Lochranza to Kilmelford

An early morning trip to the toilet disturbed a few deer who had been taking advantage of the apparent absence of people on the campsite.

The first ferry to Claonaig leaves after The Sandwich Station near the terminal opens and a coffee there eases the wait. Unusually, the eleven mile ride to Tarbert was unaccompanied. To have at least a coffee from The Fyne Cafe at Tarbert was a must, then lingering to gaze over the harbour felt therapeutic.

Cycling on the flat path by the Crinan Canal as usual was relaxing, being away from traffic. As this photo shows, there were not many other users to negotiate.

Recently I had lost a debit card and froze it, not realizing that the IONOS payment thought to be made days ago had not been actioned. Attempts to change the card and pay IONOS even in the relaxing surroundings of the Kilmartin park were stressful; these things are far easier when you are at home. However, the payment was finally accepted (by the second IONOS representative to help and after answering several of the same questions again) and my stress level as recorded by Garmin watch duly dropped.

An early meal at Loch Melfort Hotel with a view, highland cattle and a goat to observe from the dinner table, was convenient and left only four miles before the Kilmelford campsite. The hotel has an interesting selection of books on sale, including the tales of the puffer captain Para Handy. The books prompted an interesting conversation with a couple (now living in the east of Scotland) which ranged from gaelic through wee free presbyterians to carmelite nuns!

The campsite at the Kilmelford Yachting Haven had looked after some belongings of mine and it was a relief to find that they fitted into my panniers together with a few extras that had accumulated in the meantime. Again, there were no other campers at the site that night. The birdsong audible from the tent is very varied with the combination of land and sea birds and recordings have yet to be edited.