Big beds, big views and a big meal on Eigg

We soon arrived at "Lageorna", the former croft house which Sue and Alastair have converted to provide Bed and Breakfast accommodation, plus a restaurant.  The conversion is of a really high standard, and the whole place both luxurious and comfortable.

Alastair is a native of Eigg with roots which go deep into the soil of the place.  There's a photograph of one of his forebears in the dining room, sat outside the croft.  In front of the croft house is a tiny Sycamore sapling; the same tree which shelters Lageorna today.  It's a lovely connection, and illustrates why land ownership and the security which that brings matters so much.  Eigg is now owned by the community which live here, indeed this was the first successful community purchase of land in Scotland under the Land Reform Act.  It has led to a blossoming of community enterprise, such as a completely renewable powered electricity grid and the development of the successful "Hebnet" wireless broadband data service.

We each had a room which featured one of Sandy Fraser's beautifully made beds from Rum....

.....and a superb view from the bedroom window of the Sgurr of Eigg.  Douglas' room had a similarly jaw-dropping view to the Rum Cuillin.  Seriously, what bland chain hotel could match this?!

We took a walk up the road to a viewpoint before dinner.  Below Cleadale, the Bay of Laig was calm and the banks of mist seemed to be retreating out to sea.  We would almost certainly have been able to launch from Camas Sgiotaig in the morning without difficulty, but there were no regrets about having pushed on to paddle the superb west coast of the island that afternoon.

The evening light was fading as we returned to Lageorna for dinner.  And what a dinner....  When Alastair claimed that Sue is a good cook, he'd understated things by a considerable amount!  We had a three course dinner featuring local produce cooked superbly.  Our main course of Beef stew and dumplings left us in serious peril of not being able to tackle dessert; but somehow we battled through to a home made fruit pudding.....

We sat into the evening, browsing a selection of the books in the dining room and reflecting on the trip so far and the days to come.  If this post reads like a bit of an advert for Lageorna - it is meant to be!  If you visit Eigg, you could do no better than staying here, or at least to enjoy a meal - Douglas and I can guarantee you'll not be disappointed.