Acharacle to Salen on Mull

Part 1

While wild camping next to Loch Shiel (photographed above from just in front of the tent) the three late-evening canoeists and four early-morning swimmers were unexpected.

A walk down the good track to the beach at Camas nan Geall led to more information provided just before the first gate and then very varied evidence of dwellers over perhaps 8000 years. The place feels special and a good place to settle. A herd of cows was moving extremely slowly across the beach probably while allowing food to digest. Some of the ruins are thought to be of houses of shepherds that were not evicted during the Highland Clearances. The thought that some locals might have benefitted from the clearances was new to me.

In Kilchoan, Sarah at West Coast Crafts housed in Kilchoan Community Centre was able to tell me (because she was a neighbour!) that the couple that I had intended to meet were away. The shower there after wild camping was doubly refreshing and homemade food with good coffee from Fika Coffee in the same building were excellent.

Part 2

After the very smooth ferry crossing from Kilchoan to Tobermory the weather was overcast but warm and the ride to Salen (with many enforced stops and slow-downs on the single-track parts of the road) was taken fairly gently. Only 33 miles were covered today but there were some long climbs.

It was interesting to see the Blackburn Outpost Front Rack, like a smaller version of a back rack, fitted to a fellow bikepacker’s bike. It offers the potential of conveniently sharing more equally the load on front and back wheels.

This Salen Bay Campsite has on its website appealing photos and seems among the present occupants to have a good mix of nationalities and modes of transport.