It’s not every day that you are party to a little piece of history in the making, but Sunday past was one such day for ‘Mull Magic’. The venue was the privately owned island of Inch Kenneth, which lies on the bottom lip at the mouth of Loch na Keal. The occasion was the first ever commercial landing to the island, organised by local company, ‘Mull Charters’, operated by husband and wife, Martin and Judith Keivers.
Very few of the world’s population of 6,818,700,000 have even heard of Inch Kenneth, never mind set foot on the island, so we really did feel very special to be among the chosen few on this inaugural visit.
Dominated by the forbidding hulk of the 200 metre high cliffs at Gribun on the nearby mainland of Mull, Inch Kenneth occupies a truly quintessential Hebridean setting. Only one mile in length and half that distance at its widest, the island provides easy walking surrounded by some of the most heart-stirring scenery on the Isle of Mull.
Composed of sedimentary conglomerates and limestones, Inch Kenneth is a fertile oasis amidst the volcanic lava flows that predominate much of Mull’s landscapes. The island’s fine, sandy soil promotes flower-rich grassland in Spring and Summer, while providing nourishment for a 200-strong herd of Barnacle Geese that arrive each Autumn from breeding grounds in Greenland.
Once regarded as second only to Iona in its ecclesiastical importance during Medieval times, Inch Kenneth has found a certain notoriety more recently which, no doubt, adds to the island’s allure. Once the home of the song writer and philanthropist, Sir Harold Bolton, who penned the lyrics to the ‘Skye Boat Song’, the island became (in)famous during the Second World War due to its connection with the Mitfords, a minor aristocratic English family, who purchased the 19th century mansion house in 1938.
One of six sisters, Unity Mitford was a staunch supporter of the Fascist movement and an admirer of Adolf Hitler, with whom she became a friend. Held back in her early life by her prettier and more clever sisters, Unity craved attention and developed a desire to shock. An exhibitionist, with a coarse sense of humour, Unity discovered that her love of Nazism allowed her to stand out from the crowd. Having attempted suicide, with a pistol given to her by the Fuhrer, when the Second World War was declared, Unity returned to Britain and spent her last years on Inch Kenneth. There she spent her time improvising religious services in the medieval chapel and planning her own funeral.
Unity was only one of a highly colourful family full of stylish ideals and controversial political alliance. The Mitford’s association with Inch Kenneth has given this idyllic little island a mystique that many would find hard to believe. However, there is much, much more to the beautiful and lush island of Inch Kenneth than the Mitfords and, having finally set foot on its hallowed turf, ‘Mull Magic’ can’t wait to go back on a further voyage of discovery and enlightenment! For more photographs of Inch Kenneth taken on this momentous occasion, go to the Mull Magic Facebook Page.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mull-Magic/62130039800
The Larch is Britain’s only deciduous conifer. That sounds like a contradiction in itself, yet this tree obviously has delusions about being a mighty oak! To say such is rather unkind, as the Larch is a very attractive and useful tree in its own right, often being used as a nurse tree for slower growing hardwood species. The green-striped, pink ‘Loganberry’ female flowers that adorn bare branches at present are a welcome reminder that Spring is just around the corner. However, these delicate flowers are susceptible to frost damage, something that trees in plantations on the Isle of Mull have had to get used to during the past few Winters. 
A bountiful supply of their favourite Sitka Spruce seeds has ensured that a healthy breeding population of Crossbills has remained on the island this Winter. Local birds enjoyed a good season last year and it appears that birds are again nesting in all suitable plantations this time around. These chunky, enigmatic finches are instilled with a wanderlust that is dictated by the availability of conifer seeds. When the cone crop of spruce, larch and pine is good, these avian nomads are happy to reside all-year-round in Mull’s forestry plantations. However, should the seasonal availability of these food resources fail (as they will do from time to time), these denizens of the dark forest will be off on their travels once again.
Sitka Spruce is the conifer of choice in forestry operations on the Isle of Mull. A native of the West coast of North America, the exposed and wet conditions of hill ground on the island are very much to this tree’s liking. When allowed to grow as a decorative tree in a park landscape, the Sitka Spruce, with its prickly, glaucous-coloured needles (here pictured like a bunch of under-ripe bananas or courgettes!) makes a striking specimen. Much maligned as a foreign import, these alien plantations provide nest sites for the ‘Little and Large’ of the island’s birds, the tiny Goldcrest (9 cm) and the somewhat larger White-tailed Eagle (100 cm), as well as the specialist Crossbill. 
On rocks along the Splash Zone (above the Upper Shore) of the Sound of Mull we came across a community of Anaptychia runcinata lichen growing among the usual grey and orange suspects. This olive-green-brown lichen is readily picked out on account of its colour and its appearance, which we liken to a mass of wriggling worms on a compost heap. Another organism that appears to lack the convention of a common English name, the analogy of worms in compost is one that is likely to stick. With our middle-aged memories beginning to falter, we need every assistance conceivable to sort out the myriad of birds and beasties that we share this precious island life with! 
