We set off on the other track, to Kilmory, on a beautiful clear sunny day but Christine stretched her bike chain by changing up the biggest rear ring while the front set was on the bigger of the two. It was fully taut and jammed so she returned to the village to try to get it fixed.
Rowan and I carried on, the track was similar to yesterday’s. The deer normally calve near Kilmory but the only wildlife we encountered was the sound of a late cuckoo and the bite of the cursed horseflies. On the way back, a ranger explained that the deer climb higher in hot weather. The abandoned village comprised only the scant remains of a couple of stone cottages.
We met Christine near Kinloch and we all visited the tearoom for soup, cake and coffee. She’d found someone in the village to fix her bike but was worried the chain had been damaged by the stretching.
The fascinating Kinloch Castle tour started at 14:00 with a knowledgeable guide who related stories of the Bullough family and their relationship with the islanders. In 1957 Lady Bullough sold the whole island, including the Castle and its contents, to the Nature Conservancy Council on the understanding that it would be used as a national nature reserve, the mausoleum being the only part not included in the sale.
After the tour we took the ferry back to Mallaig backpackers lodge. This time we had a dorm completely to ourselves.
Distance cycled : 10 miles