Homeward bound

It’s a long way from Stornoway to Dunoon whatever way you look at it, but when you don’t start driving till teatime as opposed to breakfast it’s really quite daunting.

We left our castle apartment at 10am, found the free parking in town, met our friend Clare for a last coffee and conversation. Once aboard the Loch Seaforth we found a strategically placed table which meant I was first in for (more) fish and chips to fortify us for the drive. The crossing was lovely - hence this blip of the rear deck scene for the second time, to demonstrate the difference in weather.

We crawled out of Ullapool in a long line of ferry traffic that played leapfrog all the way to Inverness, found the half-remembered public loos in Kingussie, had some coffee - and then drove all the way to the Western Ferries terminal in Gourock without stopping.

I suspect this marathon was facilitated by the amazing sudden emptiness off the A9 as the Scotland- England match got underway, and it wasn’t till we were driving through Greenock that we saw groups of people emerging from the pubs. So: we didn’t have to wait for the last ferry at midnight, and the 10.30 boat whizzed across in half the usual time. We’re home, we’re tired, and the floor is still undulating beneath us.

Bed, I think …