We were all up early and sitting down to breakfast at 8am this morning, along with another couple who we later found out were on the same boat trip as us.
Rather than eat a heavy breakfast I opted for poached eggs on toast with muesli and fruit as I didn't want to be feeling queasy on the boat! We were all done by 8.30am and Keith went to open the gate while the other couple followed us. I wasn't too happy about this as I certainly didn't want to be the lead driver for the next forty minutes, so when I had the opportunity I pulled over to let him go past.
I was glad I did as he hurtled off and I couldn't even keep up with him! When we eventually got to Ardnamurchan Charters they had just got out of their car so we weren't that far behind but it did mean that there were no parking spaces left and Keith had to reverse our car into a tiny space next to a cattle grid!
We approached the boat yard via a very steep set of steps and Keith paid the balance of the amount we owed for the trip. There were loads of dogs milling about including a huge one called, very aptly, Hagrid!
We had a black labrador on the boat with us all day and he was gorgeous. His name was Tag and he must have a lovely life!
There were ten of us on the boat, along with the Skipper, Andy and his mate, Billy, a young lad who did a lot of the driving on the way to the island of Muck.
At first the waters of the loch were very calm and although it did start raining it wasn't too bad. Most of the boat was open with just a small cabin that could fit about four or five people (and the dog). There were two bench seats under a small canopy and then two garden seats at the very end of the boat. Most of us stood at first to get a good look at the loch and the surrounding scenery but one couple stayed put on the bench seat under the canopy for the entire voyage! They weren't British (they may have been Italian) but they didn't seem at all interested in looking at anything and I did wonder why on earthy they'd paid £80 each to just sit and natter together!
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| These seats weren't popular when it was raining...more of that later! |
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| Skipper Andy on the right sensibly decked out in waterproofs! |
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| Keith getting wet! |
Further out we saw a whole flotilla of yachts which was a bit bizarre as their brightly coloured sails contrasted starkly with the grey sea and sky.
We were very near to the island of Mull and the smaller isles of Eigg and Coll. We could see other yachts in the distance and the occasional fishing boat.
As we moved out past the Ardnamurchan lighthouse (the most westerly point of mainland Britain) one of the men in our group shouted out that he'd seen a Minke whale diving. He even managed to capture it on camera! We slowed the engine and circled the area for a while but we never saw it re-surface which was a real shame.
A little further on, though, we did spot a basking shark and it came very close to the boat.
At one point we saw three of four sharks very close and through the clear water we could see their huge mouths as they swam along hoovering up plankton.
I don't know how big they were but I'm glad they weren't interested in eating us!
We stayed in the area for a good while and then motored over to the island of Muck where we stayed for almost two hours. It gave us a chance to grab something to eat and stretch our legs for a while.
There wasn't a great deal to do on Muck! We went for a short walk with Tag and then headed to the small cafe where we ate toasties and drank copious amounts of tea from a huge brown teapot.
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| Our little boat in Muck harbour |
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| Muck's map of entertainments! |
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| Muck scenery |
The journey back to Laga Bay was split into two halves. The first part of the voyage was horrendous as the sea had become very rough while we were on Muck and stupidly we sat on one of the bench seats at the back of the boat so we took the full force of the sea spray that drenched us. Keith stood up as it was impossible to move into the cabin, the seas were so rough. All we could do was hang on and Sophie became very upset at how bad the conditions were. At one point I feared the whole boat would turn over and none of us were wearing life jackets.
Tag sensed how upset we were and before things got really bad came and pressed his body against us before retreating to the safety and warmth of the cabin. We just had to sit it out and Sophie was literally shaking with the cold and wet.
Thankfully, we rounded the point with the lighthouse and entered calmer waters. The sun also came out and we dried out a bit and were able to appreciate the stunning scenery.
Tag also made an appearance and sat and watched one of the couples eating their sandwiches! He didn't get much!
We arrived back at Laga Bay at 6pm and went thankfully to our car for the journey back to the B&B. We had planned to go straight out to eat but we were all very dishevelled and encrusted with salt so we drove back as quickly as we could to have a hot shower and change out of our damp clothes.
We'd booked a table for 8.30pm at The Inn at Ardgour and we got there with seconds to spare! The pub was very busy but we were shown to our table and our drinks order taken so we could finally relax.
I'd been in Scotland since Tuesday without having haggis so Keith and I both decided to have that as a starter, served with oatcakes, which were delicious. For my main course I went veggie and had an asparagus and wild mushroom risotto, Keith had fish and chips (again) while Sophie chose chicken stuffed with cheese. The food was lovely and gradually the pub emptied out so it became quieter and more relaxed.
We arrived back at the B&B at just after 10pm after driving through spectacular scenery. The evening sky was light blue tinged with fluffy pink and grey clouds and the whole landscape was breathtaking.
Once again we all snuggled down in bed and watched some TV before turning in for the night and a well-earned sleep!
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