Muckdate 12: Weekends on the Island
Our current spell of bright and still weather has lasted for over a week, which has been lovely - not just for us but for our visitors. This weekend we've been hosting some friends from Yorkshire (Stephen, Sophie and their nearly three-year-old), so I thought it was a good chance to show you some of the family-friendly things to do on Muck.
Café Culture
Muck's tea room opens at 11am every Saturday during the winter. Run by Bruce and Pam of Choc-Ness Chocolates, it's a welcoming and important place for catching up with other members of the community, as well as a great excuse to indulge in a little something sweet: sticky cinnamon buns, yum-yums, brownies and traybakes are all freshly made and served with tea and coffee (milk or juice for the kids). Bruce also bakes excellent bread, and there are usually some top-notch savouries goodies on offer too: his steak pies, sausage rolls, and pizza never hang around for long! If you would like a taste of island baking, you can order a ‘Brownies, Bakes & Bites Box' for £25 incl postage. Bruce and Pam are doing a special, limited edition batch for Mothers Day so email them on chocnesschocolates@gmail.com to request one for the Mum in your life.
Wonderful Walks
We’re the kings of the castle…
We usually get out for at least one good walk and this weekend we went to Casteal an Dun Bán, a fortified rocky outcrop that looks over the entrance to Port Mor. Enclosed within the top edge of the rocks are the ruins of a simple stone dwelling, believed to date to the Iron Age (1200 - 550BC). As you can see, it is a striking spot with fantastic views of the Ardnamurchan peninsula - and it’s a great place for kids to play too, as the top of the fort is flat, grassy, and sheltered from the wind as it sits in a slight hollow. Our kids immediately began a sustained grass fight (more of an direct attack on the dads to be honest), delighting in the warm, spring-like air, whilst us mums (and baby) relaxed and watched the clouds scud by.
Dads are fair game
We also took a picnic (or rather, a couple of Bruce’s pizzas and a few apples) and ate it in the hillfort, watching the Loch Nevis come into port across the bay. We could see our shopping being unloaded by our neighbours: we’d taken their daughter along with us to the fort so in exchange her parents put our Co-op boxes into our car for us to pick up so we didn't have to rush back to meet the ferry. After playing at the fort we then walked along to a patch of woodland where there are some handmade swings and things for the kids to climb on, before heading back into Port and exchanging one child for our shopping.
Watching the Loch Nevis come in from the hill fort.
Playing in the Hall
On Monday which, though sunny, was also very cold with snow and hail showers, we headed to the island's Community Hall. This is a great communal space which anyone - islander or visitor - can use in exchange for payment of a small fee: this includes access to toilets, showers and a washing machine, invaluable for those who sail or camp here. It also houses two libraries (one permanent belonging to the island and donated by a former resident, the other stocked and periodically refreshed by the Highland Council), a small heritage museum displaying items relating to the island's recent and ancient history, a well-stocked kitchen and small seating area, plus the pièce de resistance: a huge wooden floored hall lined on one side with cupboards full of games and toys and on the other with floor-to-ceiling windows with great views across the southern side of the island. You can play badminton, table tennis, table football, snooker, indoor football - or simply let the kids loose on the communal toys and watch them scoot, push, crawl or ride their own way around the room with glee. The funding to build it was raised largely by the community and the whole project initiated and overseen by a group of dedicated and tenacious islanders, with the grand unveiling taking place in 2012.
Fun for all ages at the Community Hall
