A message in a bottle that was launched from the Caribbean has travelled more than 4,000 miles and washed ashore on a beach – in Barra.
The note revealed it had been sent two years ago by a five-year-old boy from Germany who was on holiday with his family in the Dominican Republic.
Local resident Kenny Mackinnon was enjoying a walk along the shore when he spotted something bobbing on the water.
He said: “I had just finished cutting the greens on the Barra Golf Course, and since it was a nice night I went down to the shoreline for a walk, as it’s quite remote and not a lot of people go there.
“I saw a bottle bouncing on the water, and because it’s a pebble beach, I went and got it before it smashed.”
When Mr Mackinnon examined the bottle he could see that there was a message inside it.
“It had growths on it, like barnacles, so I guessed it had been in the sea for a long time,” he said.
“I took it home and broke up the cork to get the message out.
“It was a letter from a five-year-old boy from Germany who was on holiday in the Dominican Republic, and he had sent the message from there in the summer of 2015.”
The message read: “Hello. My name is Luke. I’m on holidays with my brother Earle and my father Felix and my mother Kerstin. We are staying 3 weeks in the Dominican Republic. I’ll become 5 years on the 11th of November. I’m going on to write this letter in hope to receive an answer as soon as possible.”
Luke’s parents also included an address to respond to, and Mr Mackinnon has now sent them a letter in the post, including the original message.
The Castlebay resident, who works as a firefighter at Barra Airport, said: “It’s funny to think that wee boy will be nearly seven now.”
He added: “It’s very exciting. It’s not every day you find something like that.”