Day 3
Today 80km 977m Ferries: 1 Jura - Port Askaig Islay
Tour to date: 170km 2103m Ferries: 3 Islands: 2
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| American Cemetary Oa Peninsular Islay |
My Strava entry for the day: Another awesome day of adventure. Steve lost a spoke in Port Askaig. Limped to Port Ellen over the glorious moors, stunning day. Jim of Islay bike’s saves the day with a new old wheel with far more spokes in. He didn’t have any of the funny spikes on Steve’s wheels which we now know shouldn’t be touring. Meanwhile we have pizza and Caesar salad in Port Ellen and continue our plan of hacking up to the American monument on Oa peninsular. Just breathtaking scenery, birds, flowers. Back to Port Ellen for picnic supplies and out to Claggain Bay past 3 whisky distilleries with a dedicated bike path. Up and down all the way. Tent pitched but v windy!
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| Good morning campers from Jura |
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| Jura Paradise |
Yes this is the Inner Hebrides. What a glorious morning. Today we are on it. Tea breakfast and packed by 9.30am. We have a ferry to catch. The wind is still cold! Rolling the air mat and stuffing the sleeping bag is the critical pinch point of efficient packing up, most days we have to do it all in the tent but today is dry.
On our last trip we didn't do Islay justice, a peat bog tour which we are repeating today but adding the Oa peninsula and American memorial and riding out past Port Ellen to camp at Claggain Bay, pretty much at the end of the road on the SE coast.
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| Waiting for the Feolin Ferry to Port Askaig |
We reverse our route back to the ferry for the hop across from Jura to Port Askaig on Islay. The known heck of a haul out of the harbour. It was not that bad at all. The mind plays strange tricks with hills. Especially hills out of ferry ports.
Except it was spinning up out of Port Askaig when Steve realises his back wheel was not right. A broken spoke. We make our way across the grouse moors very gingerly. Internally I'm panicking. We have a spoke with us but... when I get phone signal I google, there is a bike shop in Port Ellen, Islay Cycles. Fortunately it is Monday. Thankfully Jim answers the phone. We explain our predicament and arrange to meet at lunchtime. It was a lovely ride across the moors, tainted by the worry of a wobbly wheel.
We don't turn off to the Oa peninsular as planned and roll into Port Ellen. after a couple of wrong turns we realise we are right, the bike shop is Jim's house. His back garden is chock a block with hundreds of bikes in various states of repair, covered by many tarpaulins. I'm sure he knew what he had.
We got told off, Steve's bike, especially his wheels, are nowhere near tough enough for touring apparently. He's on the weight limit for the frame without luggage. I hadn't twigged he had new wheels since the last trip. Apparently his spoke nipples were quite odd too, turned out Jim didn't have any of that type. Ohh err missus. Jim was quite confident he could come up with something and dispatched us off into town for lunch. He gleefully stated that next day delivery is a week in these parts. We had a nice pizza but somewhat tainted by the worry that we may be catching a ferry back to Oban and it may be the end of the tour.
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| Port Ellen: Marmalade Ice Cream from Arran! |
I liked the look of the ice creams in a gift shop, the marmalade one was divine. We walk back up to Jim's house/Islay Cycles and there is Steve's bike ready to go. He's found a new old wheel, £50 for make do and mend, he keeps the old one for running repairs for the next idiot that rolls into town on inadequate equipment. Steve's new tyre has been swapped over. What a hero. Jim saves the day. The tent is transferred to my bike. We have enough time still to see the Oa peninsular even though it's 3pm. Yeah to Scottish summer daylight hours.
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| Oa Peninsular is lumpy |
We ride out of Port Ellen and up towards the RSPB reserve. Short steep ramps for 5 miles.
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| Yes, that is a cyclist walking, without a bike |
We leave the bikes in the car park and walk the mile across the grasslands to the American Monument on the cliffs. so much wildlife, so many birds. The whole holiday the joyous birdsong was ever prevalent. Unfortunately we didn't see any Golden Eagles, on Islay. Visibility was incredible but a biting strong north easterly is keeping the temperature down. It's exhilarating.
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| American Monument Oa |
The American Monument is a memorial to hundreds of American first World War servicemen who perished when two ships were sunk/ lost off Islay in 1918. The plaque read:
"On fame's eternal camping ground, Their silent tents are spread, while glory keeps with solemn round, the bivouac of the dead."
Very moving being expressed in familiar parlance to us.
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| American Monument Oa |
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| Back down we go |
Back down past the American Cemetery which is meticulously kept.
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| American Cemetery Oa peninsular |
We run back down into Port Ellen and call in at the Co Op for dinner supplies. I am carrying a musette and food stops have to fit into that so we know we can stow it all. We spot a public convenience and use that. Water bottles are topped up. We pedal on through town and out along the Whisky Trail on a metalled cycle path past Laphraoig Distillery then Lagavulin Distillery and finally Ardbeg. They are all finished for the day so it was nice and peaceful. We enjoy the quiet road for 15km along the coast, rolling as ever. We come into the sweep of Claggain Bay, a scattering of motor homes wild "camping" but no tents. Boy was it windy. 9.30pm and we battled to get the tent up in the wind with the sun still shining. We had an indoor picnic and although I had imagined wild swimming here it was just far too bitter. That near gale is still north easterly!
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Perishing NE wind
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| Claggain Bay, SE Islay |
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| 10pm |
It's not really getting dark. This is what wild camping is about, The above photo was taken at 10pm and I woke at 3.30am and took the photos below of the sunrise. I think the silence followed by the dawn chorus woke me, the wind had abated. Just magical.
Today was a bit worrying but we solved a serious mechanical through luck and judgement and still achieved the day's aims and thoroughly enjoyed it. There is much more to Islay than the grouse moors.
Insta: Day 3 Stunning weather, #IsleofJura to #IsleofIslay Broken spoke #PortAskaig new old wheel by fantastic Jim of #IslayBikes in #PortEllen. Stunning weather, brisk northerly. Lots climbing on #Oa to the #americanmonumentislay and then out to #claggainbay on SE corner for #wildcamping #InnerHebrides #cycling #cycletouring #camping #PuffingPuffinsTour2019 Do not come here it’s horrible
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