Ulva Hostelling Time – in the Winter

It is late January and since the end of November, when I’m not mending, decorating or repairing something during the winter – which is pretty much most of the time – then I try and get out and do some surveying across Ulva, recording particularly the prehistoric and early historic features that are hiding amongst the bracken.

The main image on this post is from high up on Isle of Ulva’s western side, above the township of Eolosary, looking out across the whole of Gometra. This is in an area with evidence of settlement possibly from the Mesolithic, right through to the time of Clearances in the middle of the 19th century.

Above the township or ‘*baile*‘ of Eolosary on the remote western side of the Isle of Ulva, looking across the ruined blackhouses to the causeway that links Gometra to Ulva over Am Bru – the sound between the two islands.

Two upright stones ‘pretending’ to be small Neolithic standing stones of the western side of the Isle of Ulva looking out across the Treshnish Wilderness on Mull (right hand side) and across the Treshnish Isles towards Coll and Tiree on the horizon.

A view of most of Gometra from just above the township of Eolosary on Ulva’s remote western side, with the sound of Am Bru separating the two islands, and the fairly sheltered natural harbour at the southern end – which is popular to day with yachts as an anchorage.

A close up of Tigh nan Duine and Dun Isagain – the two islets down on the shoreline of Gometra in this picture, that are Iron Age – or possibly older. Tigh nan Duine (House of the folk or men, or person) is a good example of a Galleried Dun – a wee bit like a Broch – but in which someone then built a later ‘medieval’ house similar to what was found on Eilean na Comhairle at Finlaggan by Dr David Calderwell, a bit further down the coast.

If anyone is ever interested in the prehistory of Ulva and Gometra, just let me know, as I have a wealth of images of possible sites. I am a member of Duthchas Ulva, that we set up in 2021 to try and record as much as we can, and this year, in 2026, we hope to carry out some significant work such as finally publishing a website.

Ulva Hostel