Rum, Eigg, Muck and Canna - the evocatively named Small Isles each have their own character. In this film I pay a short visit to the Isle of Muck in the Inner Hebrides, one of the smallest inhabited islands in Scotland. The boat from Mallaig drops me off at the main settlement, Port Mor, from where I explore a little and also chat to chocolatier Bruce Boyd of Choc-Ness, who also runs the tea room.
Muck is the smallest of the Small Isles. Inhabited since the bronze age, its population peaked at 320 in 1821. The Macleans, who then owned the island, wanted sheep instead of people and sent almost half the population off to Canada. Above Port Mor are the remains of the village where the remaining islanders eked out a living, until most of them also left. The Macleans too have long since departed. The island transferred to the MacEwen family in 1913.
The previous Lord of Muck, the legendary Lawrence MacEwen brought a unique brand of benevolent paternalism to the island that was both progressive and innovative. “I believe in evolution, not revolution,” he once stated. Lawrence has now been succeeded by Colin MacEwen.
Thank you so much to Bruce for providing an insight into how he and Pam arrived on the island and what life is like for the small population. Visit the Choc-Ness website!
Filmed May 2024
Jonathan Wheeler
@eyescotland (sister channel to Travel Obscurer)
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22 май 2024
