The Bute Ferry at Rothesay
Day
2 dawned grey and windy; I was first
into the kitchen and tucked in to some cereal, and unable to find proper milk I
used soya milk instead – it’s actually rather good! Our host Frank then
appeared, telling us that there was an ‘amber alert’ warning that the ferry
might not run due to the high winds. However, when we got to the terminal, the
ferry was definitely running – but this was perhaps the first time that it had
occurred to me that at some state we might get ‘ferry disruption’…
Once
we were back on dry land, it was an easy run from Wemyss Bay to Largs with a
helpful tailwind. Nardini’s is an iconic
Art Deco café and we couldn’t pass without calling in for a cuppa. Just like the previous Big Bike Ride last
year, I was contacted on Twitter by other cyclists who wanted to ride with us
for a while. This time it was Tommy and Euian who had ridden up from the
Ardrossan area to be with us and keep us company on our second island, Great
Cumbrae.
Don't mess with these guys! - Euian and Tommy join us for Cumbrae
It
was a short journey on choppy seas, and when we got to Cumbrae the clouds were
black and the winds quite fierce. The
idea was to do an anticlockwise lap of the island before returning and then
continuing to Arran. The roads on the
island were quiet, though I was assured that during the Glasgow Fair week they
would be anything but!
Little Cumbrae from Great Cumbrae
The
west coast was quite spectacular with great views over the weathered red
sandstone rocks along the shore.
Millport, the main town, looked a wee bit tired in places but at least
there was an interesting machine outside the bike shop! Our last few miles back to the ferry were
into the teeth of a fierce cold wind, and when we looked at the sea we wondered
whether the ferry might be held up, but we had no need to worry – even though
at one stage we thought the ‘bus shelter’ for waiting passengers might blow
away!
For a moment I thought The Goodies might be in Millport...
After
lunch in Largs the wind direction changed, troubling us with a gale-force cross
wind on the 12 or so miles to Ardrossan, where the ferry to the Isle of Arran
would depart. We said goodbye to Tommy
and Euian, then arrived at the ferry terminal where we bought our tickets and
joined the mix of all kinds of different people in the waiting room (it was too
cold and windy outside!)
This, folks, is a Shag. A bit like a Cormorant.
Brodick,
where the ferry arrives on Arran, is a strange place – it doesn’t feel like a
town, more a random collection of hotels, houses, and a few shops including a
big Co-op supermarket. We stopped for a
coffee at a café-cum-outdoor shop, and when the owner saw that we were raising
funds for Cancer Research he gave us back our money as a donation.
The Arran Ferry at Brodick
Then
off to our digs for the night – this time, arranged by the local Minister via
Twitter at the home of one of his congregation – the friendly John Roberts, who
made us a great evening meal and provided us with a comfy separate bedroom
each. I repaid him by breaking the towel
rail in the bathroom, but we soon mended that for him!
Not
a big mileage today – less than 30 miles on the bikes – but two contrasting
islands, and now we were looking forward to a tour around the Isle of Arran
tomorrow.
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