Despite the loss of my battle with a chest cold (so I think I am dying now!) that Vince caught on the plane over and now has shared with me…..and my chemo treatment (day 9) has kicked in well and truly so I am nauseous, can’t eat and my chest is now blistered and raw so I am in constant pain…..we are keen to keep moving. Our original booking for the Isle of Skye was canceled on us due to a double up and there is a music festival there this weekend for Easter…so we are winging the accommodation option and if the worst comes to the worst I plan to knock at Dunvengan Castle and demand my family rights as a McLeod…LOL. Seriously we could camp wild if it got to that ….but given the coughs we both have a warm bed would be nice.
We travelled North and the weather was the best we have had in Scotland…..even the sun came out now and then….and we were mostly dry. We travelled past Loch Lomond onto Fort William and Ben Nevis…we saw snow at ground level and I was tempted to get off and play in it …but it was such a mission to get on and off the bike fully loaded and geared up I gave it a miss for now.
We arrived in Mallaig to get the Calmac Ferry to Armadale (around 21 pounds) …as we hadn’t booked the next one leaving at 1.45pm was full but we could get on the 3.15pm …. so we went to Mallaig for afternoon tea. We met fellow traveller, Alex, a Russian from Ireland, who gave us some helpful hints and was an all round nice guy who travelled over with us. At the port in Mallaig our bike proved interesting to a number of people, Cameron, a rider from Yorkshire and fellow Horizons Unlimited member, and John, a local. Everybody loves the ANIMAL.
The half our ferry ride was calm and uneventful….given our history of sea sickness we were grateful. We rode on and off the ferry 2up easily and turned left in Sleat (My Great Great Great Grandmother Peggy/Margaret McLeod was born in Camus Cross in Sleat, and my Great Great Grandfather, Angus McLeod was born there too.) passing the Clan Donald Centre and headed up the east coast. Most accommodation was NO VACANCY but we tried a few B&B’s along the way but the first only had a single, the second had just sold their last double, but third time lucky in Sconcer at Loch Aluinn for the night only. Marjorie and Eric Jagger were great hosts and at 60 pounds a double including breakfast it was a bargain. The decor was very quaint and nothing a traveller could need was overlooked. We would have like to stay longer but they didn’t have a vacancy. We had dinner at a local pub, the Sligachan Hotel, and although I still can’t really eat we both tried a dram of the local whiskey, Talisker….which Vince assured me would either cure my cold or put hairs on my chest. Sadly and gladly…. neither eventuated.
