Saddell Bay by Andrew Shephard

Late evening light is sharpened bright

by hidden setting sun.

A ghostly boat burns fiery white,

birds dazzle, spin and plunge.

Shafts of fire light many a pyre

across Kilbrannan Sound.

Ten thousand years of settlement

and this is where I’m found.

The castle keep’s a silent stone,

the raiders swept away.

A laird’s house sits grand in a field

and stares across the bay.

Ferryman waits awhile for stores

when roads were made of sea,

but Cul na Shee, that nook of peace,

is where I choose to be.

An itch in my ear says the midges are here,

my beach fire is burning out fast,

but Cul na Shee is waiting for me

with sunset now served in a glass.

Beach fire

Saddell House

Saddell Castle

Cul na Shee

We rented a cottage from the Landmark Trust in Kintyre. The cottage was built in the 1930s right next to the beach for the retiring village schoolteacher. Getting there involved a long drive, single track roads, and two ferries, so you could say it was remote. It was June, and stayed light until very late. The dog loved it, and so did we. In the cottage was a book in which people were invited to write about their stay. This poem was my contribution.