Date: 10/08/09
Time: 20:00
Miles Travelled Today: 142
Location: Silversands campsite near Mallaig
Weather: Sunny with clouds
After another indifferent nights sleep, I got up to find a vaguely grey day but with what looked like potential weather-wise. After a quick wash, I put the camping stuff back in the car and had breakfast. The plan was to go on a 3 hour boat trip from 11am but, after looking at the map, I figured that I still had a long way to travel and if I really wanted to go to places like Islay, I had better move on. I took the ferry from Glenelg as advised by the nice man yesterday and it proved great advice with a lovely drive, some time spent at an otter hide where I didn't see any otters but did see about 15 seals, a trip across the river in the last ferry of its type still running, another drive through spectacular scenery to a hill so steep that, after stopping to let someone go past in the opposite direction, I smelt something burning and found that my brakes were smoking. This seemed to be a good point to have lunch! After eating and letting the car cool down, it was onwards to Neptunes Staircase, an impressive bit of engineering that enables boats on the canal to rise 60 odd feet through a sequence of locks. Unfortunately, no boats were transversing it at the time but it was still impressive. Onwards afterwards to Mallaig along a road I had been promised was not to be missed and indeed, it was good although slightly spoilt by people who though the speed limit was 40 all the way. After a stop a Rhu to take in the scenary, I went along the coast road towards Mallaig and was rewarded by sandy beaches and spectacular coastline. It was getting on a bit so I stopped at a campsite (5 quid but a quid to take a shower! A quid! Bloody rip-off! And there is only one blokes shower!) right on the coast; I am currently writing this looking out over the sea after witnessing an amazing sunset of which I may have taken a couple of photos ;) This was after taking my BBQ kit and food to the rocks and having dinner surrounded by the sea watching the sun go down – heaven. The weather has gone back into hot and sunny mode and I hope this continues; frankly if it does I may not move from this bit of Scotland until it is time to meet up with my friends, it is that good.
Hopefully at some point I will find somewhere with WiFi to upload the last few days entries and photos. No real plan for tomorrow, head towards Mallaig and see what happens.
Time: 20:00
Miles Travelled Today: 142
Location: Silversands campsite near Mallaig
Weather: Sunny with clouds
After another indifferent nights sleep, I got up to find a vaguely grey day but with what looked like potential weather-wise. After a quick wash, I put the camping stuff back in the car and had breakfast. The plan was to go on a 3 hour boat trip from 11am but, after looking at the map, I figured that I still had a long way to travel and if I really wanted to go to places like Islay, I had better move on. I took the ferry from Glenelg as advised by the nice man yesterday and it proved great advice with a lovely drive, some time spent at an otter hide where I didn't see any otters but did see about 15 seals, a trip across the river in the last ferry of its type still running, another drive through spectacular scenery to a hill so steep that, after stopping to let someone go past in the opposite direction, I smelt something burning and found that my brakes were smoking. This seemed to be a good point to have lunch! After eating and letting the car cool down, it was onwards to Neptunes Staircase, an impressive bit of engineering that enables boats on the canal to rise 60 odd feet through a sequence of locks. Unfortunately, no boats were transversing it at the time but it was still impressive. Onwards afterwards to Mallaig along a road I had been promised was not to be missed and indeed, it was good although slightly spoilt by people who though the speed limit was 40 all the way. After a stop a Rhu to take in the scenary, I went along the coast road towards Mallaig and was rewarded by sandy beaches and spectacular coastline. It was getting on a bit so I stopped at a campsite (5 quid but a quid to take a shower! A quid! Bloody rip-off! And there is only one blokes shower!) right on the coast; I am currently writing this looking out over the sea after witnessing an amazing sunset of which I may have taken a couple of photos ;) This was after taking my BBQ kit and food to the rocks and having dinner surrounded by the sea watching the sun go down – heaven. The weather has gone back into hot and sunny mode and I hope this continues; frankly if it does I may not move from this bit of Scotland until it is time to meet up with my friends, it is that good.
Hopefully at some point I will find somewhere with WiFi to upload the last few days entries and photos. No real plan for tomorrow, head towards Mallaig and see what happens.
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