Early morning in Port Ellen harbour

I woke a bit earlier than usual as I needed to cross Islay to Port Askaig to catch the 10:15 ferry to Colonsay. There was some condensation inside the tent but not enough to wet my sleeping bag. Just after sunrise a chink appeared in the cloud to allow a few minutes of sunshine on my tent. There was still no wind and I was surprised there were no midges at all.

Sunrise across the harbour

I was on my way by 06:40 and left the town of Port Ellen before anyone was about. I took a left turn just to the north of the town which soon turned right to follow a straight line to the airport. When I got there I stopped for a look round but there was nobody about.

Islay Airport

I followed the road straight on to Bowmore where I stopped to have a quick look at the Church at the top of the main street. Its plan seemed to be circular and I tried to get in to check but it was locked. A nice flat road followed the coast to Bridgend where I noticed a general store. I stopped for a look and found an appetising pack of Hobnob biscuits but they were unpriced I took them to the counter and was horrified to see them come up at £2.46 (less than £1 at home). I decided to go ahead with the purchase so I’d have something to eat on my 10mile ride to Port Askaig and also something to complain about when discussing the price variations in biscuits.

Kilarrow Parish Church

There was a climb out of Bridgend but nothing too long. There was nothing to indicate Port Askaid was near until I freewheeled down the final stretch of road to the pier. I was there in plenty of time and enjoyed the improving weather as I waited for the ferry. The young lady I’d seen on the Lochranza ferry was there as she got the 13:00 from Kennacrag yesterday as she’d crossed the pass on the bus. She said there was little to see in the area and camping was uncomfortable because of the midges.
While wandering round I had a look at an old iron canon of about 6in bore. An old man nearby lived in the area many years ago and said there used to be 2 canon and they were originally set upended in the old quay as hitching post bollards as nobody knew what they were until excavated for the new quay. The whereabouts of the 2nd canon is unknown.

Port Askaig defences

Port Askaig wide view

On the ferry

I was surprised at the high number of bikes that got on the ferry bound for Colonsay. We left on time at 10:15 and the crossing took about an hour. The pier is at Scalasaig on Colonsay and by the time we got there the weather had improved to warm sunshine. Many of the cyclists seemed to hang around but several headed straight up the road ahead. That was the way I want to go as my first objective was to have a look at the roadway across the sands to Oronsay. Up the road was an unmarked left turn which I followed uphill for a while before the final descent to the end of the tarmac. There were supposed to be some stone monoliths on the way but dense ferns and no signs it wasn’t possible to see where they were. At the end of the road were several parked cars and the sands stretching out ahead. The water wasn’t low enough so I assumed the cars were waiting till it was.

The road to Oronsay - across the sands

Out to the open sea

I turned round and headed back then turned left at the junction to continue with my clockwise ride round the island. There were still a few cyclist on the road and some cars which was a bit of a problem because of the narrow single track road and too few passing places. I reached the golf club area which seemed to be nothing more than a few concrete hardstandings by the road. As the road left the west coast to head inland I noticed a building on the right displaying that was an information centre. It was unmanned but there was a nice exhibition of old photos inside. I pressed on towards Colonsay House where I wanted to try and find the 9th century stone statue which I’d seen in a guide brochure.

Port Mor in past times

Colonsay House

9th century stone statue

Colonsay House tree

The large lawn and huge trees in front of the house were very spectacular. I went back into the cafe and had a pot of coffee and large chunk of cake before getting back on my bike for the ride back to Scalasaig. I had a look in the bookshop and had a long chat with the lady behind the counter. She was in a wheelchair and it was interesting to hear of her comments on various things. I had a quick look in the brewery next door before returning to the jetty to wait for the ferry. The terminal area was deserted so I took the opportunity to shelter behind the building, get the stove out and cook an early meal.

The Brewery

Adventurers by the slipway

Later the crowds began to assemble, especially the bike riders. We were told to move along the jetty with our bikes and wait. Once on the 18:15 ferry I found it interesting watching the loading from the higher open air deck. The vehicles that would be off first for Port Askaig had to drive on then do a turn to reverse down into the ship. Large vans and a lorry reversed the entire way down the jetty and on to the ship. At Port Askaig they drove off and after a 30 min stop we continued to Kennacraig in the mainland. We lost some time somewhere, I think the captain said we had the current against us as we headed along the Sound of Islay. It was 10pm when we reached Kennacraig and I rode to the flat area of stoned ground I’d checked out before I left. It was far from ideal as the pegs wouldn’t go in so I used large rocks. It didn’t matter as it was quiet and I got the tent up fairly quickly.