THE FINAL PIECE
The final stage of improvements to the A830 has been given the green light by Scottish Transport Minister Tavish Scott.
At the end of last month the Minister announced that the upgrading of the last stretch of single track, between Arisaig and Loch nan Uamh, will go ahead in 2006.
Tenders are expected to go out soon to contractors for the design-and-build construction, with work expected to start in the summer. The task will take two years.
Mr Scott said: 'The A830 is a lifeline route from Fort William to the port and community of Mallaig, the Small Isles and much of Morar. This last section of the route is a single track road with passing places which can all too easily be blocked by minor accidents and essential maintenance.
'The area includes a number of important conservation sites and we have worked hard to ensure that any work will not have any adverse effect on the wildlife and plant life in the area.'
Councillor Charlie King said: 'I would like to thank Tavish Scott for signing the orders on behalf of the community and personally I could not be more pleased to see this road construction project reach its final stages.
'This is the final piece in the jigsaw for the Road to the Isles, completing the upgrading of the entire A830 Fort William to Mallaig road to a two-track standard. It will provide safe, faster and more reliable travel for local residents and visitors alike, and also a welcome boost to the economy of the West Highlands. The Scottish Executive officials and engineers are to be congratulated on their efforts in overcoming the considerable difficulties which faced them in developing the scheme.'
The Arisaig to Loch nan Uamh stretch represents the first construction proposal in Scotland - and one of the first in the UK - where the full upgrade requirements of the European Habitats Directive have had to be met.
Scottish Ministers are happy for the road improvements to proceed on the basis that its construction is essential for public safety and local economic development notwithstanding its unavoidable impact on the Glen Beasdale Special Area of Conservation.
The proposed upgrading will widen the road to a 6 metre carriageway with verges 3 to 3.6 metres wide. Special care will be taken through Larrachmore Gardens where the road bridge at the viaduct, a listed structure, will be replaced and some plants and trees moved to another part of the garden.
Travellers will experience considerable disruption due to necessary road closures but the times of these have been carefully agreed with the Emergency Services and the Community Councils. A detailed programme will be published monthly in West Word and reports will be broadcast on Nevis Radio.
As part of the preparations for the major improvement of the A830 Arisaig - Loch Nan Uamh Trunk Road, advance works began in the middle of October to cut and remove an extensive area of rhododendrons between Borrodale and Beasdale Halt. The rhododendron is an invasive non-native species, which is destroying the native ancient oak woodland and the clearance, which has the full support of Scottish Natural Heritage, will help to preserve the adjacent, European-designated Glen Beasdale Special Area of Conservation. The contractor, Tilhill Forestry Limited, will take special care during the phase of work which involves burning the bushes, given the location of the adjacent trunk road, railway and private properties. The work is expected to continue for 20 weeks.
Archaeological digs have been conducted just outside Arisaig which have resulted in a number of interesting finds. The August edition of West Word carried an article on these by archaeologist Ian Suddaby, and once excavation work is complete Ian will give a talk in the Astley Hall.
 |
 |
NEW HOUSING TO BE BUILT
Planning permission has been granted to Lochaber Housing Association for houses and flats in Mallaig.
The 14 semi-detached houses and block of four flats will be built on land to the east of Coteachan Hill and south of Aird Mhor.
Parking spaces will be provided and impact on local traffic has been carefully considered.
The site is a difficult one to develop and the project has been made possible by funding from Communities Scotland.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!
Eleven Years old this month!
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
It hardly seems a year since we were planning our big 10th birthday issue and ceilidh. In it we had a pull out showing all that has changed over that period. Well, maybe it's the effect of yet another birthday but I feel the old order of things is changing faster than ever and it's not a trend I see slowing down. In the main I personally don't feel they're for the better but then I don't want to sound like my great grandmother when she first saw a car or heard about that new-fangled telephone!
Some things get better. Sonia tells elsewhere of how the railway stations are being improved - well! Sitting here doing West Word this week, I heard some clashing and clattering and for goodness sake! Some railway person was washing the outside of the windows that look out onto the station platform!! Good grief - that's a first in 11 years!
