We tried the cooked vegetarian breakfast at the hostel but the continental “wee breakfast” would have been the better choice. Then we visited Tesco for lunch and dinner provisions and were very lucky to be able to catch the 09:55 ferry despite only booking at 09:33 as there’s a stated minimum 45 minutes check in time.
This crossing takes only an hour so we were soon off at Craignure and fighting the headwind as we rode south and west. I had the additional handicap of only bottom gear so had to push up lots of hills I’d normally have coasted up. The weather was sunny with just a spot of mist in the shadow of Ben More. There were plenty of scenes I’d love to have photographed but couldn’t afford to take too long on the journey.
We made up our sandwiches in a bus shelter at the B8035 junction and noted with dismay that this road would be closed until two o’clock on Saturday because of the car rally. The road had been fairly busy for a single track and having to constantly wait at passing places disrupted our progress. We reached the ferry at 16:50 and had only a ten minute wait for the ten minute crossing to Iona. If we’d failed to catch the 09:55 from Oban, the next one would have entailed a ninety minute wait, and missing the last ferry to Iona by five minutes, we’d been very lucky.
The pods were a mile away, very cramped with only a portable two ring electric hob but with a fridge, pots, pans and cutlery. We had to wash the vegetables, collect water, wash and toilet in a separate block. Like camping but with comfortable beds, electricity and best of all, warmth. It had been a cold day.