A popular rest-day activity for walkers on the Isle of Arran, when weather conditions or simple fatigue rule out another day on the hills, is to take the ferry across Lamlash Bay to Holy Island.
This has been owned since 1992 by a Tibetan Buddhist Trust, which runs a guest house and offers courses and residential retreats, as well as providing drinks and snacks to day-trippers. Visitors can also enjoy scrambles along the rocky ridge of the island, or easy walks along its shore, where carved rock paintings depict the Buddha and several Tibetan Buddhist icons.
What made this rest-day outing on the May 2019 national trip particularly memorable, however, was the voyage back across the mile-and-a-half-wide channel to Lamlash village. The ferry operators (‘Tom’ and ‘Jim’ according to the leaflet) transported passengers across to the island as a business, though it was not clear how they were linked to the Buddhist community. The ferry boat used that day was a very simple affair: it held about a dozen passengers (for whom it was open to the elements) and was powered by a petrol or diesel engine. Only the wheelhouse was partially enclosed, with a large windscreen through which the singlehanded boatman viewed the sea ahead.
That day the weather conditions were not good, and we had been asked to leave the island early. There was not much wind, but a steady drizzle reduced visibility, and even from mid-channel it was hard to pick out the village on the other side.
Soon after setting off it was clear that the boatman was having difficulty navigating: the windscreen-wiper had stopped working and, in the rain, he could no longer see where he was aiming for. He periodically stopped the engine and clambered onto the bow to wipe the windscreen and get a better view. However, each time he did so, the rudder swung round to port and the boat moved in a circle, and we found ourselves facing the island we had just left! The boatman then returned to his wheelhouse and set us on the right course, until he could again see nothing and the whole process was repeated. Thus we proceeded for most of the journey in a series of circles. At one stage we, the passengers, were asked to lean out and check our direction so he could remain at the wheel (though since we were not familiar with the coastline and were not sure where we should be heading, we were not much help!)
Eventually, however, we reached the ferry station jetty in Lamlash, late and soaking wet, but enormously relieved to be able step off onto dry land again!
Grace Ogilvie adds, ‘There was no sign of life jackets or life belts, which one would expect in an open boat. At one stage the pilot asked “Does anyone have good eyes?’’ He was struggling to see with spray and rain on his specs! Some of the passengers seemed to find this process amusing! However, I felt a strange affinity with Queen Victoria on this occasion – it doesn’t happen often – and had a word at the ticket office on landing!’