Arch Walk 3 - Gàrradh a’ Mheadhain-oidhche/Càrn a’ Mharc
Volunteer's account
Volunteer's account (a shorter English summary follows this Gaelic report)
An Turas gu ‘Gàrradh a’ mheadhain-oidhche’ agus ‘Càrn a’ Mharc’
Bha sinn fortanach leis an aimsir agus latha breagha grianach ann.
Eadar Dòmhnall Iain a tha na Iar Fhear Cathraiche aig Comann Eachdraidh Sgìre Bhac, an còignear againn fhìn, Dòmhnall ….. , Dòmhnall ….., Criosaidh, Coinneach mo bhràthair, mi fhìn, agus an treoraiche againn Iain …. an àrceolaiche bha seachdnar sa chòmhlan.
Choinnich sinn mar a bha iomchaidh aig Taigh-Coinneimh Ghriais - togalach air nach robh mi fhìn eòlach agus b’ e a’ chiad dùbhlan dhomhsa an àite seo a lorg! Ged a bha stiùiridhean Dhòmhnaill sa phost-dealain a fhuair sinn soilleir gu leòr chaidh mi seachad air an rathad thuige dà thuras. Mu dheireadh leis an uair airson tòiseachadh air a’ chuairt a’ teannadh dlùth cha robh càil air a shon ach stad a chur air cuideigin bhon bhaile airson faighinn a-mach. Ged a bha an dithis ris na bhruidhinn mi cuideachail, fear òg a-muigh cuairt leis a’ chù aige agus an uairsin cailleach a’ coiseachd na h-aonar - cha b’ urrainn dhaibh innse dhomh gu cìnnteach càit an robh an togalach - ged nach b’ e strainnsearan a bh’ annta a dh’aindheòin blas làidir Sasannach air cainnt an dithis. Thachair mi ri dithis eil - luchd-obrach a’ togail balla air taobh a-muigh taigh - ’s ann às na Hearadh a bha iadsan agus cho aineolach rium fhìn a thaobh seo ach co-dhiù bha leisgeul acasan an taca rium fhìn a thogadh san ath bhaile. ’S math gun robh fòn-làimhe agam agus le stiùireadh bho mo bhràthair fhuair mi lorg air an talla mu dheireadh thall.
Fhuair sinn beagan fiosrachaidh mun t-slighe a bhiodh sinn a’ gabhail an toiseach agus ged a ’s e cuairt de dhà uair a thide a bha san amharc bha rabhadh ann gum faodadh e a bhith na b’ fhàide na sin - ach cha robh sin a’ dol a chur dragh air duine againn agus an latha cho àlainn - gun sgòth san adhar agus oiteag bheag de ghaoth ga dhèanamh cofhurtail airson coiseachd. Bha e tlachdmhòr buileach gun robh Gàidhlig aig a h-uile duine ach Iain - agus bha e fhèin air leth deònach feuchainn air a’ chanan - a’ ciallachadh gun robh mòran dhen chòmhradh air an turas sa Ghàidhlig.
Dè chunnaic sinn agus dè dh’ionnsaich sinn ma-tha? Sa chiad àite mar a thèid againn air talamh a ‘leughadh’ le a bhith a’ coimhead gu dlùth ris, agus a’ ceasneachadh na tha ri fhaicinn. Bhithinn air a dhol seachad air tiùrr de chlachan roimhe seo - ach a-nis gam faicinn ann am ‘fàsach’ de mhointich bhithinn buailteach coimhead a-rithist. Stad sinn airson ùine mhòr nuair a `raining sinn ‘Càrn a’ Mharc’ - a’ cnuasnachadh air eachdraidh iongantach an làraich sin. Saoilidh tu gu bheil thu eòlach air sgìre seach gu bheil thu cleachdte ris na rathaidean a tha a’ ruith tron bhaile agus na diofar dhachaighean aig càirdean is caraidean, oifis a’ phuist, an sgoil, an eaglais, an cladh agus an-còmhnaidh cuairtean shuas air bàrr nan creagan os cionn a’ chladaich no shios air tràigh aig oir na mara.
