ride around the half marathon race route in reverse and for quite a while I was astonished as to how hilly it was. How did we manage to race a half marathon around that?

We stopped at the beach for a while and dozed in the sunshine and explored the rockpools while the curious seals poked their heads up above the water to look at us and then we cycled to Eric and Lynda’s holiday cottage and for more sunbathing and tea and cakes. With all these stops it was turning into an incredibly long bike ride, although not in distance.

blue skies and seas

sunshine and sparkling rockpools

more relaxing in the sun

and more relaxing in the sun!

The last stop was at the superbly situated Isles of Barra hotel for a beer sitting at a table overlooking the stretch of white sandy beach before rolling back into castle bay – just in time for a cold glass of white wine sitting at a table overlooking the castle.

Beer...and relaxing in the sun

Enjoying the view

Trying to get a better view

And then sadly it was all over for another year and we made our way back to Oban the following day and even then plans were being hatched for a return to Barra next year

Onboard entertainment included the launching of the lifeboat

It was a bit breezy on deck!

Follow the Herring 10k

 While wandering around the tranquil picturesque harbours of many Scottish coastal fishing villages populated with little cafes, gift shops and tourists clutching ice creams it is easy to forget that these villages were once thriving hives of industry all connected with fishing.

Portsoy on the Moray Firth Coastline is no exception and a good introduction to its history is a visit to the little museum called “The Salmon Bothy”. Built in 1834 The Salmon Bothy was the centre and hub of all salmon related fishing activity in the town acting as a commercial ice house, a net store and repair facility, an area where the tarring of lines and nets took place and a preparation and packing facility for the parboiled and salted fish prior to its shipment to London, Europe and beyond. All manner of artefacts relating to the salmon industry are on display at this fascinating little museum as well as the little bunk room where crew members would have rested preserved in its original state.

The ice used here as the main form of preservative for the fish was taken from Loch Soy during the winter months and bought by cart to The Salmon Bothy then emptied through one of the large apertures in the barrel vaulted ceiling filling the room below. The building is north facing to aid its cooling and on the south side the ground level was built up to provide protection from the warmth of the sun as well as access to allow the ice to be dropped into the building. The huge thick walls and barrel vault ceiling amazingly kept the temperatures low enough for ice to be stored for some months, well into the following spring.

The Salmon Bothy

Dont fancy putting out to sea in that!

Barrel vaulted ceiling and aperture.

The bunkhouse for the crew

So I came to Portsoy to compete in a race called “The Follow the Herring 10k” and yet the museum seemed to be all about salmon. Surely something was wrong?

It all seemed a bit fishy to me…

But no, it wasn’t just a red herring…herring is central the story of Portsoy. Salmon fishing was prevalent in Scotland prior to the “Herring boom” of the 1800’s which reached its peak in Portsoy in 1875 and the economic success of the town came from the many local industries which played a supporting role to the fishing industry, the building currently housing the Portsoy marble shop was originally the site of the buoy factory, there was a foundry in the town and a ropery. Although commercial salmon fishing had been taking place in Scotland since the 1100’s there were no public rights to salmon fishing and wealthy landowners soon realised that individual angling and salmon farming were far more lucrative options than the age old tradition of fishing for Salmon at sea and as salmon fishing declined and herring became a delicacy abroad the herring fishing industry took off.

Model of a bag net. A little white model of a boat in the top left corner gives it scale

 However this was an industry that was fraught with danger not to mention an unimaginably hard way of life. The picture below is of a small traditional fishing boat. In 1848 some 1000 similar boats put to sea one stormy August afternoon but eventually later that day the strength of the storm and the fierce tides meant that the returning boats could not reach the safety of the harbour. Over 100 boats were lost along with a similar number of lives with an obviously devastating effect on a very small community.

 Anyway enough of me carping on about fish…

The “Follow the herring 10k”is a small race with a nice local low key feel. Admittedly the grim weather conditions may have kept people away as possibly did a clash with another local 10k but as it was one of the events in the programme for the Portsoy traditional boat festival, it did have quite a nice friendly atmosphere. The race started at the recreation park on the edge of the town as we all lined up shivering on the unseasonably chilly June morning. After a little lap of the road outside the park the race then headed out into the countryside. It was flat for the first mile or so and into a slight headwind before climbing to about the 3 mile mark. After that there was a nice descent and bit of flat road before a small section of farm track which ordinarily would have been quite dry and stony but was wet and muddy on race day. Finally the course takes you back to the town before finishing quite abruptly just before the harbour. I had set off conservatively and went into second place within the first mile and managed to stay there until the end and so I was happy enough with my run. The first woman home had set off fast and seemed to get faster during the race and I lost sight of her at around the 3 mile mark but the field of runners was big enough so that I was never really running out on my own for long.

I feel tempted at this point to make reference to my plantar fasciitis and how painful my sole was but I will refrain…

Shivering at the start

In the last mile

 The race was very well marshalled and I imagine on a nice sunny June day there may be a few more spectators at the end of the run and it would have been nice to sit outside at the harbour with a beer and listen to some of the bands on the stage but it was just too wet and chilly to hang around for too long. Instead we decided to explore a bit and take a walk round the harbour and around the many craft stalls displaying their wares of pottery, knitting, glass and of course woodwork and all things related to the construction of traditional timber boats. 

Beer at the harbour

Live music

Smoking Arbroath Smokies!

Oar making

Boat building

Coracles. Not traditional to Scotland.

Portsoy from the other side of the harbour. The "Old Harbour was built in 1693 and the "New harbour" was built in the 1800s with the expansion of the herring fishing

 An important trading port since the sixteenth century Portsoy’s most famous export other than herring was the Portsoy marble used in the palace of Versaille. Luxury goods were bought into Scotland from the Netherlands such as confectionary and tea and also building materials like timber and slates. The decline of the trade port after the Napoleonic wars was due to strict trade tariffs thus Portsoy was soon gaining a reputation in smuggling and illegal trade. Many houses in Portsoy are reputed have various secret passages and hidey holes for illicit goods

Simon was getting wet and crabby in the rain....

Eventually we were drenched and decided that exploring the food festival and beer tent was the next best option.

Happy Simon!

Happy Louise!

The Fishermans friend ice cream was an acquired taste. I settled for the strawberry and champagne flavour.

As it was the follow the herring 10k I decided that it had to be locally bought herring for tea to round off a great day which was unfortunate for Simon as he has already had herring for lunch.

Herring, Skirlie and whisky!

*Apologies for the fish jokes...clearly they have no plaice here….