SANDAIG, Scotland: Isle of Tiree and home to author Gavin Maxwell
Posted by: kirsty_wilson in Europe, tags: Authors, Islands, Mountains, Outdoor Activities, Scotland, WildlifeWhere is Sandaig?
Present Day Camusfearna
Sandaig and the ‘Bay of Alder’ is a very remote destination found on the Isle of Tiree, off the west coast of Scotland. Here writer Gavin Maxwell lived with his beloved otters. Guest writer Jean from the Netherlands shares his dream, travel destination and fondness for the author with TravelTipsPlus.com.
Some places are more special than others. The most special #dream #travel destination for me is Gavin Maxwell’s (1914-1969) ‘Bay of Alder’ in Scotland. It’s the remote place where Maxwell lived for almost 20 years. The place where he wrote his books, took care of his otters, planned his travels and licked his new wounds.
Camusfearna during the 1950s
Sandaig, Bay of Alder (in gaellic ‘Camusfearna’) in 1950 to the right and top photo, of present day Camusfearna.
I have read all Gavin Maxwell’s books. I have also read all the books that talk about him and his life. His father and grandfather were also authors and I’ve read some of their books also! To be short, I’m very fond of Gavin Maxwell. Here is a quote by him (1959) that I would like to share:
“It is October, and I have been for six unbroken months at Camusfearna. The stags are roaring on the slopes of Skye across the Sound, and yesterday the wild swans passed flying southwards low over a lead-grey sea. The ring of tide-wrack round the bay is piled with fallen leaves borne down the burn, and before a chill sea wind they are blown racing and scurrying up the sands. The summer, with its wild roses and smooth blue seas lapping white beaches, is over; the flower of the heather is dead and the scarlet rowan berries fallen. Beyond are the brief twilit days of winter, when the waterfall will thunder white over flat rocks whose surface was hot to bare feet under summer suns, and the cold, salt-wet wind will rattle the window and moan in the chimney. This year I shall not be there to see and hear these things; home is for me as yet a fortress from which to essay raid and foray, an embattled position behind whose walls one may retire to lick new wounds and plan fresh journeys to father horizons. Yet while there is time there is the certainty of return.”
Edal the Otter's Grave
My three favourite Gavin Maxwell books: G. Maxwell, ‘Ring of Bright Water’. G. Maxwell, ‘The House of Elrig’. Douglas Botting, ‘Gavin Maxwell, A Life’.
One day in the month of May I will walk with a rucksack from Inverness to Sandaig. Accompanied with rain, wind and sun. At the end of the journey I’ll find Edal’s monument at Camusfearna. It’s the exact place where once Gavin’s writing table stood. The house was burnt to the ground in January 1968 and Otter ‘Edal’ perished in the fire.
RING OF BRIGHT WATER – Gavin Maxwell
Map
TravelTipsPlus Google Map of Isle of Tiree
One Great Reason to Visit Sandaig
One great reason to visit this travel destination is for the very remote location accompanied with wild otters once in a while.
Wings of Wild Swans
Contemporary folk song. Inspired by the Scottish Highlands. Lyrics inspired by a line in Gavin Maxwell’s ‘Ring of Bright Water’. Photographed at Sandaig where, as Camusfearna, Gavin made his home.
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Other top notch accommodations include Mt Saint Paul Lodge at Medlands Beach and Great Barrier Lodge at Whangaparapara Harbour on the west, which has self-contained cottages and backpacker cabins.
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