We were up early for the first ferry of the day and comfortably made it to the jetty in time for 09:30. The rough road from the other side to the Cape Wrath lighthouse is isolated from the national road system but a few years ago two minibuses were floated across on rafts so tourists can cross via the ferry and take the bus ride to the end and back. The ferryman advised us that the weather was predicted to deteriorate and that he may have to suspend operations early so we’d have to take the bus to guarantee our return crossing. Apparently it’s not unusual for cyclists to be stranded for days.
As we approached the opposite shore he told us we’d probably be alright so long as we were quick. We decided to risk it… lots of people had sponsored us and besides we wanted our “Cape Wrath Challenge” medals! We shot off towards the lighthouse, which we reached in 90 minutes (11 miles), the road being rough but not as bad as we’d expected. At the lighthouse we recorded the photographic evidence necessary to apply for the medal. The minibus driver was about to return, and he advised us to waste no time in getting back to the ferry, which somewhat alarmed us! More racing ensued, but we relaxed when we saw the minibus on a second trip, meaning that the ferry was still operating and we’d be sleeping in a bed that evening. So we took time out for a few photographs before returning to the jetty to eat our sandwiches in the warm sunshine. After a forty minute wait, the ferry returned to take us back at 13:25 then crossed again for the bus passengers. This turned out to be the last crossing of the weekend, so we were lucky.
We spent a lazy afternoon shopping for food, visiting a café and transferring to the SYHA hostel down the road, the Lazy Crofter being booked up for the coming week by a party of Scandinavian geologists. The hostel was indeed basic but friendly and comfortable. By the evening the weather had turned very cold.