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This was the best expedition for a while, only a few showers
and a good turnout. Six explorers: Alex P., Fern, Frederik,
Jan Hendrick, Robbie L. and Rowan, Nine adult helpers, Doerte,
Howard, John, Nicky, Pamela, Philippa, Richard and Sharon,
with Ellie as the only dog. Ellie and Philippa walked back
over the hill from Tarbert but the rest of us stayed in Salen.
We started from the viewpoint car park and went right through
the village, looking at the features on the right of the road.
These were Duncraig, the milestone, the hotel, the old police
house and the site of the smiddy where Calum MacPherson used
to work. Then we climbed the hill to look at Skipper's Cottage
and the site of the old Salen Sales.
We came back down and were lucky to get into the building
that used to be the Salen Store and I was able to tell everyone
where Archie Cameron used to cut the cheese and where the
wellie boots hung up. Then we walked down the road to the
Old Post Office and looked at the site of the Pirn Mill and
heard about the fire which destroyed it in 1854. We walked
up the road to High Croft and heard about Mr Maclean making
the oil company buy back the small tanker for the hill. Coming
down we looked at the second police station and the gates
of the old sports field. We moved on through the old army
camp to Carnlia where everyone looked at the strange gateposts.
Then we walked right through the village to Tarbert Cottage
and Tarbert House and heard how they were linked to Mr Rudd's
boats. Finally we reached the old toll house where the private
road to Glenborrodale used to start. We stopped for Tunnock's
wafers and a photo and then came back, looking at Rodney's
shellfish operation and a stag-headed oak as we passed.
When we got back to Tarbert House we went down to the beach
and saw some rails and a bogie from the days when the boat
Mulloom used to be pulled up for maintenance. Moving on, we
looked at policeman Peter Hume's house and the old Jetty,
stopping to look at the big buoy which was used by Mr Rudd's
yacht, the Mingary.
We stopped at Tigh na Mara to see the remains of the old camp
HQ and the Glasgow lamp-post put up for Provost Sir William
Gray. Finally we got back to the head of the bay and everyone
heard about the great wood bonanza in the 1970s when timber
and tractors covered the whole shore.
Several people produced terrific drawings this time, I have
picked out Rowan's picture of the great wheel on the Pirn
Mill and Ferns view of the gateposts at Carnlia.
John
Dye
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