AYRSHIRE_ANGUS Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 Remember the olden days when you could rely on Calmac? I know they face challenges with the surge in passengers due to the road tariff subsidy but these days I'm constantly checking their Service Status before I leave. The Arran ferry at weekends is a nightmare. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
microdave Posted June 9, 2018 Share Posted June 9, 2018 The adventure has begun. There will be pics but not for about two weeks because I'm going digital detox when the ferry reaches Brodick.Sent from my SM-G930F using Pie and Bovril mobile app 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
microdave Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 The digital detox hasn't exactly gone to plan but I'll wait til I get home before sharing most of the stuff. But I think it would be rude not to let you see the current view I'm enjoying right now in Arisaig. Skye tomorrow! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
microdave Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Arran was a great weekend. I lived there for 9 years so that was really just about catching up with folk but I took some time out from that to walk up Goatfell. The midges were fierce and my legs were bitten so much that it looked like I had measles. But well worth the view at the top. Unfortunately the pics are too big to upload to here. I then travelled to Islay and set up camp in Port Charlotte. Excellent campsite and within walking distance of the local hostelries. I wasn't too impressed with the Port Charlotte hotel as it seemed a wee bit pretentious to me. The fault of the staff rather than the customers imo. The staff didn't seem to want to take anyone else for food and actively tried to put them off. And this was at 6 o'clock rather than just before the kitchen closed. The Lochindaal hotel nearby was more my kind of place. The staff were excellent and the customers were happy to get involved with each other and ended up having two great nights in there. On my one full day there I had a drive round the island and did the Bowmore distillery tour which was really interesting and great value at just £10. I also had a wander round the Laphraoig visitor centre and a trip to Finlaggan. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
microdave Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Colonsay was next. I was staying in the backpacker's lodge which was fine. Storm Hector arrived during the first night but had pretty much blown through by lunchtime so I had a wander to Kiloran bay which has a fantastic beach. It was only later I discovered that a whale was washed up there about Christmas but I hadn't walked far enough to see it. The next day I took advantage of the tide to walk to Oronsay which was a great walk. A mixture of road, farm tracks and a beach to get there and back from the lodge. The local hotel was very welcoming from both staff and locals. Someone earlier in the thread recommended the local brew which was indeed delicious. I'll be looking for some the next time I'm at the supermarket but I'm not hopeful. The long straight road below is included because I loved looking down that far and I was the only person there. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
microdave Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 I had been looking forward to Skye the most on this trip and I was left disappointed. There only seemed to be two campsites available unless I joined the camping and caravanning club which I have no interest in joining. One was at Sligachan which looked like a miserable place to stay. I don't think I have high standards but this campsite was nowhere near acceptable to me. The toilet block was pretty grim and it was too near the main road for my liking. The other site was in Dunvegan which was in a great location and seemed quiet enough but the cold showers put me off staying there. Still, I had a good drive around before deciding to cut my losses and head over the bridge. I feel like I haven't given the place a fair crack of the whip, so I'll likely look at booking somewhere that isn't a campsite and head back. It feels like unfinished business as I definitely want to get up some of the hills there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8MileBU Posted June 21, 2018 Author Share Posted June 21, 2018 (edited) Shetland for me last week. Only there a couple of days but managed to get a drive about and see a few of the sights, including: Fort Charlotte Dore Holm Sumburgh Lighthouse Some puffins and St Ninians Isle Absolutely no desire to ever do those overnight ferries from/to Aberdeen again though! Edited July 27, 2020 by 8MileBU 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afca32 Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 I have heard a few people saying the midges have been particularly bad this year and I myself got horrendously bitten near Tarbert at the start of the month. Pretty sure that Colonsay beer is fairly widely available. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philpy Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Colonsay was next. I was staying in the backpacker's lodge which was fine. Storm Hector arrived during the first night but had pretty much blown through by lunchtime so I had a wander to Kiloran bay which has a fantastic beach. It was only later I discovered that a whale was washed up there about Christmas but I hadn't walked far enough to see it. The next day I took advantage of the tide to walk to Oronsay which was a great walk. A mixture of road, farm tracks and a beach to get there and back from the lodge. The local hotel was very welcoming from both staff and locals. Someone earlier in the thread recommended the local brew which was indeed delicious. I'll be looking for some the next time I'm at the supermarket but I'm not hopeful. The long straight road below is included because I loved looking down that far and I was the only person there. Dave, where do you live mate?? There's a wine merchants in North Berwick that stocks beers from that brewery. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
microdave Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Dave, where do you live mate?? There's a wine merchants in North Berwick that stocks beers from that brewery. Too far from North Berwick to be travelling there just for some beer. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 12 hours ago, microdave said: Too far from North Berwick to be travelling there just for some beer. Dobbies Garden Centres sell it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 On 6/21/2018 at 18:38, 8MileBU said: ... and St Ninians Isle Absolutely no desire to ever do those overnight ferries from/to Aberdeen again though! When it's sunnier you would see Foula and Walls from there out on the far horizons and the views can be really spectacular. Nothing beats Da Roost off Sumburgh Head in gale force winds to find out whether you have sea legs. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8MileBU Posted June 23, 2018 Author Share Posted June 23, 2018 When it's sunnier you would see Foula and Walls from there out on the far horizons and the views can be really spectacular. Nothing beats Da Roost off Sumburgh Head in gale force winds to find out whether you have sea legs. Yeah we could see right out, the photo just hasn’t picked it up. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 Booked a trip to Stornoway on a whim, ferry from Ullapool Monday, one night there, back Tuesday for a night in Ullapool, home Wednesday. Living the dream. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honest_Man#1 Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 (edited) Thinking of heading for Harris and staying 1 night there, then Skye for a night on the way back and then a night in Glencoe. Too much to fit into 3 days or reasonable? Edited November 5, 2018 by Honest_Man#1 -1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsimButtHitsASix Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 5 minutes ago, Honest_Man#1 said: Thinking of heading for Harris and staying 1 night there, then Skye for a night on the way back and then a night in Glencoe. Too much to fit into 3 days or reasonable? Doable but rushed. I think ye'll miss too much by trying to fit in too much if ye know what I mean? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheScarf Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 That accent. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mantis Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 On 05/11/2018 at 11:06, Honest_Man#1 said: Thinking of heading for Harris and staying 1 night there, then Skye for a night on the way back and then a night in Glencoe. Too much to fit into 3 days or reasonable? Sounds hellish like going places just to tick them off. Spend the 3 nights in Glen Coe and have a week in Harris next June. Or a fortnight. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingTON Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 You really can't 'spend a night' on an island as big as Skye and do it any justice. If you're limited to three days then I'd ditch spending a night in Glencoe as it's got nothing on the former IMO. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honest_Man#1 Posted November 10, 2018 Share Posted November 10, 2018 Gone for a night in Glencoe and two in Skye. -1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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