Smidge that Midge!

26Jul13

Kyle of Lochalsh, though probably well known by many, is not all it may be cracked up to be; we came for showers and a chandlery but neither were as they should be. The chandlery, as most seem to be, was just a DIY shop and the public showers were locked most of the time. Lots of tourists were alighting at the railway station, cameras at the ready, and were very soon looking at each other with an expression of 'Is this it?'.

After raiding the local Co-op we stayed whilst the last of the sunshine faded away before making way into the heavy rain showers south through the Sound of Sleat. As we turned we caught a glimpse of the famous Eilean Donan Castle which has adorned many a chocolate box top then continued on through the mist and drizzle. The mist grew steadily more dense as we turned into Loch Nevis; the ferries heading for Mallaig from Skye only just discernable in the poor visibility.

We intended to grab one of the mooring buoys outside 'The Old Forge' at Inverie Bay, free for patrons – the alternative would mean anchoring and the water would be too deep for our available chain length. As we approached [The Old Forge] we noticed six yachts on our tail [local charters] with one close behind and we could see some buoys were already taken, not knowing how many remained the race was on. Our opponent's downfall was his AIS signature which meant all we had to do was match his displayed speed and we would be victors: job done. The Old Forge is the mainland's remotest pub with no access roads and its only customers arrive by boat or by foot; despite this it was packed! After an excellent meal with Guinness which flowed smoothly all night we were left the task of retrieving the dinghy which we had left a little bit too low on the shoreline for the incoming tide. The midges were out in real force and so wading out and getting wet was the more favourable choice to waiting for the tide to ebb and being eaten alive.