In Search of Fingal's Cave: Toravaig to Oban

Sunday 30 June 2013

Our original plan was to cycle to Kilchoan, catch the ferry to Tobermory on the Isle of Mull and the next day, cycle to Craignure where there was a ferry connection back to Oban.

With the forecast of more rain and wind, we cycled to Armadale, caught the ferry to Mallaig where the train conductress was willing to accommodate us and our bikes to Fort William.  This is but one of many examples of hospitality and helpfulness we have encountered so far on our trip to this part of Scotland.  People who take ownership of their work, are able and prepared to take decisions in order to get the job done, a refreshing change from the rulebook often quoted nowadays.

The conductress went a step further by calling ahead to clear our passage to Crianlarich  (on the same train) where we can catch a connection to Oban. We sat back and enjoyed the majestic scenes from the comfort of the train. En route, we saw the Flying Scotsman, a vintage steam engine.

Distance travelled: 8km

Back in Oban

In Search of Fingal's Cave: Skeabost to Toravaig Hotel

Saturday 29 June 2013

At 10am, we tore ourselves away from the comfort of the hotel, a very late start for us.  It was a beautiful sunny morning.  At Portree, the Isles Inn was showing the 2^nd Test match between the British Lions and Australia.  We stopped to watch.  Sadly, the Lions lost by 1 point and the suspense will be carried forward to the final Test match next week.

By now, it had started to rain.  There was a gradual climb out of Portree.  At Sconser, we stopped at a sweet 9-hole golf course for tea and a chat with the friendly lady who ran the clubhouse.  The views were stunning, looking out towards Raasay Island.  We took the minor road around Moll, to avoid another climb.  Just before Broadford, we stopped for a tin of sardines and a bap. Tired.  Cycling on the main road in the rain was exhausting as traffic was heavy and fast.  At Broadford, we stocked up.  Although there were hotels and hostels there, we decided to push on to Armadale.  We were to regret the decision.  The journey took longer than we had anticipated.  The road was in good condition with gentle incline, but it was open  to the elements with no wind break.  The winds blew at gale force, the rain kept coming.  We met other cyclists coming from the opposite direction, also battling the winds.  No one had it easy.  We were forced by the weather to stop short of Armadale at the Toravaig Hotel, a classy establishment which have in recent years, won prizes for their food and carried the excellent Château Méaume wines on their list!  Rosemary was very warm and helpful to two thoroughly drenched cyclists.  The bath cheered us up.  The service was excellent.  Pity, the weather meant that we could not go out on the Hotel’s boat!

Distance travelled: 73km

A little detour via Moll

Fish farm

In Search of Fingal's Cave: Berneray to Tarbert

Friday 28 June 2013

Berneray to Tarbert

The strong winds tried their best to blow away our tent all night.  Again, it rained in the morning.  We decided to take a later ferry crossing and retreated to the warmth of the hostel kitchen after packing up.

On the Isle of Harris, we went east along the Gold Road.  For company, we had Neil and 2 cyclists we met yesterday at the hostel. The scenery on the route was spectacular, with little hamlets tucked away in isolated bays.  The winds picked up, threatening at times to upset the bicycles.  We left our companions at Geocrab to take the more direct route (and as it turns out, more hilly) to Tarbert.  It was a proper workout.  Sometimes, we had to pedal on the descent just to move.  We made it with plenty of time to spare for the 4pm ferry to Uig.

After 2 nights’ camping and by now smelling tasty, we treated ourselves to a night at the Skeabost Country House Hotel, a traditional Scottish lodge by Loch Snizort.  Very civilized –after a few days in the rain, the bicycles were stored under cover in the hotel’s shed.  The food was good, and prepared using local produce.

Distance travelled: 53km

Amazing scenes along the Gold Road

En route from Tarbert to Uig

Approaching Uig

In Search of Fingal's Cave: Barra to Berneray

Thurday 27 June 2013

South Uist-Benbecula-North Uist-Beneray

Awoke to the the sound of rain falling on our tent, we lay wondering when we could make a move.  Fortunately, the rain eased at 7am.  So we packed up and set off for the ferry terminal where we met Neil.  He had wild camped on the beach.

Landing at Eriskay, we cycled in misty rain northwards, not much machair to be seen in the fog. The three islands are joined by causeways.  The scenery of South Uist and Benbecula were fairly similar, the vistas opening up as we cycled on North Uist.  There were brief spells of sunshine during the day peppered with light rain throughout.  Shortly after 6pm, we stopped at the Lobster Pot in Beneray for dinner before crashing out in our tent at the hostel run by the Gatliffe Trust.

Distance travelled: 130km

 Calmac bus

 Otter watch

 Peat curing

 Campsite at Berneray

 Croft house

Hey Butty!

In Search of Fingal's Cave: Oban-Barra

Wednesday 26 June 2013

Oban-Barra

The ferry from Oban to Barra left in the early afternoon, leaving us the entire morning to explore Oban and fit the saddlebags to our bikes.  Had an enormous seafood platter at the fish shop on the waterfront – prawns, crab claws, mussels, langoustines, squid rings….

As we prepared to board the ferry, we met another cyclist, Neil, from Glasgow.  He was going to cycle all the way up from Barra to the Butt of Lewis.  Ferry crossing was uneventful and scenic, passing along the northern coast of the Isle of Mull.  Cycled 2½ miles to the campsite at Borve.  Donald, the friendly owner, allocated us a site right by the beach.  The campsite had very good facilities: clean toilets and showers, washing machine and dryer.  We fell asleep to the sound of waves.

Distance travelled: 4km

 Loaded bicycles

 Sunset at Borve Campsite

What is a Stoater?

Today we collected our long-awaited Stoater Plus bicycles from Shand Cycles in Livingston.  We had the chance to meet Steven Shand and Russell Stout who designed and built the bikes at their workshop. They are the only bike builders presently operating in Scotland and are making top quality bikes.  Our Stoaters are to be used as lightweight steel touring bikes with Rohloff hubs and Gates belt drive.  They were built to our dimensions, colour and specifications and we are very pleased with the results.  We would like to thank Steven and Russell for an excellent job and would strongly recommend them to anyone who wants a British-built bike.  (No frame from Taiwan, but hand built in the UK).

This afternoon we drove a very scenic route around the Trossachs to reach Oban, a delightful small harbour town, which is the port for ferries going to the islands of the Hebrides.  We spent time assembling racks and testing saddlebags and now look forward to the journey to Barra tomorrow, the start of our tour.

The Grey Stoater

Wee Blue Stoater