I came out of Mallaig College the other day to be greeted by the sight of 8 or 10 dolphins passing by. How many colleges - or community centres or libraries - can you say that about!
Someone phoned me today to say they were coming up from England at the weekend and had been told the road was shut!! Could they in fact get to Mallaig? I wonder where that rumour came from? The recent temporary railway closure? Has anyone else been put off coming do you think?
Yes, we are a bit late out this month but not as late as some think. No, we are not due out before the end of the month, nor as soon as the month turns. We aim for the first Friday in the month, barring interruptions, which I have had this month.
Best wishes from West Word to Ian Abernethy in his partial retirement - I bet he'll be busier than ever - and I'm glad he's not, as he says, pensioning himself off entirely.
Finally, don't miss the chance to vote for our talented local musicians in the Scottish Trad Music Awards !
Ann Martin, Friday 4th November
KNOYDART
October seems to have flown by in a haze of gales, wind, rain and occasional sunshine. Our soggy hillwalker and stalker guests have bravely (stupidly?) ventured out in all conditions, though, and the dire warnings of lack of visitors due to the pier construction do not seem to have materialised. Talking of the pier: it's supposed to be finished this month - but I wouldn't hold your breath if you're expecting any imminent opening ceremonies.
The woods have been alive with rhody-cutters-and-burners: BTCV sent up a jolly crew, a group called "The Dirty Weekenders" turned up for, well, a weekend (and lived up to their name, allegedly?!), and we have a Latvian chainsaw crew currently in situe.
After transport had been sorted out (the community minibus had been double-booked), the Forest Trust had a fact-finding trip to Fassfern estate, looking at the harvesting operations there. A cold and wet day didn't put people off, and there was much astonishment at the speed with which a tree can be felled, stripped of branches, cut to size and placed in an appropriate pile. A notable factor was the lack of noise: one of these machines being quieter than a chainsaw. Angela would like to thank the local constabulary for helping her, Daniel and Andy eventually join the group at Fassfern!
We had a sudden departure, with our Ranger, Iain Fleming, now working in the Middle East. Iain had lived in Knoydart for quite a few years, and residents wish him the all the best in his new job. We also offer him thanks for all his hard work over the last year or two promoting Knoydart to a range of visitors. Iain should be back in Knoydart for a brief period of time in the coming weeks. The Knoydart Foundation will soon be recruiting for a replacement.
The big news for November is Knoydart Arts Promotions' inaugural concert, with members of Session A9 coming across the water for a concert followed by what promises to be a cracking ceilidh. Saturday 12th November is the date to put in your diaries, with workshops promised for the next day. For more information check out KAP's website: www.knoydartarts.com - if there's not much on it just now I promise to remedy it soon. KAP isn't just about ceilidhs: we're hoping to put on dance, theatre, literature and hopefully Gaelic-medium events.
For those of you missing the updates on goings-on down Riadh-an-Darioch way, I have some sad news to impart. The Campbells (ducks) were recently murdered in their sleep, with chief suspect being (surprisingly) Brock the Badger. I'm just glad it didn't happen when I was house-sitting...
Tommy McManmon
ISLE OF MUCK
Main news this month has been that Morag MacKinnon has taken over as head teacher for this term and next while Eileen Henderson has her baby. Eileen has not been well recently and we all hope that once the baby arrives things will improve.
On the farm the sales are now over. The calves departed on the Spanish John three days before the sale on the 8th. October. Slight hiccup when they all would not fit on Bowman's float. I had to dash to Arisaig to borrow a trailer from James Colston. Back in Mallaig just in time to prevent the two calves disappearing up Loch Nevis with a load of fish food! With no subsidies for the buyers, prices for the male calves were away below those of previous years and little different from heifers which never carried a subsidy.
Last to go were the ewes on the 20th. A very small sale with only three buyers at the ringside. My cheviot ewes were the best I have sold but not in the same class as the Canna ewes which made £30 three weeks before. Mine made £22 but they did go for further breeding. So ends a not very encouraging sale season but Rural Stewardship payments should make up a lot of difference from last year.
