Day 1 – Out to Barra 27/5/24
After getting up and checking our touring baggage, and having some breakfast (instant porridge and a pain au raisin), we drove the car (with the tandem etc) down to Stoddarts for storage. We assembled the bike and piled on the luggage. The bike handles really nicely when loaded, so there were no issues riding down to the Caledonian MacBrayne terminal by the harbour. By the time we’d set up the bike, the early drizzle had stopped.
We got a coffee from the cafe attached to the CalMac terminal and contemplated the upcoming trip. We were booked on the 1310 ferry to Castlebay, due to arrive there at 1755. We had a bit of time to kill, which we occupied by watching various ferries come and go and buying sandwiches from one of the seafood shacks (one smoked salmon and one crab) to eat on the ferry.
Since we last used CalMac ferries on a cycle tour, technology has moved on. Back then, we’d wander down to the ticket desk and buy an Island Hopscotch ticket, essentially a book of open tickets corresponding to a series of ferry crossings typically used by someone on a tour. This was a very flexible ticketing arrangement. Nowadays one is encouraged to buy tickets in advance, specifying the date and sailing along with the number of passengers and what kind of vehicle you’re travelling with. Generally I think this is geared to those with motor vehicles, but is does reduce the flexibility for cycle tourists, particularly those with no fixed itinerary. It does make the check in procedure a bit quicker, with no annoying boarding cards to be filled out – they scan the e-ticket before boarding.
Bikes boarded the ferry first, which meant we could grab some good seats once aboard! It was pretty heavily overcast with occasional rain as we left Oban and sailed up the Sound of Mull and out to sea past Coll and Tiree to one side and Rum to the other.
Rather grey and drizzly weather on the Sound of Mull
Eventually the gloomy drizzly weather lifted a bit and the sun broke through.
There were about 16 cyclists on board, which seemed quite a lot for the time of year, probably owing to the publicity around the Hebridean Way route, which takes cyclists from Vatersay to the Butt of Lewis.
There are loads of websites describing the Hebridean Way - for example:
Over the last 30 years we’ve taken our tandem to the Outer Hebrides on many occasions, and I do think that to describe it as an “adventure” or a “challenge” is perhaps a bit over the top. There are two routes, one for cyclists and one for walkers (which ends in Stornoway rather than the Butt of Lewis) - I reckon the walking route would be far more of a challenge!
On the other hand, some of the cycle tourists we chatted with had been out touring for 5 weeks or more!
By the time we arrived in Castlebay, it was gloriously sunny. We rode the short distance to the Bayview Guest House, about a mile, where I’d booked two nights’ accommodation. We unloaded our kit and had a quick coffee. Then we walked into Castlebay for a beer at the hotel bar - a very nice IPA – Coast to Coast from Caledonian Brewery - before heading back to the B&B.
Walking into Castlebay - the castle somewhat dwarfed by the ferry
The castle in the bay
On the way back to the B&B, we walked along the Herring Walk, which had some nice installations on it. I get the impression from websites that this is still in development. I particularly liked the large circular mosaic shown below.
Mosaic on the Herring Walk
We did notice several of the cyclists from the ferry crossing heading down to Vatersay in the evening, presumably to begin their Hebridean Way journey, before returning to their accommodation.
Nature points – hooded crow, cuckoo