5/19 Tarbert & Ferry to Islay

I was happy to be in Scotland again.  Once I left Arrochar and got onto the scenic roads, I ended up feeling a lot more relaxed--a lot fewer cars on the road and drivers did not seem to be so aggressive.  Also, love the mountains!

Still some snow on this one.  Scotland is not high, but it is far enough north to get a little snow and have it stick.

I am now driving along Loch Fyne.  Loch Fyne oysters are airlifted and sold all over the world, including the U.S.  I stopped for a Coke and a snack.  Plus, they have the only bathrooms around!

Almost to the ferry. 

Oh, oh!  There goes the ferry.  I missed the boat again.  I was in Scotland in 2008 and had a flat tire on the way to this very same ferry, so missed it and had to take a later one. This time, I barely made it to the boat for the 1:00 pm sailing, but I had not made a reservation and they were full anywhere, just closing the doors as I got there. 

OK, next ferry is not until 6:00 pm, so made a reservation and then headed back to the nearest town, Tarbert, to walk around and get lunch. 

This is Tarbert.  Like most of the villages around here, it is built around a fishing port.  Some little shops, a few restaurants, and a few small hotels. 

Back to the ferry, with my reservation this time!

They load the small cars onto this ramp, and then when full, they hit some buttons and crank the "mezzanine" level so they can stuff more small cars underneath.  These must be mammoth hydraulic jacks as they are lifing at least 30 cars. 

 

 Two floors of lounges, cafes, bars, and whatever on board,  They have snacks, but also meals available, so I got in line for dinner since I knew it would be after 8 pm when I got to Islay.

Cold and rainy, but glad to be on Islay.  B&B is about 10 miles away.  Funny thing about this island is that you can tell when the ferry has landed by the rows of cars heading on one of the three roads heading away from the dock.

I had very directions to the B&B, but I had talked to the owner by phone earlier in the day to tell her I would be late.  (B&B owners usually want to know when you will be arriving so they can greet you.)  But she had said she would leave me a note and to just come in and I would find my room.  OK....

There was a large rock along the road that had the name of the place on it and an arrow that pointed up this lane.

Except no one was home.  Really weird. 
 
So, I parked, door was unlocked, found the note and headed up to Room 3.  Key was in the lock, so I made myself at home, but it still felt really strange to go to a strange place, walk in the door, and unpack!  Peeked into the breakfast room.  Looked nice.

This place has six rooms to let, and this one was mine.  Good view out of the big windows over the farms, fields of sheep, and the large bay that this island wraps around.  View from bathroom to more farms and more sheep and cattle.

The owner, Vivian, did come home a few hours later, but in the meantime, I headed down to get something and welcomed a couple of confused German men, who also were not really sure they should be coming into this strange's house.  I told them I was just a guest, but was told to come in and make myself at home, also.