Rats are in the news and we have them too! Muck doesn't have as many seabirds nesting as in the past, but the decline has been most marked on the rock Eagamol which has no rats. There are rats on Horse Island nearby but the Puffins still manage to nest and the Greylag Geese are certainly not affected; there are nests everywhere! Sea bird decline is much more likely to be caused by Industrial Fishing and its effect on the sand eel population - than rats!
Lawrence MacEwen
ISLE OF RUM
We were supposed to be hosting the Small Isles Community Council AGM last month, but a combination of bad weather, bad timing and the ferry meant it was postponed twice and then finally cancelled and held on Eigg and ironically none us were able to make it over, so missed it entirely. In light of that, we thought the SICC should try and apply for some specific funding to make it easier for residents to be able to attend inter-island events such as this without being confined to the ferry timetable, which doesn't allow for much of this.
Moving swiftly on… while it's usual for the Loch Nevis to go away for it's annual refit, we thought it would have been more opportune for Calmac to wait just one more week till the end of the summer timetable before doing so. As it was, there were still tourists wishing to travel to the islands for the day, especially as it was the school holidays too and expecting a reasonable ferry to travel on. We thought maybe next year Calmac could wait till the winter timetable before sending Loch Nevis away.
The kids Hallowe'en party was on Friday at the school. Costumes this year were varied and while a few of the adults saw it as an opportunity to dress up as they pleased ( and why not? ) for the most part, a scary theme was adhered to, we even managed two grim reapers and a serial killer and Samuel L Jackson popped in for a cameo appearance, (where did you get that wig Sandy?)
We have had two visits from the BBC, one was for a team to go to Kilmory to look and listen to rutting stags, fine as long as they don't get too close and another lot here to do a reccy for possibly filming Autumn Watch on Rum next year. Not much other wildlife news other than Caroline's very friendly seal putting in regular appearances in front of her house and the crazy stag with a death wish wandering round the village while Derek had 5 guest stalkers in tow. Sorcha and Nell tried their hand at stalking it through the playground, but unfortunately their enthusiasm, and the dog, gave the game away.
Lucy Galbraith, the latest in a long line of Kinloch Castle managers has recently left, while she enjoyed being on Rum, she found the facilities at her disposal for running the castle, lacking. She'll definitely be back to visit next summer though; she said she'd be camping…
Kinloch Castle will be open for Hogmanay if folk want to come over for the ceilidh. Book now to avoid disappointment.
Last ceilidh till Hogmanay was held on 15th October. It was a relatively quiet affair till the Danish stalkers arrived and musicians Farquhar, Seamus and Peter (the piper) from Skye decided to turn the night into a stand up comedy show. They were funny right enough and we still got enough rowdy dances to make sure we were covered in bruises all week.
Last thing, we're having the usual bonfire and fireworks on Saturday, all welcome.
Fliss Hough
ISLE OF EIGG
October has been a quietish month on Eigg, a few straggling tourists putting on a brave face as they get buffeted by the weather and some old friends coming for a visit (Emilie and Angela from Holland, West Word subscribers too!), a few mild days to finish the pick of the season, the last brambles and not a bad quantity of chanterelles, although hardly any field mushrooms at all. Eddie and Lucy's house is coming along fine: the wooden structure is about to be erected, that is if the wind stops for five minutes. Our farmers have also been busy with making sure everything was tip top for the quality assurance scheme inspection.
Apart from Wes's big 60 party - many happy returns to our iconic island figure! - an entertaining end of summer night at Laig for the island girls, and a full scale 10th birthday party for Bryony, the mood on the island has remained subdued since Joy's untimely death. She was given a poignant farewell as old and young gathered at the top of the pier to see her leave on the ferry for the last time. She could not bear graveyards, but she loved the pipes, and Donna played some fine tunes for her. It is very sad that her son Vernon only survived her by a few days. Our hearts did go to Joy's daughter and her husband when they came back to the island to a wonderful buffet meal in the hall prepared in honour of Joy, following her wish for the community to have a good time in her memory.