Ach ’s ann nuair a thèid thu air cuairt a-mach air falbh bhon bhaile mar a rinn sinn fhìn an latha sin - a’ coiseachd suas air cùl an taigh-choinneimh far an do stad an rathad teàrr agus a thòisich sinn air slighe a bha a’ dol a-mach chun na mòintich, a thòisich e a bhith soilleir dhòmhsa cho beag eòlas ’s a tha agam air an sgìre againn. Thàinig mi air falbh bhon turas le dealbh air cho beag ’s a tha an saoghal againn ann am baile ann an dòigh an taca ri na tha ri fhaicinn agus ri ionnsachadh le a bhith a’ toirt astar a-muigh air falbh bhon t-saoghal beag trang an latha an-diugh.
Chuir ‘Gàrradh a’ Mheadhain-oidhche’ iongnadh oirnn. Le a bhith a’ sgrìobhadh seo air 10 An t-Ogmhios nuair a tha speuradairean air bhioran an diugh mu dhubhar na grèine 2021 (cearcall na teine - the ring of fire) tha an sgeulachd a chuala sinn mun bhuaidh ’s dòcha a thug dubhar grèine o chionn na milltean a bhliadhnaichean air-ais air ar sinnsearan iomallach, diomhair, a’ tighinn beò dhomh fhìn a-rithist.
Tha iongantach gu bheil àite a tha a’ coimhead cho ‘falamh’ - mointeach - cho làn de dh’eachdraidh, de sgeulachdan.
Iseabail Mhoireach
We were fortunate with the weather - a lovely sunny day. Between Donald John, Vice Chair of the Back Historical Society, the five of ourselves, Donald …. , Donald , Chrissie, Kenneth my brother, myself and our guide the archaeologist Ian … there were seven in the group. We met, appropriately enough at the Gress Meeting House, a building I wasn’t familiar with and my first challenge was in locating it! Although Donald had given clear directions in his email I went past the road to it twice. Finally there was nothing for it but to stop someone from the village and ask for directions. Although the two locals I met out walking, a young man with his dog and an older lady by herself, tried to be helpful they couldn’t tell me where it was and when I came across a couple of builders working on a wall very near the church, at least they had the excuse they were from Harris, whereas I to my shame had been brought up in the area. Fortunately thanks to the mobile phone I found it with the help of my brother who was already at the meeting place.
To begin with Ian and Donald gave us some information about the route that we would be taking and although the estimated time of our trip was 2 hours we were advised that it could take longer — in fact we were out for 5 hours but it passed so quickly it was difficult to appreciate that despite some tired feet at the end of the day. A slight breeze made the walking very pleasant and the stimulating, lighthearted conversation along the way was mostly in Gaelic as everyone except Ian - eager to learn some phrases himself — was a Gaelic speaker.
What did we see and what did we learn? In the first place I got a sense of how it is possible with a little knowledge to ‘read’ the terrain by looking closely and questioning what you see. Before this I would have walked past a heap of stones in the middle of a desertlike landscape of moorland without thinking but now I would be inclined to look again as we did for some time when we cam across ‘ Càrn a’ Mharc’ and considered the origins of that ancient site. It’s easy to think you ‘know’ a place when you’re familiar with the roads past homes of friends and relations, the local facilities - post-office, garage, school and church and of course the walks by the sea along cliff tops and sandy beaches.
But by taking a long walk inland away from all that is familiar around the edge of the villages as we did that day that you get a sense of how little you really know about the place where you live. The ‘Midnight Road’ amazed us with the immensity of manpower and ambition that must have gone into creating it and the fathomless mystery behind its sudden abandonment. Writing this account on the 10th of June when astronomers worldwide are waiting with great anticipation for the 2021 Solar Eclipse (The Ring of Fire) brings the legend surrounding it back to life for me.
The day of our walk left me with an appreciation of how a place that can look so ‘empty’ be so ‘full’ of history and stories that stir the imagination and allow you to see your environment in a completely new light.
Ishbel Murray