Island Hopping with the Glebe-Day 3

It's Wednesday the 24th of June,and this is Day 3's blog on wordpad,since it would have been too much of a rush to get myself to the WI-Fi cafe on Islay which closes at 8 pm.
I left my B & B at 7.30 to give me plenty time to get to Lochranza.I opted for a packed lunch in preference to breakfast.I'd limited myself to one guinness and one shandy at the Kinloch on Tuesday night.


The run to Lochranza was quiet enough,only the local delivery drivers on the road.The west coast of Arran looking towards the Mull of Kintyre has miles and miles of sandy beaches.There were the odd caravans parked up-no doubt it got busier as the day wore on.
Arran is certainly a dramatic island.I wonder how the village of Whitefarland got it's name.


Lochranza's a very picturesque little port with a castle and quite a number of pleasure craft in the bay.The ferry to Claonaig from here is a small drive on drive off affair.
I saw the ferry was tied up at the harbour,so i took myself off for a look at the castle.

Driving back to the terminal,i noticed the ferry was on the drive on ramp,there was no sign of the caravan or car and trailer that had been parked up before.
I went into the car park to wait.Next thing i knew the ferry had dropped it's ramp,and they were waving frantically for me to drive on.The missing vehicles were already on...I'd forgotten there was an earlier ferry.Laugh Out Loud.The crew weren't bothered in the least.
Early mist again this morning,so pictures from the boat were few.

Now on the Mull of Kintyre and a long single track road with passing places to get over to Kennacraig for the ferry to Islay.


Because i caught the earlier ferry i'd plenty time to go get a cuppa tea in Tarbert,and take some pictures...

...it's certainly a bonnie place.

And time to take pictures of a few wrecks on the way back to the ferry terminal.This is Tarbert's West Port,this container had just finished loading.

Now i'm at Kennacraig,and you can tell we're in the 'Gaeltagh Country',all road and town signs are also in the Gaelic.
I booked some onward trips.To make things fit i'm only on Islay for one night.I'll have to come again.
Onto the ferry,and i'm thinking i'll have my main meal here since i'm hostelling tonight.
Haddock chips and peas and they were delicious.
Later on deck i struck up a conversation with a Diageo representative who was heading to Islay.A very bubbly person,she told me quite a bit of the layout of Islay,of the nine distilleries of which Diageo own quite a few,and of the things to see and do on Islay.Great company for the sailing.
Coming into Port Ascaig,with the sun still shining,I'm feeling kinda peeved with myself.One afternoon isn't going to tell me anything.

Now on the Island,i know that this is pronounced 'Killeela'.So i'm a Gaelic speaker!

My first stop is to look over at Jura.The Paps are aptly named,and probably from the old norse word for udder.They are three conically shaped hills.I'll get different views on Thursday mornings ferry.

I take a run into Bowmore for a quick look around.Everything on Islay looks so clean.
All the villages i pass through bring memories of my dad's whisky collection.
Bruichladdich,Ardbeg,The Isle of Jura Distillery at Craighouse,Bunnahabhain to name just a few.

And here's the hostel at Port Charlotte where i'll make my maiden leap into hostelling.It's a former distillery.
It took me a while to work out what was what,while the seasoned hostellers were coming and going like they lived in the place(well i suppose they do for a while).I met quite few different nationalities later that night.After the Scots the next most predominant group were the Germans.
After settling in i took a look around Port Charlotte,but decided not to sample any of the local brew on this occasion.
I was in a four bedded room of which two others were occupied.
I slept fine.
I intended to continued into day four,the ferry back and up to Oban,but i'll leave that just now and go look round Oban.
I think this blog is looking distinctly disjointed.