I found an interesting report today from Moira Kerr who used to live on Scotland’s west coast and moved back to England, back to a midge-free place to live and closer to city life. Back then they had the feeling that they wouldn’t miss the place but things turned out to be different. A quote from her report:
Those endless sunny days which blessed our new abode in the Lincolnshire market town of Sleaford simply could not compete with glorious Argyll and that special silver west-coast light which reaches out to meet the dawn on summer nights. After a couple of days unwinding and taking time out to enjoy the fine walks around scenic Port Appin, we ventured down through Mid Argyll and on to the ferry terminal at Kennacraig to sail out to the neighbouring islands of Islay and Jura. From the ferry point at Feolin, which lies only 10 minutes across the water from Islay, it’s a half-hour drive to Craighouse, which is home to the Jura Hotel. This is remote living at its best. You simply don’t arrive on Jura by accident and everyone you meet has had to make a positive decision to journey here. There are lots of wild deer around the island, but very few people and only a handful of cars, making it an ideal place to enjoy your own space in the great outdoors. And when you return from your leisurely walks, the Jura Hotel is a most comfortable outpost of the British Isles. It offers a great menu, usually including a tasty venison dish, which can be enjoyed in a charming dining-room looking out over Small Isles Bay – pure bliss. Yes, it may have more than its fair share of rain and midges, but for me, west is definitely best.
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