ISLAND HOPPING Day - Five
Not such an early start as yesterday, and after a lovely breakfast, I headed north through Oban, and Connel. I was heading for Port Appin and then take the ferry over to Lismore. I could have stayed in Oban and used the Calmac ferry over. However the Port Appin one is for foot passengers only, and just sounded a bit different. I was not wrong, smallish boat, you climbed on board, went through a door and there was a comfy little cabin to sit in as it did the quick trip across. I had about 3 hours on the island, before I needed to be elsewhere, so I started walking down the road. Somebody in a pick up, came down the road , beeping his horn like crazy. Turns out a passenger he had just dropped of at the ferry had left his phone behind, he came running up the slipway to collect it.
The driver asked where I was going, I said I was going to have a wander, look around the place and take some photographs. He offered me a lift which I accepted, it would let me get further down the island before I would need to retrace my steps. I thanked him and got out, a bit later somebody else stopped and offered me a lift but he was also going away from the ferry and I needed to catch it. Lismore looks a nice, green lush island and I think it deserves a longer visit at some future date.
I caught the ferry and got back to Port Appin, and headed south to Connel Ferry.
When I had told some of the Camera Club members about this silly idea, one of the girls Jane, liked the idea and asked if she could gatecrash my trip. I said yes, but she was not able do the first few days, but as I was to be based around Oban for a couple of days, she was due to arrive by train in Connel Ferry.
Strangely both me and the train were on time. From home to Oban is quite journey however you do it, so we grabbed a coffee and then set off in search of my next island.
This island was not even on my original list, I only heard about it over breakfast that morning as I told the landlady at my B&B about my journey.It sounded interesting, so I had a quick look, online as I had reached (just) a 3G area.
Port Appin is on the north corner ofthe junction of Loch Creran,and Lynn of Lorne. Eriska Island is just off the south corner. It is a private island, but is joined to the mainland by a small cast iron and wooden bridge, it was very noisy and quite unsettling as we crossed over. There is a exclusive private hotel on the island, with some beautiful landscaped gardens but it is open to the public for evening meals. However we were not eating here, I took a few photos, and headed back over the bridge, glad to be back on land.
Headed down to Oban and towards the Island of Kerrera. By now the rain that Jane had dragged up from the south with her was really beginning to come down hard. I did not want to take the car over and it was either get soaked, land on the island and return a couple of minutes later or get totally drenched while waiting half an hour for the later ferry. Either way photography was severely limited so we decided to try again. Had some amazingly good fish and chips, the servings of fish are huge.
Then back out of Oban up to Connel and our B&B, I was beginning to know my way in, out and around Oban as well as the routes at home. Here was the first bit of discord between me and Jane, I had booked the accommodation so of course I expected the larger front room, no apparently that was her room, mine was the smaller darker room on the side.
I think it might have something to do with the view. I had a wonderful view of a roof and part of the B&Bs carpark. Jane meanwhile had decided that she would suffer with just a plain boring view over Ardmucknish Bay. You can see her view by following the links.
A quick trip to the local pub, and an early night. My plans for Saturday involved having to be out and away from the B&B by 6am !!!!
Islands visited; Two
Total Visited; Eleven
FerriesUsed; Two
Total Used; Fifteen
Ports Used ; Two
Total Different; Seventeen
To see the rest of todays shots just follow the links....
http://365project.org/markp/NATURE/15-05-2015
