Epilogue

 Sunday May 22

Home in Ridlington. at five to six, having driven from Dumbarton, north of Glasgow, where we spent the night. 

Yesterday became rather eventful. I finished my packing to find that I had missed a phone call from Sue. I rang back. She had received a message from Dave Hawkins to the effect that he had turned up at Lochmaddy and been given a place on the 12 sailing. We could turn up and wait in the standby queue..Pam's decision was that she could do without the hassle. Fair enough.

Fiona helped Pam carry out our luggage, we left at 10.20. As we were approaching the Lochmaddy, turn off, I asked Pam if she was sure that she didn't want to try for the earlier ferry. We drove to Lochmaddy where a jovial official  told us to join the two cars already on standby and that we had a good chance. Indeed we did. Watching anxiously as the last vehicles drove on, a worker held up three fingers and we were on, hazard lights flashing, so that they knew we were assisted passage, needing access to a lift.

The relief ferry is smaller than the usual one. Pam did a recce and there was very little room outside. We sat in the coffee cabin, closed for the trip, looking out of a pretty dirty window.

Pam managed to see a Manx Shearwater, two Puffins, a few auks and a Kittiwake on a very smooth, relatively birdless, crossing. My limited distance vision meant that I saw nothing, apart from a Gannet.

It started to rain as we drove off on Skye, and didn't stop until we were in Dumbarton. It made for a pretty dreary and tiring drive for Pam. 

We are so grateful to Dave, and even more so to Sue, for alerting us to the possibility of an earlier sailing. We arrived at the Travelodge at a reasonable time and had a good night's sleep. That set us up for to-day's 400 mile plus drive home.

I will now return to Blog on my usual address

https://gwdihw2011.blogspot.com/

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