I would like to take this opportunity to answer last month's letter in West Word which was so critical of the way we look after our graveyard and church. Readers of this column know that the small RC congregation does what it can to raise funds for St Donnan's Church: the roof has been thoroughly checked, work has been done on the windows on the south side and we are expecting a team of volunteers to help digging the drain. Perhaps our letter writer would like to make a contribution or volunteer to come and help, or make representation to the diocese, as it would appear it is the church, rather than the community or the Trust, which has given up on the building, although there are encouraging signs that attitudes are changing. As to the graveyard, I was told that in the old days, islanders had to scythe a path to the grave before a burial. Today, we use a few sheep to graze the grayeyard, although it would help if some of our council taxes could be directed to the upkeep of the place through the council employing someone to mow the grass. However, we want to retain the privilege of digging our graves and burying our people ourselves. It is one of the last old community rituals that all the island men will take their turn in the digging, sometimes through solid rock, and they take pride in it. And what if it takes a few days before the shovels are put away? We do want people to visit our historic graveyard, and that's why our history society volunteers to tidy it up every year, and why a new fence was put up to make sure that the cattle cannot wander in as it had been able to do in the past. Much remains to be done, as we would like to restore the bottom half of the graveyard with its fine memorial to Revd MacAskill, but it all takes time, funding and lots of volunteer hours.
On a lighter note, the Eigg wildlife club deserves to be congratulated! Bryony, Lachlan, Kirsty Ann and Kathleen have managed to win the second place in the SWT marvellous mobile competition with their sea creatures mobile featuring jelly fish made out of plastic bags and fish made out of juice cans. They have won a £10 book voucher, SWT rucksacks and have also managed to secure some hedging plants for the school garden, Well done!
Camille Dressler.
ARISAIG
I hope there's a good turn-out on Tuesday night for the discussion on the proposals for Arisaig's Local Plan. This is something all areas of the Highlands are having to do, to shape their future for the next few years, so it's better to get as much input from local residents as possible. Do you remember the 'Planning for Real' exercise which preceded the last one?
M Namy seems to have some plans for Larrachmore Gardens, which certainly need a lot of TLC and management but not, we hope, too many changes. Part of its beauty and uniqueness lies in the wildness of it.
The yachts are all out of the water - and this year I didn't even notice it happen!
Last month we said our final sad goodbye to Marie MacPherson, who had been living down in Stockport with her family for some time, where she celebrated her 90th birthday in May this year.
There was a great Hallowe'en Party in the Hall last Saturday for the children, organised by the mums and some dads. I only saw the decorations and they were scary enough! I hear it was a tremendous success-but where are the photos?!
'Katie Morag' was a sell-out and I had to tell over forty people that the tickets had gone. Yet there were four empty seats because in the end four ticket holders didn't turn up. Eighty adults and children sat down to enjoy the songs and riddles and the really excellent acting of the Mull Theatre crew. Such a pity that the Eigg children didn't make it because of bad weather. The next play, on the 14th of this month, uses the Hall itself as the setting and main prop - it's about the caretaker of a run-down hall on the eve of his retirement (does this ring a bell for anyone??!) and is by the extremely funny crowd who did 'Who Bares Wins' last year. I hope a lot of folk who remember the solitary efforts of Tommy to keep the hall going before the renovation will come along to see how true to life it is!
The notice board is up, as I'm sure a lot of you have seen, though we still have teething troubles with condensation - this will be sorted eventually. The Hall Committee thank Derek and Angela Hardman, aka The Good Things of Arisaig, and all those who continue to buy the recipe book which is sold in aid of Hall funds for the latest donation of £800 towards the cost of the notice board.
Well, I'm sure a lot of people are waiting for a write-up of the Quiz held in the Arisaig Hotel last month, the first under its new management, because they've told me so! I wasn't there and have had no feedback as to teams, results, or winners, all of which seem to have faded into insignificance beside the commotion caused by some of the questions! It was no doubt meant as a bit of fun but a number of people were somewhat disconcerted and may be afraid to go back! Meanwhile by popular request there will be a quiz in Café Rhu this month, on Friday 25th - yes, it's the return of Malcy's Quiz Night! Hone those teams, sharpen those wits, and go on down!
Another way to keep the brain sharp is to go along to one of The Word evenings. They are very relaxed social occasions which give a chance to share some favourite things.
Ann Martin
