I woke early feeling very tired – with the strong wind the waves were rather too noisy for me and I struggled to get much sleep. I had to get up at 6:30 anyway to make the first ferry, in order to get to Iona in decent time. I was a little concerned about catching the ferry anyway, it was a passenger only charter to replace the usual ferry and I had mixed messages from Cal Mac regarding whether bikes were allowed or not. If not, I had no obvious plan other than to wait a couple of days for the normal ferry to return to service or go back the (very hilly) way I’d came. Whatever the outcome, I had to get to the ferry landing anyway, so packed my things away and headed off.
I got to the ferry landing and waited. Soon I could see the tiny boat coming across from Tobermory in the choppy sea, and fortunately as it got closer I spotted another cyclist on board. I was clearly ok to get on! Hoisting my bike on board, I took my luggage on and settled in for the choppy ride. We passed close to Tobermory lighthouse before entering the picturesque harbour of Tobermory itself, with its famous colourful houses by the quayside. Having disembarked, I passed the Tobermory Distillery Visitor Centre which I’d intended to stop at, however I hadn’t realised what time I’d be around, and wasn’t sure when it opened. Calling in at a local shop for a coffee and breakfast bap I thought I’d get a couple of miniatures there, however I was foiled by the Scottish Licensing Laws which prohibit the sale of alcohol before 10am, which coincidentally was when the Visitor Centre opened.
Thwarted, I set off up the hill out of the harbour. I was feeling tired and wasn’t sure if I’d make Iona that day, so I had a Plan B of camping at Salen on Mull if necessary. As I rode along I was treated to very scenic views of the Sound of Mull and the Morven peninsula, at one point three buzzards were circling above. I soon came upon Salen, much earlier than I’d expected, so decided to head south and push on for Iona. It was a bit of a climb to start with through woodland, but soon settled. I passed the pretty Scottish Episcopal Church at Gruline, and then rather worryingly came across a Road Closed sign. I decided to push on anyway, as I thought I ought to be able to at least walk past whatever the closure was. The woodland soon gave way to open views over Loch Na Keal, with the sun out and fluffy white clouds it was a spectacular sight.
A few miles down the road I came to the closure, where BT were replacing a telephone pole. I squeezed through this ok and carried on, coming across my first roadside milepost for the Iona Ferry – 32 miles. Several miles of flattish, quiet lochside road followed before I passed some huge, sheer cliffs on my left with signs warning of danger from rockfall. Shortly after this the road turned inland and climbed, and at one point I ended up pushing up a particularly steep bit, watched by three curious goats. As the gradient eased I remounted and climbed a bit more before reaching a summit, after which the road descended and I came across Loch Scridain. The road veered northwards for a while, and I passed several birdwatchers standing with binoculars in their hands.
Eventually the road reached a junction with the A849, where I turned west for Fionnphort. I crossed a lovely river by the Bridge of Beg then rode through another herd of Highland Cows, this time without any young calves. At Pennyghael I stopped at Port Nan Gael stores for refreshments, and here I received a notification from the Cal Mac app that tomorrow’s Iona ferry sailings may be disrupted or cancelled due to high winds. This gave me a new dilemma – do I continue to Iona and risk being stranded, do I find an alternate campsite on Mull for tonight? It was also very windy now – do I camp in this wind or find more solid shelter?
The last few miles to Fionnphort became more of the lumpy rollercoaster that I’d been used to, and seemed to drag on forever. I went through the pretty village of Bunessan and passed a turning for Pottie, shortly after which I noticed Loch Pottie on my left. I rode into Fionnphort and awaited the ferry. Looking at the weather forecast the high winds were due the following day at around lunchtime, and I should be long gone by then, so when the ferry arrived I wheeled the bike on and went on top to enjoy the 10 minute trip.
At Iona I waited for all the tourists (there were lots of them!) to get off before I too disembarked. Before I went to the campsite I had a ride around the northern part of the island, past the Abbey and Nunnery area which was crowded. I did a little shopping for provisions and gifts and then went to find the campsite. There was one other cycle camper when I arrived, and I wandered round the site looking for a reasonably sheltered place to pitch my tent. I couldn’t really find any, so went for what I thought was least exposed and set up. It would be interesting to see what the night would bring!
Day 3: 52 miles, 8½
hours elapsed, 3,258 feet climbed
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