Day 126 Cambletown to Tarbet

 

Date: Friday 31st May 2013   Distance: 41.81 Miles

 

We slept well. At breakfast one of the guests turned out to be a grandson of the original builder of the cinema. He’d not been inside, neither had the landlady although Iron Man was on her list of films to see.

 

After a sociable meal we left in poor visibility and scotch mist. It didn’t last more than 5 miles though.  Sadell Castle, 10 miles out, had a particular interest for us as we had been with some of Bollin Morris here in 1980 at the same time of year. It, along with a cottage and bungalow belong to the Landmark Trust and they all sit right at the sea shore. It was on this shore that we decided to get married all those years ago. It didn’t seem to have changed much and it is permitted for the public to walk the drive, woods and shore. Just previously we had visited the site of Sadell Abbey with yet more carved effigies of knights on stone slabs.

 

This was our trip down memory lane and both the castle and cottage looked as we remembered them.

 

We needed to have a comfort stop and a post office looked to have tables and facilities so we parked up. By the time we got to the door everyone inside had disappeared and the door was locked. Did we look undesirable? To be fair it was 1pm but they must have seen us. We sat at the tables and ate what we had with water but not too much as I crossed my legs. Next door was a garage and I asked if they had loos. Unfortunately not, but just as we were about to carry on our way he remembered a cycle hire teashop place just round the corner on the way to Carradale that wasn’t signposted otherwise we would have been there sooner.

 

It was just what we needed. Bike hire looked to be expensive but the whole concept seemed enterprising. There were quite a few families attired in walking gear and there were marked walked ways. There is a little museum too and considering they only opened this month it seemed to be doing well with a little help from the National Lottery fund. After a bacon butty and cake we left with a handful of leaflets advertising them along the main route- we also suggested a signpost in the village.

 

Yet more cycling against the wind led us to stop outside a house with a “TEAS” sign. Peacocks wandered the garden and a dog agitated at the window as I went to knock on the door. A peek through the window and the barking of the dog made a stop here less desirable. A rather wild looking man appeared in the doorway saying he’d been ill but he would make us tea, insisting upon it! I felt obliged to comply and we sat on a bench in the garden that looked once loved. Surprisingly he came out with bone china cups, a pot of tea and some cakes (not homemade though) He told us he came from Stevenage though not why he came to be in such a remote location. He told us to be careful on the road as a speedy driver had killed one of his peacocks. We asked what we owed him and he said whatever you think so we left the rather scary man a fiver. At least we had a sit down and Bob rehydrated.

 

Next we came across another group of escaped cows. We managed to get by 2 but we’d really freaked out one who kept running in front then standing her ground, daring us to come any further. With the narrow roads and her bulk coupled with the hills making it hard to get up speed it was impossible to get by. At last a car separated us at the right point and we managed to leave her but as we looked behind we saw her panic and try to leap the fence topped by barbed wire. She got her leg tangled so we stopped to help as did the car driver. Luckily she extricated herself before we reached her. She was now miles from the other cows. This sort of thing must cause accidents!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 views towards Arran

 

 

 

It was a long uphill slog into the wind but after 42 miles we reached the B and B where Alistair welcomed us “home”. We ate at the Starfish restaurant where Bob had his favourite Cullen skink and I tried to get into crab claws with nut crackers. After a large fish pie we fell into bed early.