Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the Knapdale peninsula is the Crinan Canal , a short cut for boats disinclined to round
the Mull of Kintyre, which ends in the pint-sized, picturesque port of Crinan .
The Slate Islands
Eight miles south of Oban, a road heads off the A816 west to the minuscule SLATE
ISLANDS , which at their peak in the mid-nineteenth century quarried over nine million
slates annually. Today the old slate villages are sparsely populated, and an inevitable air
of melancholy hangs over them, but their dramatic setting amid crashing waves makes
for a rewarding day-trip.
6
Isle of Seil
he most northerly of the Slate Islands is Seil , a lush island separated from the mainland
only by the thinnest of sea channels, which is spanned by the elegant humpback Clachan
Bridge , built in 1793 and popularly known as the “Bridge over the Atlantic”.
he main village on Seil is ELLENABEICH , its neat white terraces of workers' cottages
crouching below black cliffs on the westernmost tip of the island. his was once the
tiny island of Eilean a'Beithich (hence Ellenabeich) separated from the mainland by a
slim sea channel until the intensive slate quarrying succeeded in silting it up.
Confusingly, the village is often referred to by the same name as the nearby island of
Easdale, since they formed an interdependent community based exclusively around the
slate industry.
Slate Islands Heritage Centre
Ellenabeich • April-Oct daily 10.30am-1pm & 2-5pm • Free • W slateislands.org.uk
he Slate Islands Heritage Centre , in one of the village's little white cottages, documents
the lives and times of island folk in the form of old photographs and artefacts, though
mostly the emphasis is inevitably on the local quarry workings, including a model of
the slate quarry as it would have been in its heyday. Moreover, and in common with
many of Argyll's heritage centres, there's a dedicated geneaological department here.
GETTING AROUND AND TOURS
ISLE OF SEIL
By ferry The Cuan Ferry runs from Seil to Luing (every
30min; 5min).
Boat tours High-adrenaline boat trips are offered by
Sea.fari ( T 01852 300003, W seafari.co.uk), who are
based at the Ellenabeich jetty; the boats are rigid
inflatables (RIBs) and travel at some speed round the
offshore islands and through the Corryvrechan Whirlpool
(see p.272).
EATING AND DRINKING
Oyster Brewery Ellenabeich T 01852 300121,
W seilislandpub.co.uk. For home-made pasties, seafood
and real ale, pop inside the snug wood-panelled bar of the
Oyster , on the way to the ferry. Daily 11am-11pm.
Isle of Easdale
Easdale ( W easdale.org) remains an island, though the few hundred yards that separate
it from Ellenabeich have to be dredged to keep the channel open. Up until the eve of a
great storm in 1881, Easdale supported an incredible 452 inhabitants, despite being
less than a mile across at any one point. hat night, waves engulfed the island and
flooded the quarries and the island never really recovered.
With lots of wonderfully flat stones freely available, Easdale makes the perfect venue
for the annual World Stone Skimming Championships ( W stoneskimming.com), held on
the last Sunday of September.
Easdale Folk Museum
Near the main square, Easdale • Daily: April-June, Sept & Oct 11am-4.30pm; July & Aug 11am-5pm • £2.50 • W easdalemuseum.org
Many of the village's old workers' cottages now serve as holiday homes, and one is
 
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