Mum’s Diary
At Dunoon. Left D at 10.30 on boat to Tignabruiach & Kyles of Bute. E went on a 4 mile walk at T. Bought “Judge” tin opener like mum’s at T. £2.53. Very rough trip out in am calmer on way back. Good concert in parts at night – recorded some of it.
My/Roger’s Diary
Roger – We had a storm today. It might have done some good. We’re now broken up for the holidays. This afternoon after school went to the bank and had a bath then went to the party. It was a success as the gate-crashers didn’t come.
Diary Entries
Mum’s Scrapbook
We went in a private launch round the Kyles of Bute to Tighnabruaich. The Kyles of Bute encircle the northern part of Bute & are some of the most enchanting scenery of the Firth of Clyde. The Word Kyle, of Gaelic origin, means a narrow passage or straight. These particular Kyles are from half a mile to a mile in width. The northern end is the more picturesque. Near the mouth of Loch Riddon is Colintraive. The Bute graziers used to swim their cattle across the Kyles here from the mainland on their return from Argyllshire markets & hence arose the name of Colintraive which means the swimming narrows. From Colintraive there is a car ferry to Rhubodach in the Isle of Bute.
Eileen Dearg, or Red Island, is the small island on the east side of Loch Riddon about a mile from the entrance. It was selected as his chief place of arms by Archibald, ninth Earl of Argyll, in his unfortunate rising in conjunction with the Duke of Monmouth, in 1685. The place was so protected by rocks & the water so shallow that it was believed, falsely, as the event proved, to be secure from attack by the King’s frigates.
Further south is Tighnabruaich, which signifies in Gaelic “the house on the brae” & was so called from an inn that was formerly the only dwelling on the spot.
These five pages of notes are supported by seven postcards. The first two show the ferry between Colintraive and Rhubodach. The third and fourth show the Kyles of Bute. The second of these postcards of the Kyles of Bute is said to show a Clyde pleasure steamer rounding Buttock Point at the entrance to Loch Riddon. The final three cards relate to Tighnabruaich. The first shows the pier, the second shows the Kyles of Bute from above Tighnabruaich and the third shows Kames and Tighnabruaich, Kyles of Bute.
Notes
Dunoon
Mum and my two siblings Alan (A) and Liz (E for Elizabeth) were away for a two-week holiday at Dhalling Mhor, the Christian Guild place in Dunoon, see Chapter 122. On this day, mum went on a boat trip to Tighnabruaich and the Kyles of Bute. Mum misspelled this as “Tignabruiach” in her diary but she spelled it correctly in her scrapbook. She left Dunoon at 10.30 am. At least my sister, Liz (E for Elizabeth) went with her as she did a four-mile walk from Tighnabruaich. Mum noted that the trip there in the morning (am) was rough but calmer on the way back.
A “Judge” Tin Opener
Mum bought a “Judge” tin opener in Tighnabruaich. It cost £2.52. This is a brand of tin openers rather than a specific type, see Chapter 125. Mum said the one she bought was like one grandma had. Established in Bristol in 1896, Judge continues to manufacture and supply homeware.
Concert at Night
Mum also commented that there was a concert at night which was good in parts. She recorded parts of it. I assume this refers to audio recording, see Chapter 122.
A Note on the Weather
I noted that we had a storm and I thought it might have done some good. I noted it this way because we had been in middle of a legendary hot and dry period, see Chapter 129.
Holidays
In terms of school, see Chapter 118, I noted that we had now broken up for the holidays
Party
After school, I went to the bank and had a bath before heading to Caroline Kingham’s party, see Chapter 122. There had been some question over whether it would take place as some boys, who were not invited, had threatened to wreck it. Hence, I referred to them as gatecrashers.
Caroline and I had been going out for about a week or so! I recall Caroline and would consider her as my first “proper” girlfriend, see Chapter 122. We went out for a relatively long period by the teenage standards of that time, but it was probably less than a month all told! I confess that I was unable to recall her surname but was able to track it down as my mother and her mother later worked together. I don’t know much about what happened to her but I believe she may have married Marcus Adam Batch in June 1982.
Scrapbook Details
Mum’s scrapbook contained more detail about the trip to Tighnabruaich.
Kyles of Bute
Mum explained that the Kyles of Bute encircle the northern part of Bute and have “some of the most enchanting scenery” of the Firth of Clyde which possibly is quoting a guidebook! She also explained that the word “kyle“, of Gaelic origin, means a narrow passage or strait which she misspelled as “straight“. She noted that the Kyles of Bute are from half a mile to a mile in width and she also commented that the northern end is the more picturesque.
Buttock Point
In the title of one of her postcards, mum referred to Buttock Point which is the northernmost point on Bute. The name is a direct translation of the Gaelic name Gob a’ Mhàis where Gob is translated as Point and Màs as rump or buttock.
Colintraive
Mum noted that Colintraive is near the mouth of Loch Riddon which is also known as Loch Ruel. She also explained the origin of Colintraive’s name saying the Bute graziers used to swim their cattle across the Kyles here from the mainland on their return from Argyllshire markets. This gave the name of Colintraive which means “the swimming narrows“.
Ferry
Although mum did not use it, she noted that there was a car ferry from Colintraive to Rhubodach in the Isle of Bute. A ferry still operates this route and we used it on a recent holiday in the area. The ferry journey is extremely short only taking five minutes!
Eileen Dearg (Red Island)
Mum identifies Eileen Dearg, or Red Island, as the small island on the east side of Loch Riddon about a mile from the entrance.
Argyll’s Rising
Mum tells the story of the role played by the island in what is now known as Argyll’s Rising which took place in 1685. This was led by Archibald Campbell, the ninth Earl of Argyll in conjunction with the Monmouth Rebellion in England. Eileen Dearg served as a base for this uprising. Mum noted that it was thought that Eileen Dear g was safe from attack because of rocks and shallow water. However, this proved false. Naval ships were able to enter the loch bombarding the island and forcing the garrison to flee. The Navy captured the island and completely destroyed the castle. The Earl himself was captured and executed in Edinburgh.
Tighnabruaich
Mum noted that Tighnabruaich’s name signifies, in Gaelic, “the house on the brae” and was so called from an inn that was formerly the only dwelling on the spot.
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