Yvonne phoned to say she had fallen off her bicycle and done some damage to her hand. Her doctor has advised her not to sail with me on the next leg from Stornoway to the Orkneys and on to Wick. I'm hopeful of finding another crew member for the leg starting after the May spring bank holiday, but if any of my blog followers is up for trip, please do get in touch ASAP. Hopefully, Yvonne's hand will heal soon and she may be able to join Calviere II later in the adventure.
David & I caught the 12:35 bus out of Stornoway to Leverburgh, changing buses, but not the driver at Tarbert. Once at Leverburgh, we went straight onto the ferry to North Usit. The ferry route weaves in and out of the rocks between the buoys in the narrow channel, crossing the strait between the islands where the current can reach five knots at spring tides. We ate our packed lunch onboard and were the only foot passengers.
When we disembarked, we were the only people waiting for the bus. It was a bit uncomfortable watching everyone else, including the ferry, disappear leaving us on our own in the small waiting area, but five minutes later the bus to Lochmaddy turned up.
We had an hour between buses in Lochmaddy, which was spent sheltering from the rain in the local hotel. Two small buses took us to Lochboisdale, the final bus must have the best route in the world, taking us from North Usit, over the island of Benbecula and down the length of South Uist. Passed miles of golden sandy beaches, over narrow causeways, over rugged mountains and headlands. The driver took us direct to the door of the Lochboisdale hotel where we are to spend the night.
We dined in the hotel conservatory, overlooking the harbour. I enjoyed my bacon wrapped scallops.
No comments:
Post a Comment