 |
| Loch Awe |
 |
| Undulating Loch Awe backroad |
It was a cold night, and I had to put cycle shorts and thermals on in the night. Morning lethargy saw me lifting the bike over the gate at 9am, though there wasn't a great rush. The winter ferry timetable had started on 1st November, and there was only one daily sailing to Arran, at midday. I would have preferred to sail to Arran from Claonaig, but that service had closed for the winter. Loch Awe is Scotland's longest, stretching to 41km, and my road along the west shore was 25km. It was a quiet road, but a real dipper ride of hills, and the brakes were soon showing a marked reluctance to bring Horse to a halt. At the top of particularly bad hill I pulled over for a coffee and adjusted the brakes, glad for an excuse to stop. Just beyond Ford and Loch Underline I turned left onto a backroad that took me past Loch Lethan, with its artificial island
crannog. It was delightful road, with a mohican centre strip of grass, a sure sign of little traffic. At Bridgend it started to drizzle, and by the time I reached Lochgilphead it was hosing down. I bought sandwiches in the co-op and ate them sheltering in the entrance before heading down the A83 for the 20k's or so to Tarbert. The road was fairly quiet, but as it was so gloomy I had all lights blazing. The road went inland around Barr Hill, and a grungy climb of some 175 metres, then it was downhill all the way into Tarbert. I was too wet to think about finding a camping spot, so I booked into a small hotel which seemed to be one
 |
| Backroad to Bridgend |
of the few places still open. It was a wee cramped
room on the top floor, not even space to pitch the
tent and dry it out!
Later I headed out to find a place to eat. I found a restaurant at the south end, and the menu in the window had lots of interesting-looking seafood. I pushed the door; it was locked. Then I saw a small sign in the window: CLOSED UNTIL SPRING. I went back to the hotel's bar, ordered a pint then asked for the menu. 'We don't do food on Monday's'. I drank up and went back out, eventually finding the Cafe Ca'Dora where I had an excellent seafood pie.
Back in the hotel the energy-saving lightbulb in the shared bathroom blew. It had hung there like a curly pig's tail, giving out just the faintest of pink glows. It wasn't the best £55 I'd ever spent.
 |
| Loch Lethan and crannog |
Day stats 68km 549 Metres of ascent
Off road 3km
A road 24km
B road 2km single lane
Unclassified road 39km
