Kilchoan

Kilchoan Bay is a pleasant spot with a scattered and I suspect mostly holiday, incomer and second home community. It is the most westerly village on the mainland of Great Britain and until about 1900 was only accessible by sea. There is a ferry to Tobermory which might posibly be helpful for crew changes. About a quarter of a mile from the slip, past the old manse which itself is a fine looking house surrounded by beautiful mature trees – the back part is 1790 and the front part was added in 1830 - is the ruin of the old Ardnamurchan Parish Church built in the 18th Century. It is surrounded by a lovely old graveyard overlooking the Sound of Mull where, maybe 20 yards from the south wall of the church, are a couple of Iona School grave slabs, almost lost in the turf – they must have been lying here for 600 or so years and so far have not been picked up and put on display somewhere. The ‘new’ Parish Church is early 19th Century, about a quarter of a mile further on. The garden is trim, the trees lovely, and the three galleries and pulpit are quite nice. More or less opposite is the Kilchoan House Hotel, originally an 1870 Shooting Lodge, which is OK for a drink if all you want is Tennants or Guinness but hardly worth a detour, and they do meals but I have not tried them (ph 01972 510200).