“Oh Jean” Hebridean Way 2022 Day 9 Tobermory - Salen ( not that one, the other one!) - Craignure ferry - Oban - Jean a 335 mile drive home!

 Stats : 21.4 miles 1,138 feet climbing, 1 ferry, 335 mile drive home, 8 hours 15 mins, 1 wife’s birthday!

Stats total : 421.2 miles and 23,366 feet climbing, 36 hours 16 minutes in the saddle, 7 ferries ( none missed!) 9 Islands!

So it’s done, and I’m sat writing this on my settee, which seems slightly bizarre given I was in Tobermory this time last night! After a great nights sleep, I was down for an early breakfast at 7.30. The original plan was to catch the 11.30 ferry from Craignure, but there was one at 10am if I could get a wiggle on. After a quick scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, it was time to rescue the bike from the beer garden which apparently was the only place they had for the bike, strap the bags on as I’d had to take them all off last night as it was a bit exposed and then open the bags back up to get the rain gear out because it was RAINING!

Once again, it was the super steep climb out of the harbour (Eig, Castlebay, et all…) and by the time I’d climbed 600 feet out, the sun was poking through the clouds and I was boiling! Off came the wet weather gear (I’d carried it around for 8 days for a grand total of 20 mins wearing it!) and the view from the top was stunning! With big rain clouds all around the sun was just finding enough space to shine over Fishnish Bay and with the sky changing every 5 minutes I was constantly pulling over to take pictures. Just to fully round the trip off, the early Castlebay ferry was making its way up the inlet taking the same journey we had a week before. Has it been only a week?! It seemed much longer since me and Kieran had pointed out that the road I was currently on looked a bit climb from Tobermory!

The cocking about taking photos and taking the rain gear off meant it was looking unlikely that I’d be getting that earlier ferry. However the Garmin was showing only another 500 feet of climbing in the last 11 miles from Salen so it was possible, just! With the rain now beginning to hammer down, I didn’t have time to stop and get everything back on, so with The Proclaimers on the phone in my back pocket it was down on the drops and try and smash it to the ferry terminal. God knows what it looked like to anyone coming the other way as I was belting out Lady Luck, doing 20 mph with just shorts and a t-shirt in the pissing rain! It was brilliant though and at 9.50 I was screeching to a halt at the terminal. All the cars were already on and loaded, but the guy took one look at me dripping wet and let me on! I’d got off the bike for the last time this trip! 

Sitting dripping wet inside the ferry getting suspicious looks from the other travellers I rung Andrea to tell her I’d made the early ferry and to wish her happy birthday, forgetting it was in fact Monday and she was teaching! When she sent me a panicked message asking if everything is OK ( she usually has to bail me out of the situations I get myself into) I sent one back telling her not to worry and I’d be home soon! Rolling off the ferry it was the short trip to get Jean from outside the first B&B, get changed, (which is not easy in a 2CV) dismantle the bike and get going. Did she start first time? Of course. Did she manage the 335 mile trip home without any incident, just purring along at 60 mph for 8 hours? Of course she did!

Pulling up outside the house tired but happy, it was just time to get together all the presents I’d bought her (and the kids!) on our trip from the various bags I’d stashed them in, (including I might add, a Harris Tweed cape which weighed around 2kg and I’d been carrying on the bike since Tarbert), and eat the steak dinner the kids had bought and cooked for us! A quick walk with Andrea and a very happy Nevis and it’s time to put the trip to bed.

I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating. Touring by bike is the very best way to see a place. You go fast enough to get places, but slow enough that you can really see, smell and hear somewhere. You can stop where you want , when you want and go where you want. More importantly you can eat what you want…!  Obviously it helps if the weather is great as it has been on our trip, but to quote the great Billy Connelly “there is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes”! The availability of e-bikes is also a game changer in that you don’t have to put in loads of training and be super-fit to do it. I don’t know when me and the chaps will make that change to E-bikes as we get older and more decrepit, but that day will come!

The limiter for someone who is not used to riding a bike on the road is traffic. Things have to change. We have to stop building more roads and spend the money on integrated public transport and walking and cycling infrastructure. If you build it they will come. Just look at Utrecht in the Netherlands as evidence. Andy Burnham and Chris Boardman are trying in Manchester, and I’m keeping a close eye on it. The number of cyclists we saw on the Outer Hebrides were there because it was a lot safer than elsewhere. Once I was on my own on the larger inner Hebridean islands I saw no cyclists as it was a lot busier with traffic. I am a massive car enthusiast and obviously I love Jean, but this is the beginning of the end for the private motor car, I’m convinced of that.

Lecture over! The Hebrides were amazing. Truly mind blowing. I think the highlight was Harris though. The beaches, the stone circles and just the sense of ancientness was tangible. If you ever get the chance to go, please go. We are planning to go back next year as a family, to see the bits I didn’t get to and for everyone to see the bits I did! Top tip is the Hebridean Way website. It’s a bit clunky, but has a map showing all available accommodation if you zoom into the area you want to stay. Don’t be thinking you’ll be booking online though! For the Hebrideans it’s a phone call to book, no deposit or card payment up front, they just expect you to turn up if you said you would. It sums them up perfectly!

Finally a big thank you to Ribble for producing a truly awesome bike in the CGR AL gravel bike I took on the trip. I’ve had it 3 years and it’s my go to anything bike. It’s comfy, has big wide tyres, flat and clip in pedals, lovely granny gear that can get you up anything, and looks great with all the luggage on. It’s the only bike you’ll ever need! (Obvs don’t tell Andrea that…!) oh and if you want bike packing luggage the Apidura stuff I bought for the trip is simply magnificent! I know it was expensive, but it’ll outlive me…

Where are we going next year? Well there’s talk of sleeper trains to Stockholm, riding across the top of Spain to see our friend Andrew in Barcelona, riding the Danube cycle trail, riding up to the Artic circle…

But for now it’s the end. It always ends…