Monday 12th September - Corran Ferry to Mallaig

You knew where you were with the old Don. You'd wait at the top of hills for him to catch up then he'd race past and down the other side in search of the nearest pub. Don on steroids leaves me trailing in his wake regardless of the gradient. Yesterday he left the Inn at Ardgour like a man possessed, not pausing until the visitor centre at Glenfinnan. From the start of the day we were shadowed by a guy from Surrey heading for JoG, sporting piercings & tattoos, riding an old bike, and wearing cut off waterproof trousers, Doc Martens, and a baseball cap. We felt distinctly overdressed. Although the rain was relentless it was a lovely ride along a single track road with very little traffic, and no hills to speak off, passing by Fort William on the other side of the water. Had the weather been better I'm sure I would have been able to pick up a few birds on the shoreline but visibility was poor, and I only managed eiders and hooded crows. Fortified by coffee and scones we headed on towards Mallaig, intending to stop at Arisaig for a late lunch. Most of the route was quite sheltered but in exposed places the wind was very strong, presumably the tail end of Hurricane Katia, as expected. However, during a lull in the storm the rain stopped for a few minutes, and I got a spectacular view looking west along Loch Eilt.

By the time I got to Arisaig, Don had sussed out the local options for food & drink, which were basically nil, so I found him standing in the Spar shop in his waterproofs eating a sandwich and drinking coffee from a machine. He professed a desire to do the 7 miles to Mallaig before taking a break. I decided to sit in the hotel next door, food or no food, with a cup of coffee and the crossword. By the time I eventually limped into Mallaig, Don had checked in to the hostel, unpacked, showered, and was ready to go looking for beer.

I caught up with him later in the Chlachain Inn, and we had a pleasant evening working our way through the juke box (there are not many with Dick Gaughan on!)(AND The McCalmans, Bob Dylan, Little Walter, Otis Reading, Chuck Berry etc, etc - Don).

Food was good as well. Then a quick visit to the Steam Inn (which has free wifi) to update the blog. Don did some more soliciting for cash, and took pictures of a pool-playing dog.