Craignure (Isle of Mull)

30/4/15

The main road north out of Kilmartin was quiet all the way to Oban. It was made easier by a series of roadworks which accumulated the traffic into small convoys. As usual, we were an amusement to the road workers who waved us between the cones on the closed lane to let vehicles pass.

Today was over 1400m of ascent with 4 climbs but we seemed to make very good time, probably the necessity to catch the ferry from Oban to Mull helped.

The sun shone and a north wind prevented us from overheating.

Daffodils are finishing now and small pockets of primroses are becoming a familiar sight in hedgerow and burn side. Celandine and wood anemone are also appearing but the dusting of snow on the hills and cold airstream are a sign that summer is a way to go yet.

As we climbed, views of the Paps of Jura and then Ben More on Mull started to appear along with a lot of other big mountains ahead of us!

We rewarded our slick journey to Oban with a sea food platter for 2 at the harbour fish cafe. Warned by others that a gull had nicked a whole lobster from the plate of a previous costumer, we cowered and devoured our feast like a couple of vultures.

After the short ferry ride to Craignure and a shop for some food at the pier side Spar, we settled into what must be the best bunkhouse on the west coast. It has spectacular views, is warm and has great facilities. It was quite a novelty to cook for ourselves!

Figures:

Distance:-  48.6 km

Cycle Time:- 3 hours 30 minutes

Average speed:- 13.8 kph

Total Distance:- 2117 km

Rest Day 9

29/4/15

A morning of relaxed breakfast and a nice chat with Isobel, our host, about Scottish Nationalist policy followed by a visit to the Kilmartin Museum.

The town is perched on the side of a glaciated valley containing a linear collection of burial mounds and standing stone circles. The 4000 year old remains are amoung Scotland's most significant historic monuments.

We went through the Kilmartin Museum in our usual slick manner before retiring to the lovely cafe and watched the walking tour slowly progress from one stone pile to another. We finished our lunch then headed out on a similar self guided tour and returned to the tea shop having seen and been inside several burial mounds and looking at the cup and ring carvings on huge standing stones before the walking group had finished their tour! We may have missed out on some of the historic background though!

We then viewed some fine carved stones in the Kilmartin churchyard and bought some chocolate and biscuit provisions for the next few days in the well stocked village shop.

Our evening meal was about 100 paces away so we returned for good food and beer in the Kilmartin Hotel.

Kilmartin

28/4/15

Amazingly, we have arrived in Kilmartin on the day we had predicted over a year ago. Since there are no rules to our journey some shortcuts mean we have managed to make up lost time by avoiding the Kintyre peninsula.

The A83 out of Tarbert was not too busy and skirted the banks of the grand fish-laden waters of Loch Fyne. The occasional truck stress was made bearable by some wildlife sightings- Eider ducks, Red-breasted Mergansers and the amusing sight of a seal struggling to eat a huge salmon that had escaped from a fish farm.

We left the road at Ardrishaig to cycle along the tow path of the Crinan Canal that has provided ships, since 1801, with an excellent way to avoid the exposed journey around the Mull of Kintyre. Perhaps our shortcut was fitting!

A Thai prawn and coconut soup was out of place but delicious in the Cairnbaan Hotel and an opportune pause while the worst of the hail and rain fell. We watched a large boat coming through the lock gates.

Hail showers and sunny spells followed as we continued along quiet roads and paths to Kilmartin via the historic trail of burial mounds, standing stones and stone circles.

Figures:

Distance:-  39.2 km

Cycle Time:- 2 hours 52 minutes

Average speed:- 13.3 kph

Total Distance:- 2068 km

Tarbert (Loch Fyne)

27/4/15

Brodick has a sandy cycle track that skirts the bay and the golf course. We had to resort to the grass and the 13th tee to avoid a section of deep sand but this was no longer the Ayrshire coast where such things would be frowned upon.

We were promised rain and, with met office predictions of feels like 2 Celsius. It was not going to be easy, with a couple of big climbs and another ferry to catch but the southerly wind made it all possible and we were whisked along. Just after Corrie my bike computer  registered 2000km and we climbed the 200m hill over to Lochranza. We only got the promised heavy rain on our descent.

We made the ferry at in good time for the 1:15pm and cowered in the waiting room while the sleety rain lashed at the sea.

Getting off the ferry was a challenge. After leaving the calm of Lochranza the ferry was practically surfing into Claonaig. Waves crashed over the ramp way so we had to time the run off the boat so as not to get a thorough soaking.

The road out was from the old Scotland I remember 30 years ago. Single track with passing places, these are now becoming scarce and with bigger, faster cars not quite so pleasant.

Tarbert was a welcome sight and soup and tea were so good in Ca' Dora cafe that we returned for our evening meal.

Figures:

Distance:-  42 km

Cycle Time:- 3 hours 9 minutes

Average speed:- 13.3 kph

Total Distance:- 2029 km

Brodick (Isle of Arran)

26/4/15

We were probably too excited about our first CalMac ferry to work out our true distance today as it came to 10km more than we had in our minds. That, combined with a strong headwind made it quite hard.

The route from Ayr to the ferry at Ardrossan is all NCN 7 and 73 and was blissful and we saw our first crop of cyclists since arriving in Scotland. A familiar mix of promenade, skirting golf courses and weaving through estates of bungalows and industrial estates, and an airport to avoid main roads. 

The latter part, however was a smooth track through gorse and sand dunes with impressive skies and ominous light over Arran.

At this point the sky opened up and gave us a hail storm.

We were first on the ferry and we joined in the custom of a mug of tea and bowl of chips. A brief spell on deck to taste the sea air and get blasted by the arctic wind. A couple nearly lost their dog who was swept through the gap under the railings and was airborne and saved by his lead. We are not sure if the quivering result, as it nestled into the owners lap, was excitement or horror!

We docked at Arran in sunshine and ate at the Douglas Hotel which was packed. At about 7pm there was a mass exodus, it then dawned on us, as we glanced out at the ferry, that they were prolonging their weekend on Arran until the last boat back.

Figures:

Distance:-  45.5 km

Cycle Time:- 3 hours 39 minutes

Average speed:- 12.4 kph

Total Distance:- 1987 km

Ayr

25/4/15

The rain stopped before we set off but the temperature had dropped back a month to single figures. Following the railway up to Pinmore we left the pot hole ridden A714 and escaped on to a lovely quiet and, what Sue calls, a "clever" lane that gradually gained height for us.

Some rather undulating lanes followed but we finally got a vista of the mountains of Arran and the giant granite dome of Ailsa Craig came in to view. The clarity of light and colour together with the wind picking up the sea produced a wild scene on the Ayreshire coast.

We arrived at Culzean castle a little tired so we sat in the sunny courtyard of the visitor's centre with a bowl of Cullen Skink and a pot of tea. We then went on a speed, self guided tour around the castle, the highlight being the curved doors in the library.

We left the castle on the Heads of Ayr road which is famous for its illusion of gradient on the Electric Brae. The 1 in 86 gradient that we were supposed to experience was rather swamped by a strong headwind so it felt a bit uphill all the way to Ayr!

Looking out our window at the ancient solidity of the Scottish landscape, we are shocked to hear about the earthquake in Nepal and are thinking about all the people we met in Kathmandu at the start of our year away.

Figures:

Distance:- 57 km

Cycle Time:- 4 hours 21 minutes

Average speed:- 13.0 kph

Total Distance:- 1941 km