Day 6 - Lochboisdale South Uist (Outer Hebrides) to Fionnphort (Mull)

Day 6 - Lochboisdale - South Uist (Outer Hebrides) to Fionnphort Fidden Farm (Mull)


Saturday 14/05/2022

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We got up as planned at 4am. That was tough as our beds were comfy and we were warm and dry. We arrived at Lochboisdale as planned at 5am, just as the rain came in. That said, this was the last of the rain that we saw and we were basking in sunshine by the end of the day.

The ferry from Lochboisdale to Mallaig took around 3.5hrs but was great as we managed to grab coffee and some much needed sleep (and we managed to top-up the charge on all our gadgets). We arrived in Mallaig nice and early and headed South on the faster sweeping roads but took the Arisaig scenic coastal route which was pretty. Everything is in bloom and looks lovely.

We ended-up heading to Kilochan where we got a very empty ferry from a deserted ferry port. We had a bit of time so I re-adjusted Konrad's chain and we oiled both chains and checked Konrad's oil level. By this point it actually got quite warm. The ferry turned-up a little late and took us to Tobermory (famous colourful houses from the Ballamory children's programme). Very nice little town.

We stopped for fuel (the most expensive petrol I have ever seen) and to take a quick photo before doing the single track road around the island. Stunning views, but much busier than we had expected. Some great wild camping opportunities including Calgary Bay beach camping which looked brilliant. Still, we were able to make decent progress on bikes and overtake / squeeze past at every opportunity and the long narrow road was a pleasure to ride but mostly slowly due to the great views.

It was really warm in the sun so we stopped at a small waterfall and rested in the warm sunshine. We even stopped just before the campsite for an ice-cream and to stock-up on local brews. We went through Fionnphort where you can clearly see the Monastery on Iona before turning off to get to the peninsula where tonight's campsite is. What a lovely place this is. You can see all the surrounding islands from here, including Iona and some other ones I am not familiar with. Great landscape and surrounded by white sand beaches. People were swimming in the sea when we arrived so it can't be that bad.

The good weather topped things off and we had a really pleasant evening drinking the beers / ciders we purchased and eating Smash / cocktail sausages fused with mushroom soup. It was passable as food and all we needed really.

The soaked tents that we put away in Ullapool were dry within minutes and it's looking like they will remain dry. What a spot. Highly recommend this as a camping location / base. Konrad has his tent up on a rocky outcrop for no good reason, but I guess it looks cool.

No Internet, so no blog update tonight (or FA cup final), but that's fine. We have just jotted these notes and enjoyed the evening. Tomorrow we rise early and get the boat to Oban from Craignure where we head South and catch the ferry to Arran from Clonaig. Another long day, but the weather is looking promising.

Mileage: 1277
Beers: 24
Fines: 0
Bribes: 0
Ass pain: 4/10
Mechanical issues: 2 (Konrad's dodgy chain + oil leak)
Accidents: 0
Wetness: 2/10
Coldness: 3/10
Theft count: 0
Bird Strikes: 1

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