Eyemouth, Scotland

My entire purpose for coming to this lovely town was to get close enough to Fast Castle to get to it by boat, but this is well worth a visit for its own sake!

It's a place that certainly made my feet happy!

One morning I took a hike along this headland to the north.  It's a beautiful spot and also has some interesting history, especially involving a fort that goes back to the 16th-century, which, of course was of interest to me!

It began raining as I walked, but that just made everything even more beautiful.

I also explore the bluffs on the south side of Eyemouth -- did that on my last evening in town -- and I found it to be even more beautiful than the above.  I didn't take as many pictures here, as it was quite late at night when I did this little walk.  I wish I hadn't been so tired when I arrived here Saturday because spending more time exploring this area would have been a delight!

I loved being able to look out over the sea and see the rain storms out over the water.

If I ever return here, I'd love to come out to this bench and just sit and look out over the sea for a couple of hours.

I mentioned in my post on Fast Castle from this trip that this town was rife with smuggling activity at one time.  From what I understand there are still tunnels under the town relating to the smuggling.  I also heard that the layout of the streets and buildings helped to support this, but I don't remember anymore where I read that.

As with all towns I have been to in the UK, there is a war memorial, honoring the men who gave their lives in WWI and WWII.  Eyemouth is a tiny fishing village.  To have lost this many men from such a small town must have been particularly devastating.

Then I noticed another sculpture - couldn't quite make out what it was at first, but then I got closer.  I've posted quite a lot of pictures of this because it really impacted me.  It has to do with a great storm in 1881 that took the lives of many fisherman, leaving many widows and children behind.  So this town has known far more than it share of loss!  

I find the anguish on the faces sculpted below to be so palpable.

There is an inscription on the plaque that reads - 

"During the afternoon of 14th October 1881 Eyemouth lost 129 fishermen and 20 boats, half of its fishing fleet, in a great storm.  This monument celebrates the 78 widows and 182 bairns left behind.  Their tenacity and endurance rebuilt the community and its fishing industry."

Each figure on this monument represents an actual person.

This loss happened only about 30 years before World War I, so they experienced loss after loss!

It's hard to write more while considering the immensity of that.

Though next up is the local museum, which also had quite a lot of information on this tragedy.

This area involves agriculture as well as fishing, and the museum really had quite a bit to it despite its small size.  It seems to have been mostly focused on life in the 1800s in this area.

As well as covering life here, there were multiple displays relating to the death toll of the Great Storm of 1881.

Here too, each figure represents an actual person.  The figures standing alone or in groups of two are of those washed overboard (some within sight of shore).  The larger groups represent those whose ships went down and they with them.  (I'm starting to cry as I write this!  It's such a heartbreaking story.)  These are the "Pickit Men" because they are those who were picked or plucked suddenly out of this life.

Another display contained memorial cards of some of the men.  What really hits home for me is that my two oldest sons are very nearly the age of these two brothers who were lost in the "Dreadful Gale."  (OK, now I'm crying in earnest!)

In a display of what a typical kitchen would have looked like at the time, a kitchen being the place where most waking hours were spent in the home, I noticed a picture above the mantle piece with words from a hymn I love that is even more meaningful now, and I'm going to end this post with pictures of that and then with the lyrics of that hymn.  Actually, I'm also going to post a YouTube video of this song being sung at the funeral (April 17, 2021) of Prince Philip, him having been an officer in the British Royal Navy.

Eternal Father, strong to save,

whose arm doth bind the restless wave,

who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep

its own appointed limits keep:

O hear us when we cry to thee

for those in peril on the sea.

O Saviour whose almighty word

the winds and waves submissive heard,

who walkedst on the foaming deep,

and calm amid its rage didst sleep:

O hear us when we cry to thee

for those in peril on the sea.

O sacred Spirit, who didst brood

upon the chaos dark and rude,

who bad'st its angry tumult cease,

and gavest light and life and peace:

O hear us when we cry to thee

for those in peril on the sea.

O Trinity of love and power,

our brethren shield in danger's hour;

from rock and tempest, fire and foe,

protect them whereso'er they go:

and ever let there rise to thee

glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

Base of Fast Castle

My "ride" with my tower home in the background

Heading out of the harbor - the initial pulling away (above) and picking up speed as we pass the Eyemouth headland on our way to Fast Castle.

I am immersing myself in the life of mathematician John Napier, and, as shared in multiple previous posts, he was contracted to search for treasure at Fast Castle using his so-called sorcerous powers (technically his "craft and engine" -- according to the contract: "The said Jhone sall do his utter and exact diligens to serche and sik out, and by all craft and ingyne  .  .  .").  There are many legends of treasure at Fast Castle, and they persist to this day.  This area was full of smuggling activity at one time.  The name Fast Castle is a corruption of Faux Castle, meaning False Castle, so called because "wrecking" by the hanging of false lights to lure ships onto the rocks was known to have taken place.  The Templar Knights may have hid treasure here.  There may be Spanish treasure relating to the "Affair of the Spanish Blanks" and a possible second Spanish Armada.  It may be one of those things, something else entirely, or nothing at all!  According to the contract, which was written up in 1594, there are diverse old reports and appearances that there should be within Robert's dwelling of Fast Castle a sum of money and treasure hidden, which is as yet unfound by any man (".  .  .  as ther is dywerss ald reportis motiffis and appirancis, that thair suld be within the said Robertis dwellinge place of Fascastell a soum of monie and Poiss [treasure], heid and hurdit up secritlie, quilk [which] as yit is un fund by ony man.")  Other posts in this blog in which this is written of at greater length are at this link and at this link.  This is a place I had tried to get to for years.  It is quite remote.  Last year I was finally able to get there by land, and this year I finally was able to get there by sea.  I've really wanted to get the fullest sense possible of this place.  Beyond this point, this post will be mostly pictures and videos with very few words.  I'm using the images for reference for talks I'll give and writing that I'll do.  (The videos contained here are very short - all but one are approximately half a minute each.)

Passing St. Abb's Head on the way to Fast Castle

The abundance of caves along the shoreline is part of what made this a haven for smugglers.  The two large caves to the right of the picture below are directly beneath the ruins of Fast Castle, one wall of which can still be seen standing and is near the far right of this picture.

Coming at Fast Castle from the south

It is thought that one of the caves at the base of the cliff connected to the castle.  If that's the case it likely would have been the large cave to the left in the pictures above and below.

Here is the same cave from above - photo taken on my previous trip to this location - 

Going around the peninsula to look from the north - 

And coming back around to the south (1:16)

Because of my interest in this place, I could have stayed for hours, but, eventually, it was time to head back in.  We did see some interesting sights on the way back as well, and all of it provides good background for my studies.

We took our time at Fast Castle, but heading back we zipped right along!

But we would slow down to check out some things like other caves and crags along the coastline - 

- and like dolphins swimming along with us!

Then zipping back toward Eyemouth - 

And returning home after one of the grandest adventures of these travels!