Yachts, Oban

The conditions were perfect for travelling to Barra today.

First we cycled the ten miles from Benderloch to Oban, with a quick stop to capture an early blip of boat reflections.

Then we headed to the ferry terminal to join the bike queue. We arrived over an hour before the departure time, yet at this point there were already five people ahead of us (one with a kayak). By the time we boarded there were 32 people in line. We don't think that we have ever seen so many bikes on a CalMac ferry.

It was a beautiful sailing. There was barely a ripple on the sea, so no risk of travel sickness, and excellent conditions for dolphin spotting. Many passengers spent the whole journey in the sunshine on the open deck. We wandered out a couple of times, but kept our base at the front of the observation lounge for three games of Scrabble, while keeping an eye out the front for wildlife. I won the first two Scrabble games and Mr hazelh the third. And yes, we saw dolphins.

We are staying at the Isle of Barra hotel for five nights. This is a return visit: we were last here in June 2019. We have a lovely room with a view of the beach. With the window open, you can also hear the waves lapping along the shoreline. Another important feature for me (as a part-time insomniac) is that the beds here are enormous and very, very comfortable. I look forward to long stretches of peaceful, uninterrupted sleep while we are here on Barra.

Exercise today: cycling 12 miles.