End of the Season

A beautiful day yesterday ended with this warm sunset over Coll, seen from Ardnamurchan Point. The Lighthouse Trust has closed its facilities for the year as, with the school holidays over, the number of visitors has fallen off. The site is still open, and there's full access to the picnic tables and new gravel walks around the lighthouse, but the tower, cafe and exhibition are closed. By 5.00pm, there was only one other visitor to enjoy the silence and the sunset.

Most local businesses are reporting a good season, helped by the weak Pound Sterling and the overseas advertising that has gone with the Scottish Government's support for The Year of Homecoming. With tourism now one of Kilchoan's most important industries, it's good to hear that the early signs for next year are promising.

The Kilchoan area isn't quite down to its winter population. While most of the caravans are now closed up, several of the holiday houses, the ones with a warm fire to gather round in the evenings, are still open, so our visitors tend to be couples with no or very young children. The only condition to an enjoyable stay is being prepared to venture out, whatever the weather.

The time of year also marks a change of pace for many year-round residents. The summer jobs - grass cutting, cleaning houses, working in the tourist centres such as the Ardnamurchan Visitors Centre and the Lighthouse, and casual jobs in the hotels and guest houses - have come to an end. So, as the weeks take us towards mid-winter, when it will be dark by 4.30, it's a time to relax after a busy summer.