Ring of Bright Water, based on a true story which was the
subject of a book by Gavin Maxwell, was made in 1969, but the story it is based
on has a timeless appeal, as do the locations used in the film. The story begins in London, where an office
worker called Graham Merill is drawn to an otter in a pet shop (Did they really sell otters in pet shops?).
He takes it home and names it Mij, but quickly realises that a flat in
London is no place for an otter, so he buys a ramshackle old house in the wilds
of West Scotland and sets up home there with his new friend.
As Merill makes his way to his new home by train we get a
glimpse of the Glenfinnan Viaduct, made famous in the Harry Potter films and
one of the key points along the Jacobite Steam Train route. On arrival, the village nearest to the house
is a typical little Scottish fishing hamlet, with rows of simple one-storey
houses. In real life the village is
Ellenabeich on the Island of Seil, not entirely an island, being connected to
the ‘mainland’ by the Atlantic Bridge, or the “Bridge Over the Atlantic”. One of the most prominent businesses in the
village is The Oyster Bar; this was the M. A. Cameron General Stores in the
film.
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The Oyster Brewery, Ellenabeich. - geograph.org.uk - 457322 Photo by Steve Partridge, via Wikimedia Commons
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Oban, which lies 10 miles to the north, also plays a role in
the film, when Mij’s owner goes to buy fish for the otter. The Railway Pier in Oban is the location of
the fishing port where the fish sale takes place. Another location featured in the film is the
Firth of Lorne, where the scene depicting the hunt for the Basking Shark was
filmed. The Firth occupies an area of
sea off the south-east edge of the island of Mull.
And what of the real story of Gavin Maxwell and his
otters? The writer named the place
where he brought them up Camusfearna in the book, in order to hide the true
location, which was in fact Sandaig near Glenelg on the mainland opposite Skye.
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Beach at Sandaig - geograph.org.uk - 916465. Photo by Peter Jones, via Wikimedia Commons
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The Island of Seil is the northernmost of the Slate
Islands. Finding your way here from the
A816 from Oban can be confusing – you need to follow the sign pointing to
Easdale. Easdale is another island just
offshore, but this whole area is often referred to as Easdale. As well as sampling the delights of The
Oyster Bar, visitors can take a boat trip with Seafari Adventures, who have a base in the
village. There is also a large gift shop
called Highland Arts next to the car and coach park.
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