Day 124 Tarbet to Campbletown

 

Date: Wednesday 29^th May 2013   Distance: 42.30 Miles

 

We slept quite well. All the other rooms had been taken up by people cycling, some leaving for the 6.30 ferry to Islay. Lovely breakfast devoured, even the 2 sausages which I am not usually a fan of. Alistair cooked while he chatted to the guests in his open plan kitchen/ dining room.

 

We left about 9 to visit the pink shell beach which Alistair said was a short scramble over the rocks at the end of the harbour. Children would love it! Although only dumped by the fishing industry they lay thickly spread, sometimes forming unusual patterns. A magical secret beach, arrived at through a lush tree lined rocky path.

 

We were soon going back through town on the main road to Campbeltown. We didn’t need a map except Bob had to continually reassure me how many miles were left to ride. We took bread and cheese from the open all hours co-op just in case we didn’t find anywhere for lunch. There were lovely views of the sea, past the ferry terminal for Islay whose craggy mountains were in our sights for a long time. I had been hoping to see an otter but rather it hadn’t been a dead one, though seemingly undamaged, by the side of the road.

 

Just in the distance you can see Islay and Giga in the picture.

 There was nowhere to stop for about 20 miles until we reached the ferry for Giga where there was a tearoom in the car-park. It was good to sit on a chair but service there was a bit haphazard. There were a lot of cars here- more than anywhere this week.

 

Birds were nesting all along this route. An oyster catcher was attacking a crow, midair. Roadworks with traffic lights sent pockets of traffic our way. The Mull of Kintyre has more than its fair share of juggernauts carrying stripped pine trees which seemed to head for the harbour at Campbeltown where they sat waiting for boats in precariously piled heaps.

 

Nine miles out, we stopped at the Argyll hotel and had a pint on the beach terrace. It was a lovely place to watch the sparkling sea and the food looked like it might have been nice here.

 

There were many downhill sweeps today though we climbed a lot and it was hot.

We arrived at Campbeltown just before 4. Our B and B Westbank  is near the Heritage centre. Raucous rooks nested in the tall trees of the large garden opposite but far enough away to not be a problem like the clock tower visible from our window( no need for a clock in the room) We were recommended to eat at the Ardshiel Hotel and we weren’t disappointed. It didn’t advertise itself for meals so we would never have thought to go there but we had a great welcome and delicious food.

 

There must have been a notable funeral as all the pubs had men in black smoking outside their doors.