Due to the guy opposite me in his VW ‘look at me’ wagon opening and closing his side door with a whoop-thump at 5am this morning I wasn’t a happy hector while eating my wheeties this morning – as I was tired. I do miss a good sleep… After a hot shower and some tea, I felt much better and decided to break camp and get on the road, looking for a quitter site.
My new tent only takes a few minutes to drop and put away and my new panniers are easy to pack, so before long I was on the road.
Rather than heading east I headed north from Kilchoan for about 5 miles to Sanna, which is a dead end with nothing but a beach and lots of kamikaze sheep. The thing I wanted to see was a little before that at Achnaha. Unless you know, you won’t realise it but it’s a large crater about a mile across which was a magma vent when the earth was forming. Apparently there are three in this part of Scotland. When you stop and look around you notice it, but otherwise it’s just rocky craggs.
Heading back to Kilchoan and heading east again I saw a sign for a coffee shop and as it was mid-morning stopped at the visitors centre and had a wonderful cup of coffee and a sausage roll – which was equally tasty. Then I noticed a timetable for the ferry crossings to Mull. I was going to head home via Fort William and the Cairngorms – but as there was a ferry due soon I decided to go to Mull instead.
When the ferry arrived the rear ramp wasn’t working so all the drivers had to reverse onto the ferry so they could drive straight off at the other end. Watching the driver of a motorhome trying to reverse down the landing and on to the ferry was one of the funniest things I’ve seen for ages. I wish I had video’d it now. It should be a spectator sport…
When it was my turn I rode on, but as my bike has the turning circle of the QE2, I did the best I could to get it pointing the right way but as I was on the curved part of the deck, the crewmen had to give me a push and a pull. Embarrassing…
I’ve not been to Tobermory for a year, but when in Tobermory you have to stop to get a picture of the different coloured buildings. It’s the law…. After that I rode around the northern part of the island. I’ve done it before and could happily do it ten times more. Most people would think it wouldn’t take long, but it does take a few hours because besides the spectacular views and the constant stopping to marvel at the scenery, the road is mostly single track. This, together with kamikaze sheep, means you have to take your time and ride safely.
By the late afternoon I could either catch the ferry to Oban and head home or stay the night – so I rode to the campsite at Salen and decided to stay the night. It’s £15 and the facilities and showers are excellent. I wish I’d brought my frying pan because they also had daily fresh eggs on sale.
In Tobermory there is a caravan on the harbour side where the fishing boats are moored. If you are visiting you MUST stop here for fish and chips – as they are excellent. I rode into Tobermory for my evening meal and then back to the campsite again to watch the sun set over the nearby coastline. Some days, life just doesn’t get any better…!
