Caravaning

Family Tour 2018 Day 11-12 - Day 12

Day 12: 03/10/2018, Uig to Appin (134 miles)

All good things must come to an end, so having enjoyed our time on Skye, and vowing to come back, we packed up and made our way down to Armadale.  With the journey being as important as the destination, we had booked tickets on the ferry from there to Mallaig.  The first time I'd towed anything onto a ferry, although over the years I'd watched plenty of skilled operators loading the ferry at Douglas and Heysham.  With wind forecasted, and later on in the day, services to the Western Isles being canceled, we did double check that we were still on for the crossing.

At the terminus of the road, there was a man sat there with his clipboard, wearing waterproofs, and able to say our name as we pulled up.  I guess the combination of car and caravan, along with our booking made sure we stood out.

I can't say that it was the brightest of days, but we took the opportunity to stretch our legs and give the dogs a comfort break.

The beach behind the ferry terminal was pretty, and I imagine on a sunny day, even better

Eventually, the ferry arrived, disembarked its passengers, and loaded us on too.  I think we ended up spending more time waiting to get on than we did in transit, but such is the nature of short crossings

Its not often that we get a birds eye view of our caravan!

Once in Mallaig, we set off for Fort William, where we planned to spend the afternoon, as there was a large carpark which had an area reserved for caravans and motorhomes (but not for overnight parking!)
Unfortunately, the coach that was beside us on the ferry didn't seem to take too kindly to being behind us, as we were stuck behind a car that was suck behind a really slow car.  This coach driver took it upon himself to honk his horn and flash his lights in such a way that we were concerned that something had gone wrong with the caravan that we had not noticed.  We thought an open skylight, or something hanging down.  Having found a not too unsafe spot to stop and do a quick walk around, we soon realised what game the driver was playing, and proceeded to catch up with the slow car.  This car didn't seem to know how to indicate, or know which lane to use on roundabouts.  But with no strict plans, we plodded along, and enjoyed the sights peeking through the low cloud.  Glenfinnan Viaduct, Ben Nevis and such like.

Once in Fort William, we had a good walk around the town, enjoying the views across the Loch by the car park

Our campsite for the night was at Dallachulish Farm, about 30 miles south of Fort William.  We were met by the owner Ross, who suggested that as the ground was wet, but we had a motor mover, we could use the mover to get the caravan onto the pitch, then rotate it by 90 degrees, so the view from the front window was straight down the hillside onto the Loch.  Who were we to disagree with the view?