Islay at last

Back Blipped

Day two of the tour saw us leave Glasgow to ride up the A82 along Lock Lomand (after a substantial cooked breakfast to fortify us for the privations ahead).  After enjoying the twisting A83 we stopping at Inverary for a quick spot of lunch before catching the ferry to Islay and our eventual destination of Port Ellen.  The roads and scenery were fabulous, and I don't think either of us stopped grinning at any point during the day.  

Well, that might not be strictly true, as I managed to drop the little Sony RX100 at Inverary.  It is a solidly built little thing and had already been dropped more times than I would care to admit. Unfortunately I had pushed my luck too far this time, and the poor little camera no longer works at all.  One of the extras is a mono shot of the old road bridge near Inverary, one of the last pictures taken before the camera became a useful paperweight.

A half hour ride from Port Askaig (where the ferry docked) to Port Ellen saw us riding in fine golden light, and shortly after we arrived I took the shot of the sun setting over Kilnaughton Bay.   

After trying the Islay Hotel bar (which seemed a little dull) we went for a bite at the local Sea Salt Bistro.  They had no table available at that stage, but said that they might well have if we would like to return in an hour (and they were as good as their word).   We decided to pass the time before our dinner by visiting the Ardview Inn, which is the village pub.  It turned out to be a great spot, full of friendly folk and an excellent selection of local whiskies - much more of our sort of place than the Islay Hotel bar which we never visited again.

After dinner we went back to the Ardview Inn and struck up a very entertaining conversation with a couple from Norway who were in the process of sailing to the Caribbean on their 40 foot yacht.  My last extra is a shot of Port Ellen taken on the short walk back to our bed and breakfast accommodation and a well earned night's sleep.  

We were still grinning as we got into our beds...

Mark's day two is here.