Day 6- Wee Cumbrae

Today was the culmination of the Archbald side of our roots trip- a visit to Wee Cumbre Island to pay homage to the remains of Gavin's Scottish ancestors located in a small burial ground on the island. Wee Cumbre Island was home to James Archibald and Mary Ann Wodrow Archibald before they emigrated to the U.S. Today the island is owned (for the amazing price of about 5 million U.S. dollars) by an Indian couple hoping to turn to island into a yoga retreat. The business seems to be at a standstill and we saw no one on the island. Other than the burial ground, the island boasts a large house and associated outbuildings, a ruined castle, an active lighthouse, a ruined lighthouse, a burial cairn, and loads of bracken.

We awoke to windy dark skies at the Carlton Guest House in Largs and ate a right proper Scottish breakfast of haggis, blood pudding, potato scone, sausage, fried egg, and toast. We sat at breakfast with a Scottish couple staying at the guest house and talked of the upcoming vote for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom for which they are in favor. After breakfast, Maggie accompanied us to the market to stock up on picnic supplies and to meet the boat for Wee Cumbre at the marina in Largs. We were fitted with foul weather gear and boarded a 25 ft dual engine inflatable boat piloted by Cameron and John, two fine Scots. Talking with Cameron, we learned that the boat is usually used for commercial work with fisherman and also participates in multinational naval exercises in which the boat plays the part of a terrorist boat coming to ram a naval vessel and is repelled by water cannon. Cameron said they get quite wet in these exercises and that they have to watch out for the American naval boats which are known for having rather itchy trigger fingers and may use live ammunition. But we digress... 

The boat ride was bumpy and exhilarating and a light rain began to fall. The boat took us first around the west side of the Island were we could view the functioning lighthouse and get a view of the landscape where the burial ground is located. We couldn't see the burial site, but John assured us the stone wall surrounding the burial site was visible from up on the island and that a trail from the Castle and house on the east side of the island would lead us there and should take about 45 minutes. The seas were quite rough on the west side of the island, and we circled back around to the more protected east side where the landing dock was located by the castle and house.

We were dropped off at the landing dock near the main house and ruined castle on Wee Cumbre about 12 pm and were told we had till 3 pm on the island, less time than we had hoped, but enough, we hoped, to reach the burial ground and have lunch. Before hiking to the burial ground, we first wanted to explore the squat, square castle separated from the main island by a waterway which is passable at low tide. The tide was rising so we had to hurry. We crossed a narrow waterway stepping on stones emerging just above the waterline as the tide flowed by. We spent 10 minutes exploring the 3 levels of the castle, which was in surprisingly good shape and occupied only by pigeons. When we emerged from the castle, the tide had already risen enough to cover the stepping stones and Carmen topped her boots on the return crossing.

We began our ascent of the island.  There were signs towards the burial ground and at first the path was largely maintained, however, the signed path towards the burial ground came to an abrupt end and we soon found ourselves on the top of the island having to chart our own path through chest high bracken and blackberries to reach the area where we thought the burial ground would be. We could see no sign of the burial ground from the top of the island. In hopes of getting a view of the burial ground wall, we stayed to the ridge line which alternated between deep bracken and exposed rock. We were heartened when, after 15 minutes of bracken whacking we picked up an overgrown trail leading in the direction of the burial ground. It died out and we were again back to bracken whacking and trying to navigate with only the help of a small, general map provided by Sheena the day before (see photo). 

Before we knew it, half our time on the island has passed and the burial ground was still nowhere in site, the going was getting even more rough, and we began to despair that we would not find the burial ground, though we'd come so far. Carmen spotted a bit of stone that looked arranged by man, and we thought perhaps it might mark the burial ground, or a path to it, and we headed towards it, pushing through the thickest bracken and brambles yet. When we reached the stones, the burial ground was still nowhere to be seen. We were nearly at the end of the passable part of the island, on top of the cliffs on the eastern side and nearly at the foot of the impassable rising mount on the south side of the island. We figured the burial ground must be to the north along the cliff, but decided to scout to the base of the southern mount just to be sure. 

Then suddenly, we saw the 20 ft x 20 ft stone wall and knew we had found the burial ground at last!  We were delighted and relived. The south east corner of the wall was crumbling over the cliff to the sea but looked no worse than the photos we'd seen of its condition during Greg and Connie's visit in 2004. The graves were covered in bracken and nettles and we took a few moments to clear some of the vegetation. We laid a small flower we'd gathered at the foot of one of the two Archibald gravestones in the burial ground and I introduced by new wife, Carmen Barefield Archbald. The sun came out and we had a picnic within the walls overlooking the sea. It was a lovely moment and we were conscious of remembering the peace of that place to take with us.

After lunch at the burial site, we had 30 minutes for the return journey back to the boat. Luckily, the path, which had been so overgrown that we'd lost it on the way to the burial ground, was easier to follow going back and we were able to walk more or less directly back to the boat, meeting Cameron and John nearly at the arranged time. It was a beautiful afternoon and a calm return journey by boat. Back at the Largs marina, we sat on a bench watching a sailing school race their little boats on the water, finished our bottle of wine in the afternoon sunlight, and recounted our journey. We felt quite satisfied. 

We returned to the Carlton Guest House, had a delightful nap followed a grand dinner at Scots, a restaurant by the sea. Afterwards, in what has become our tradition, Carmen ordered a sweet desert and Gavin ordered a local whisky.