Las Ramblas Stone Skimming Division take a pre-skim stroll over the Atlantic
Linda, Neil, Sam, Alfie, Marion, Bruce, Kevin, Andy, Jill, Sally & Daisy were supposed to meet up with The Kinks but they missed the Bus in Oban and couldn't find their own way to Seil.
Route |
Ten miles South of Oban you come across a minor road heading
west signposted to Easdale and, more intriguingly, to the Atlantic Bridge. This
is a diversion worth taking. The road leads to the Island of Seil, the most northerly
of the Slate Isles
Clachan Bridge |
Opinions differ about whether Seil should be counted as an
island at all. The Atlantic Bridge or "Bridge Over the Atlantic"
mentioned on the signpost links Seil to the mainland. It is more properly known
as the Clachan Bridge and was built in 1792 for the sum of £450.
The single arch of the bridge is 72ft wide and is steeply
humped to provide a clearance above high water of 28ft to avoid obstructing the
passage of small vessels. Originally designed to have two arches by John
Stevenson of Oban, the plans were amended to the single arch that was built by
Robert Mylne. The rare Fairy Foxglove
(Erinus alpinus) covers the bridge in a gentle purple haze in the early summer.
Tigh an Truish Inn |
Just over the bridge you come to the attractive and
welcoming Tigh an Truish Inn. The name means house of the trousers and comes
from the period after the 1745 rebellion when kilts were banned. This was the
place where islanders heading for the mainland (then without the benefit of the
bridge) were said to have swapped their kilts for trousers.
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