Oddity is a commodity

Conical comical
Originally uploaded by Lidwit.

You better believe it!

One of our first conversations on the island took place while we stood by the side of the road. A van pulled up and with a grin as wide as the Clyde the man inside asked "are you waiting for a bus?" We nodded in assent, "that's right." To which he replied, "Aye well there might be one. You just never know. Remember you're on an island now!"

Fortunately our bus did arrive at that point but little did we realise how prophetic his words of wisdom would be.



Incidently, this has to be the most bizarre and confusing bus timetable I've had the misfortune to cross eyes on. And just when we thought we had it sussed we noticed the box telling us that actually there probably wouldn't be a bus until the ferries were running from Port Askaig again!!! Taxi!!



The result was we walked everywhere, which was good as it was kinda the point of the weekend. We are after all just six weeks away from the Moonwalk. Doesn't time fly? We had to revise our original plan to walk over to the west coast as it was just too far for us to get there and back on foot. We did consider hitching a ride on a quad bike being kept ticking over by a dog. No really - and that was without alcohol. But in the end we made the decision to walk from Ballygrant to Bruichladdich - a very respectable 11miles - and then back again... hobble hobble ow!



Luckily while we were in Bruichladdich the girls in the shop took pity and handed us tasters of some very yummy 12yr old whisky. For purely medicinal purposes you understand. If it wasn't for the fact we were walking and would have to carry the extra weight we would most definitely have bought more than a couple of miniatures to take back with us.



Ironically as we tramped our way around Loch Indaal and along the road to Ballygrant we were approached not once but twice by well meaning locals offering to give us a lift to our destination. Now where else on earth do you find people offering lifts to total strangers??? Not only that but every other car that passed waved at us as we plodded on.



This has got to be the friendliest place I've yet encountered. It was particularly good because after all the waving back with our left hands we had an excuse to raise our right hands in the evening complete with compensatory weight in the shape of an Islay Ale in a toast to the local pirate... honest!



Slainte!