Train to Ardrossan for the ferry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After arriving in Brodick I took The String road over the middle of the island, then followed the coast north to Lochranza, where I had camped many years ago with my sisters. This time we had the company of some deer, at which point someone (the campsite manager?) fired a shot into the air to scare them off – apparently they have been fed by some campers and as a consequence were coming too close to the tents. So having a stag startled by a gun shot running around a campsite is going to help?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 50 km, 13.6 kph average<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n 19\/08\/21 Lochranza – Port Charlotte<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ferry to the, er, shaft of Scotland and a trip across the girth, to the day’s second ferry to Islay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was hard work, probably due to lack of fitness than anything else, but I eventually arrived at the excellent community pub\/cafe\/campsite\/sports ground in Port Charlotte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 36 km, 15.8 kph average (my notebook says ‘hmm, felt like a bit more than that’; I assume I was referring to the distance)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n 20\/08\/21 Port Charlotte – Bowmore<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n On my way out from the campsite I stopped at the shop in Port Charlotte for some supplies, and the chap running it came out and said “it’s an unwritten rule that if anyone stops on an interesting looking bike I come out and take a look”. Well that’s a good rule in my book. He admired my mud flap, clocked the AUK badges on the panniers and we had a chat about the ride on Islay I remembered reading about in Arive\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A mild, windy day but it was mostly helpful as from the SW. I rode a loop around Kilchoman and had a paddle in the sea at Machar Bay, which wasn’t too cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stopped at the RSPB visitors centre at Gruinart – it was open but unstaffed and the toilets were closed. My biggest issue now was a water supply, I was hoping to have been able to find some here. Rode up the west side of Loch Gruinart, which became increasingly gravelly. I’m pretty sure there would have been a great wild camping spot further on, but it would have been a walk for a few miles with no sign of water, so I decided to backtrack and got to the shop in Bridgend, by which time it had started to rain properly. The old woman in front of me at the till had lost her specs, and asked if any had been handed in. The staff member in fact had two ownerless pairs, and held one up, asking if they were the ones, to which the woman responded “I don’t know, I cannae see”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On to Bowmore where I had a wander around and found that the church had an outside tap. There is a swimming pool here which I though might be useful for shower purposes but still in COVID times the opening hours were quite limited. There’s a public toilet anyway in the centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then cycled out to Gartrack, again a gravel road once past the tip. A house here looked uninhabited, and I pitched my tent just above a small rocky beach. Quite a wind and I’m glad of the tent modifications I had made (extra tie-out points for guy lines to keep the back fly away from the inner).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 57 km, 14.8 kph average<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n 21\/08\/21 Bowmore – Port Ellen<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Took the main road from Bowmore to Port Ellen, which goes past the airport, then followed the three distilleries cyclepath to Ardbeg at the end. A taste of An Oa much appreciated as it was quite wet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stop off at Kintra beach where there was a closed campsite and had a swim in the sea, place deserted (source of earwigs to be encountered later). Views of the posh island hotel across the links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A hard and rough ride to the Mull of Oa, RSPB reserve and home of choughs, which I’ve never seen before. Also a memorial to Americans lost in two ship sinkings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back down to the Singing Sands just outside Port Ellen, for a wild camp on the dunes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 62 km, 13.8 kph average<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n 22\/08\/21 Port Ellen – Port Charlotte<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Breakfast on a picnic table in Port Ellen, then took the back road back to Bowmore, to find a load of classic cars posing in front of the distillery on a ‘Skyfall’ tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stop off in Bruichladdich on the way back to the Port Charlotte campsite, to use the laundry facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"loaded](\"https:\/\/www.sloeburn.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/20210818a.jpg\")
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