“But what do you do up there?”
One of the most frequent questions I get asked since moving to Luing is “but what do you do up there?” People are horrified that there’s no pub, that the ferry stops at 6pm in winter, and that there’s not even a supermarket. Honestly? It suits me just fine, despite being just 24. Even when I lived in the city, I’d rather have friends over for a night in, content with some music and a pack of cards, and I only did my food shopping every fortnight anyway. Of course, I did sometimes go to the cinema or the pub, and enjoyed it - but I can do that in Oban. City life tries to convince you that to have fun you need to have somewhere to spend money, and you forget how easy it is to do things for free.
As well as Luing’s packed social calendar, which I’ll get onto later, there’s a wealth of free things to do here. Last week I spent an evening on the seashore, making art and reading a book until the sun went down. The next night, I went swimming with friends. Other times, I’ve gone for a walk, or had a campfire on the beach. It’s just so beautiful here that simply being outside is an activity on its own. I missed that in the city - when evening comes, you’re required to sit in a designated area when outside, whether that’s at a restaurant, in your own garden, or in a (frankly quite sketchy) park. And why would you want to do otherwise? City pavements are not the place for sitting down and enjoying an evening with a book.
Of course, it being Scotland, the weather is not always inclined to let you sit outside. It’s customary on Luing in some circles to just turn up at someone’s house with a drink - and if you live on the same part of the island, it’s never more than a ten minute walk home afterwards. When there’s things on (and there often are) most of them are free, courtesy of a connected community. In the first two weeks of August, the Luing History Group unveiled a new interactive online map packed with local knowledge, 100 residents climbed to the top of nearby island Scarba for charity fundraising with a BBQ buffet and Ceilidh dance afterwards, two free workshops on art and poetry took place (the former taught by yours truly), there was a music festival at nearby pub the T&T, and the Luing Produce Show was held with over 40 categories for entries. That’s not to mention the regular events like table tennis, bar night at the Atlantic Islands Centre, Open Mic Night, and Chair Yoga. After all that, if you’re still really missing the pub, the Tigh an Truish is just 10 minutes by car from the ferry slipway on Seil, and the Oyster Bar in Ellenabeich is a great place to have an evening meal or a drink on the deck.
So when people say “but what do you do up there?” I tell them that I’m busier than ever, and it’s true. My first piece of advice to visitors would be to keep an eye on the Luing Community Noticeboard Facebook Page, as any and all upcoming events are on there. Secondly, don’t be scared of talking to the locals - most, myself included, will happily talk (perhaps for longer than you bargained for) about what’s happening on Luing. Finally, if you’re still short of things to do, check out the Explore page on the WildLuing website at www.wildluing.com/explore.
Tìoraidh,
Lottie
