Same Shirt, Different day-2012 Adventures of the "Devonport Wonder Babes"

Thursday 5^th July 2012

Seem to have my days a bit mixed up, thought it was 4^th today but turns out to be the 5^th. After the scallops last night we spent a pleasant hour or two in the bar at the Port Charlotte Hotel which seems a very nice hotel from what we could see of the lounge and the guests dining room. Looks like an original building well maintained. They have local musicians playing there on Wednesday and Sunday nights, one of the accordian guys was the nice man from Laphroaig we had seen earlier that day. Seemed to be more of an emphasis on accordian and woodwind here than in ireland.

Apparently 3 of the 4 women in our bunk room last night snored, including both L and I according to the one non snorer.

Beautiful sunny calm morning. Packed up left the YHA which was a very nice one and on the road by just after 10am. Headed out to the Loch Guinart nature reserve, on the way we saw and heard a corncrake in a field being cut for silage so were able to report this to Beki our guide from Tuesday, whom we saw at the visitor centre there. Invited to join another birdwatching ramble but took car right down to end of the road by the Loch. Walked right down to shore of the Loch and there were no sounds to be heard other than a little bit of wind and the occasional sheep. We could also see Ireland on the horizon this morning.

Back through Bridgend and south down the island to an area we had only seen when we arrived on the ferry on Monday night.Turned west and went to Finnlagen, home of the McDonalds as Lords of the Isles for about 300 years on a site that had a previous iron age fort. Had our picnic lunch there and walked around the small island (in a freshwater loch with boardwalk to connect it to land around ) for an hour or so looking at the remains of the buildings that were once there. As well as the Gaels there were lots of Norse people in this area and a smaller more manouverable version of a Viking longboat was developed there that was shorter, had a rudder and also a crows nest. This was used between all the Hebredian islands for many year,

Finnlaggen

Reeds at Finnlaggen

Paps of Jura from Finnlaggen

 Also beautiful and peaceful here, only sound here was of a stream meandering down a hillside. The stream water which has come through peat is reddish brown colour. The reeds and waterlilies around this little island are beautiful.

Then down to Port Askaige to get ferry back to Kenncraig where we arrive at 5.15 pm and then have about 2 ½ hour drive to Fort William our next stop.

Lovely surprise about 4.30 pm when got texts and then phone call from Caro and Emily who are on board a ferry in Aberdeen which leaves for Orkney and Shetlands at 5 pm so we will keep in touch by text until we meet up with them in Edinburgh next week.

We have both enjoyed our stay on Islay very much and have already talked about coming back maybe in 2014 and who we could entice into coming with us.