The day’s journey on Skye in Scotland took us past Skeabost and I took the opportunity to call in at the well known second hand bookshop run by Gill Ferguson on the chance that I could at last obtain a copy of ‘The White Island’ by John Lister-Kaye (JLK). The proprietor durly emerged from the adjoining house looking onto the lochside and once in the bookshop I casually asked after the elusive item. I was quietly pleased and not a little surprised when it was confirmed one was available which was duely purchased along with a book recalling the epic days of the Clyde Coast steamers. The latter title was quite appropriate following a move back to Scotland subsequent to ‘retirement’.
‘The White Island’ essentially details the experience of its author in assisting Gavin Maxwell – of ‘Ring of Bright Water’ fame – in trying to establish a wildlife park on an island nestling between Kyle of Lochalsh and Kyleakin. This venture had been planned after the disastrous fire which in 1968 had destroyed the house at Sandaig, some 15 miles south of Glenelg and which had been the focus of the enthralling narrative of life with otters.
JLK would travel north from South Wales in February 1969 to link with Gavin Maxwell in planning and constructing the various enclosures and also assisting in the production of a comprehensive book on British mammals. For periods of time JLK and colleagues on the island would have to work in absence of Gavin Maxwell, and latterly health issues became a recurring theme. JLK, however, provides in the book some valuable insight into the planned work and the challenges associated with working on a small island buffeted by often the wildest of weather – including hurricane force winds of over 100 miles per hour.
One of the problems that arose related to the project concerned some foxes that had been ‘rescued’ as young cubs and donated to the centre. The playful cubs would in a short time become mature wild animals that escaped from their enclosure and threatened the various species of wild life brought to the island. They effectively held all of the efforts of the team hostage. After much effort and heart searching, however, they were eventually eradicated.
In the time that Gavin Maxwell was on the island, however, JLK, provides some insight into Gavin Maxwell’s complex persona and interests. The two would discuss, for example, the delights of poetry, and read aloud works from the collection of books in the ‘long room’ in the converted lighthouse keepers cottages on the island. The works of WH Auden were a particular favourite of Gavin Maxwell. JLK also mentions in passing Gavin’s undoubted artistic talents and where for a time he was a professional portrait painter – using at times elements of an impressionist style that JLK found intriguing. JLK also emphasised Gavin Maxwell’s magnetic personality which was able to instill enthusiasm into individuals regarding, for example, projects discussed.
JLK describes also the magical aura of the natural world in and around Eilean Bhan – the Gaelic word for White Island, with processions of visiting birds and on occasion the seas around the island brim full of migrating herring.
Tragically, the health of Gavin Maxwell deteriorated rapidly later that year and he died on September 7th 1969. While there was a period of reduced activity for a while, eventually work on the project was halted and the animals in captivity set free or ‘rehomed’.
A charitable Trust was subsequently formed to preserve the island and properties as a visitor attraction and this has been functioning successfully for many years based on the efforts of dedicated volunteers. Also, the ‘Ring of Bright Water Centre’ in Kyleakin also supported by the Trust has provided a valuable point of contact with the world of Gavin Maxwell. Latterly, however, it has been increasingly difficult to maintain the Kyleakin Centre, due to lack of active volunteers to staff.
On a previous visit to Skye in August 2019 I attended an ‘Open Day’ on the island where volunteers of the Trust had been on hand to conduct free tours of the island. This had been to try and attract new trustees to the Trust. This had been a memorable visit captured at the time in a clutch of photographs. A view down the ‘long room’ indicates the range of objects/items on view. Of some significance is the view looking out to Kyleakin from the desk that once belonged to the famous English poet William Wordsworth. From his vantage point at this desk, Gavin Maxwell could inspect individuals phoning him from the phone box in Kyleakin by means of his x40 magnification telescope. The tour also included a visit to the lighthouse – constructed around 1857 by the famous Stevenson family. The winding stairs up to the level below the upper glazed section required extreme care to be taken. In the distance beyond the lighthouse on Skye the feeding station that served salmon farms in the region was an indication of the changing face of food production.
The Ring of Bright Water Centre was still open in September 2020 though it was anticipated at that time that it would have to close without a fresh influx of volunteers. The centre was still acting as an attraction for individuals with a keen awareness of environmental issues. During the short time I visited then, a marine biologist called in and described how she was interested in setting up a commercial shellfish harvesting enterprise. Such ventures, I surmise, are not for the faint hearted since expert scientific knowledge is evidently required. Calling in again in April 2022, however, the centre had indeed closed. It is to be hoped, however, that the museum on the island fares better.
Books such as the White Island, however, provide a useful role in preserving legacies of times past, at a time when the all too real threats to the wider environment from Climate Change were barely recognised. The time spent by JLK on the Eilean Bhan project, however, was not, in some regard wasted. Gavin Maxwell had received extensive correspondence from individuals expressing an interest in the theme of nature conservancy. JLK had access to such contacts when he began his own schemes for guided nature conservatory tours in Scotland. Such work was to slowly gather pace and where a key development was the purchase and development of Aigas House in the Beauly Firth near Inverness. An outline of this development is described in the book ‘Song of the rolling earth’ by JLK.
The influence of Gavin Maxwell, however, is hardly dimming. A window on his world can be observed via the Facebook page of the Gavin Maxwell Society where members share their recent observations of visits to Sandaig and Eilean Bhan or recount vivid memories of times past.
