Day 123 Kilmartin to Tarbet

 

Date: Tuesday 28^th May 2013   Distance: 45.29 Miles

 

After a good night’s sleep, despite the bouts of cramp, we had a lovely breakfast. The sun was shining and the road forward looked enticing. We stocked up with nibbles from the little shop and went to see the specially housed medieval tombstones. Impressive! Unfortunately the museum didn’t open till 10 and we wanted to get off.

 

It was a flat route at first against the wind taking us along Glen Kilmartin. It was delightful with bluebells in the wooded areas and a clear stream and fields on the other side. We passed the standing stones in a field, just one of about 800 things of archaeological interest in the area. After 5 miles we reached the Crinan Canal following cycle route 78 along its side. Picturesque with its many locks and tall- masted sailing ships passing through it, surpassed even the Glen.

 

  About half way along we came to a hotel behind which were unusual carvings on the rocks and this was the only place to stop along the canal ( 8 miles).However it was too early for us so we carried on till Ardrishaig. This has a pier, lighthouse and pubs and where we stopped,” The Rumbling Tum” a cafe that sold us coffee and sandwiches to eat later for lunch.

 

The first part had been mostly flat but suddenly there was 3 miles of “up”. The wild flowers were ever more gorgeous in swathes on the banks and at the base of rocks, covered in many different types and colours of lichen, were late primroses. We never saw one item of litter all day but heard 5 cuckoos and saw 2. We scared a young deer on the verge and it leapt away out of sight. Later we manoeuvred round 2 hefty cows escaped onto the road- not easy as they took up most of the space and were spooked by the size of the tandem.

 

We stopped at a beach where a sign said that it was kept clean by the local primary school. After trying out a few rocks we settled to eat our butties watching 4 cygnets at the water’s edge. Later women came with large baskets combing the rocks for molluscs. Today was really hot and the wind had dropped.

 

At ten to three we arrived at the Kilberry inn marked on Bob’s map. It is a low roofed, blue and whitewashed building selling bottled beer, wines and Michelin starred (expensive) food in the middle of nowhere. They also do B and B. They kindly sold us a bottled beer and let us use the loo despite really being closed. We felt obliged to not outstay our welcome.

 

It felt like our journey would never end as we climbed by yet more bluebell woods, past them felling timber and then lochs on the other side. Beside a rare sighting of a house, on the gatepost was an oyster catcher on a nest. It sat very still in a sort of trance and I wondered if it was just decoration. After watching Spring Watch I am sure that’s how the parent broods. Not long after we passed 2 girls carrying a large deer skull and with quite a long walk to civilisation.

 

After 45 miles- the prettiest on the whole expedition (over 4,000 miles) we reached our destination –Tarbet.

 

Knap Guesthouse was in a terrace, Victorian with Thai artefacts everywhere. Alistair came out to meet us and we were on the top floor. The bed was Scottish hard but we had a sideways view of the harbour. We ate in a cafe open till 9 after quite a wait. We had tried to go to the recommended eatery, the Michelin starred Victoria, but it appeared to be closed. I was so tired I couldn’t eat much anyway so it was just as well. We were both quite red from the sun and we soon went to bed exhausted.