Thursday 15th July up to mid-day

Thursday 15th July up to mid-day
Its my turn to do the Blog. Col is feeling a little bit fragile this morning. We spent a couple of hours is the local pub last night touring the contents of various bottles of single malt - managed to get all the way around Islay. Mind you it all started because they didn’t have apple pie for desert but they did have Laphroaig infused Cheddar so it was all downhill after that - Col blames me.I’m typing this on the ferry which is rolling a bit – not exactly helping with the hangover.

Went to the woollen mill which can best be described as ancient (see photos-second one is the stream outside the mill. The wall on the right of the pic is the mill wall, the other is an interior shot) but exports tweed to the middle east and has very nice scarves - Col found a thimble for Annie. This mill is from the early 1800's and the old mill which is still there but not operational is from the 1500's) Called in to the golf course on way back to Port Ellen. The course is a links course – lots of gorse and sea grass but no trees – blowing a gale. At least two hardy souls were braving the weather and taking advantage of the wind to run the ball into the hole – you could have probably just put the ball on the green and let it find its own way.

Bought some vitamins and glucosamine etc - seem to be a fraction of the price of the Australian equivalent. Col insisted we go for a walk – Lynn’s breakfasts at the B&B have contributed to a loss of form – not that some of us had much of a form to begin with. So we wandered off in the direction of the Mull of Oa. Out for about an hour and a half – gale from the west all the way – however the pub had a fire going when we went in for dinner – probably contributed to the later delinquency.

Walk took us past the maltings and the cemetery – cemetery is like the one at Narooma - on a hill facing the sea – lots of family plots – mostly Camerons and Campbells. Tried to take a short-cut to get back and ended up climbing fences – fortunately no barbed wire – I get vertigo any way so barbed wire seems like an unnecessary distraction - looking forward to the stiles and kissing gates of old England.

We tried out the idea of a “Scotch Trail” around Islay – like the Coast to Coast – but around Islay - on Lynn at the B&B and a bloke we met in the pub – seemed like a good idea at the time. Basically a pilgrimage from distillery to distillery and if you get all 7 you get a tee-shirt or something. It’s a good idea but it all seems a bit hard to implement – the islands are very traditional and change is slow.

B&B is terrific. Converted house. Lynn has a huge kitchen at the back with a conservatory attached. Lots of thing she’s collected over the years decorating the rooms. B&B can accommodate about 8 people over three rooms – mostly Swedes while we were there we think.

Making a list of what we’ve forgotten, or need to get, like a pooper scooper and toilet paper. Apparently we need to get some Avon skin cream it’s the only thing that repels the midges – assuming we meet any that is.

Should be back in Glasgow by about 15:30. Hopefully catch up with Pete some time today – otherwise on the train tomorrow.