Miles today : 151 - short day but we did take 4 ferries
Miles so far: 778 (might need to check my adding up)
u-turns: 4 today - pretty good by our standards!
downpours: 1 - but our first
Ruins: I lost count but they were good ones - see below for when Eric became king
This is going to have to be short because we yet again reached the hotel after 8pm, just in time to beg the kitchen to stay open long enough to feed us - after hot showers, as we hit our first downpour on the road across Mull from the ferry terminal to Tobermory. We’ve had no chance to explore yet, concerned as we were mostly were with keeping the bikes upright on the steep roads of the village (town?) on the weary to the hotel.
But we made it after yet another superb day. Only 150 miles or so on the roads but ferries to and from Bute, then across to the Mull of Kintyre and finally onto Mull from Oban - to be greeted by our first deluge. So it was a slightly soggy group that rolled into the gorgeous Tobermory - also know as Ballamorry - just after 8. But lots of steep roads - great fun in the rain! Especially to our hotel for the night. Photos tomorrow hopefully.
But back to the aforementioned coronation. At Dunadd Fort on Kintyre, we explored the ancient site where kings of Scotland and Ireland were crowned and discovering that Eric’s foot fitted the remaining footprint on the top of the hill exactly decided he was undoubtedly the Cinderella of the Gaels and could rightfully claim the crown. Although I seem to remember that Idi Amin once claimed to be the last King of Scotland so I am not sure this is company that Eric wants to keep. Irrespectively Rob and I bowed down in worship!
We have also again driven on some fabulous and sparsely populated roads, interspersed with ferry crossings ranging from the serious (having to have our bikes strapped down) to the more simple (sitting on the bike for the whole 10 minute crossing). Gets you some beautifully views of the western isles! This is us just waiting for one of the smaller boats.
Well, that will have to do. Another earlier start than planned tomorrow as we have just discovered it takes 2 hours to get from here to where we catch the boat to Staffa, to visit Fingal‘s Cave. Expect Rob to be singing/humming Mendelssohn all bloody day! And we do want a look round Tobermory tomorrow morning. - so breakfast is booked early. Time for bed! Weather forecast is better again for tomorrow though.
Oh, just finally, we visited late in the afternoon The Clachan Bridge, more popularly known as ”The Bridge Across the Atlantic” - kinds of in the same way the Tower Bridge is a bridge across the North Sea! Nice bridge though. Apparently the Jcobites used to change from trousers to the banned kilts when they crossed to this island fro the mainland - before the bridge obviously; that came about 50 years later.
I’ve no more words left tonight so here are few pictures to help illustrate the madness.
A short but vicious attack of the midgies!
Cinderella and the two ugly sisters.
Waiting for the ferry. Yep, 3 idiots!
Time to go. Night night.
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