Inverewe Garden
Today we explored part of Scotland's west coast.
We began on the mainland at Inverewe Garden. The garden began in the 1800's as one man's pet project, and has grown into a renowned collection. The rich growth of plants gathered from all over the world is testament to the moderating effect of the Gulf Stream. Nevertheless, plants needed protection from the region's frequent wind, so the first step of gardening was to establish a wooded buffer. Trees planted 150 years ago have now grown into a stately forest. Luckily, the trees are mostly native Scots pine, so we had an idea of how the ancient Caledonian forest might have appeared. Guides described the construction of the garden and many of its species. The garden, mostly in shades of green, was punctuated with occasional floral color. The scene was considerably enlivened by robins. They twittered from low boughs, and posed prettily for our cameras.
During the afternoon we motored to the seaward side of the Outer Hebrides. While underway, we held a camera workshop, and heard about the history of the National Geographic Society, and about the remarkable story of life on St. Kilda.
Our evening was quite memorable. After dinner we boarded Zodiacs for a five mile cruise through the misty landscape of the Isle of Lewis. It seemed that the mood could hardly have been more Caledonian, but rounding a bend, we encountered a piper on a nearby promontory! (This was none other than Scott Doyle, National Geographic Endeavour traveler.) Stopping, we walked up to the Stones of Callanish. This ancient site is small but is beautifully preserved. Slabs of stripy gneiss have been erected into a cross superimposed on a circle. We can tell that the stones track lunar movement, but how the builders perceived their construction and how it fit into their cosmological notions are occluded by the depth of time.
