Arran, Islay, Jura, Colonsay

[durhambiker]

I would say,by far,September is best month.Crowds gone,midges gone,best chance of settled,fine,weather

[al_yrpal]

When we went we combined it with this http://www.islayjazzfestival.co.uk . We saw four great gigs one of which was a Saturday afternoon BBC Radio 3 live Jazz Lineup broadcast from Lagavulin distillery whiskey store with a free dram. On our way back after a visit to Jura we found ourselves in the middle of another music festival in Tarbert. If you can time your visit with these festival it might be fun.

Al

[TrevA]

We did this 3 years ago, as part of a longer tour - drove to Ardrossan, ferry to Arran (Brodick). You can then get another ferry from Lochranza back onto the mainland (Kintyre peninsula). You then just cycle across to Kennacraig and catch another ferry to Islay. We spent a couple of days on Islay but you could spend longer as there's quite a bit to see. We then caught the ferry to Jura and spent half a day there, then another ferry back to the mainland, before continuing north to Oban and another Ferry to Mull.

We did it in mid-May and the weather was truly awful. Freezing cold, I was in full winter gear most of the time and copious amounts of rain. I think we were particularly unlucky but be prepared for bad weather as you are exposed to whatever is coming in off the Atlantic Ocean. Fantastic scenery, great views. Plenty of whisky distilleries, if you like that sort of thing. We stayed in a B&B next to a distillery on Islay.

I did a write-up of the tour in the Members Travelogues section over on Cyclechat:

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/ctc-t ... es.202717/

[ambodach]

CalMac ferries no need to book. You could be unlucky and find a large group but as an individual you would probably be able to talk them round. Most staff are very helpful. There are now increasing chances of delay with ferry technical problems as the boats are being worked to their maximum. Accommodation definitely book as with increasing numbers of tourists this can be a problem. Check a local web site for events such as the Mull Rally where hundreds of petrol heads appear and make an infernal nuisance of themselves and book all accommodation.The public roads can also be closed for such events. This is in October every year when many locals plan a holiday somewhere else to get away from it. Music festivals are also getting common everywhere and also fill lots of beds. Most areas now have a web presence which is helpful in looking out for such events.

[Paulatic]

When we went we combined it with this http://www.islayjazzfestival.co.uk . We saw four great gigs one of which was a Saturday afternoon BBC Radio 3 live Jazz Lineup broadcast from Lagavulin distillery whiskey store with a free dram. On our way back after a visit to Jura we found ourselves in the middle of another music festival in Tarbert. If you can time your visit with these festival it might be fun.

Al

On a farm one night and I could smell some draff coming from a shed. Nostrils worked overtime, farmer said if you can tell where that’s from I’ll give you a bottle. Lagavulan says I my favourite whisky. Please no E Al.

[John100]

Thanks. Yes September may be the month not least for family reasons. al_yrpal, not really a fan of jazz but it could be interesting for other reasons. TrevA - your weather sounded horrific! Good account. ambdach - yes I`m aware of people around here who go up to the Scottish Isles rallying - will definitely plan to avoid! Paulatic - hope your plans coming into being.

[al_yrpal]

Thanks. Yes September may be the month not least for family reasons. al_yrpal, not really a fan of jazz but it could be interesting for other reasons. TrevA - your weather sounded horrific! Good account. ambdach - yes I`m aware of people around here who go up to the Scottish Isles rallying - will definitely plan to avoid! Paulatic - hope your plans coming into being.

If you are not a jazz fan avoid the festival which tends to take over all the accomodation as people travel from the cities and places abroad to attend it.

Al

[Jon Lucas]

CalMac ferries no need to book. You could be unlucky and find a large group but as an individual you would probably be able to talk them round. Most staff are very helpful. There are now increasing chances of delay with ferry technical problems as the boats are being worked to their maximum. Accommodation definitely book as with increasing numbers of tourists this can be a problem. Check a local web site for events such as the Mull Rally where hundreds of petrol heads appear and make an infernal nuisance of themselves and book all accommodation.The public roads can also be closed for such events. This is in October every year when many locals plan a holiday somewhere else to get away from it. Music festivals are also getting common everywhere and also fill lots of beds. Most areas now have a web presence which is helpful in looking out for such events.

Yes, generally in the highlands and islands as all towns are small, the numbers of places to stay is limited. The main exception to this is Oban, where every other house seems to be a b&B or hostel.

As an example of the former, when I cycled down Kintyre to Campbeltown, I assumed it would be reasonably easy to find a place to stay. What I hadn't reckoned on was a locally well known folk singer playing there that night, and every b&b being full because of this. It can be a long way to the next place to stay! (actually it was 15 miles there, to Southend, but it can be much further in more remote spots).

[Jon Lucas]

And just as a counterbalance to what I wrote before - as tourism is an important part of the economy, you can find accommodation in some very remote areas, and if none is obvious, it is always worth asking around any local houses, as you can find people willing to put people up who don't do this commercially.

And on any island, the ferry port(s) should have several places to stay.

[gloomyandy]

Hmm I wouldn't count on having a place to stay at some of the island "ferry ports" unless you like sleeping in small waiting rooms (which I've been known to do!). Some of the "ports" are simply a concrete ramp with very little else other than car parking.

But anyway I did a similar trip a few years ago. It was the one and only time that having an "island rover" ticket (use any ferry you want within 8 days) actually made economic sense. Sadly the rover is no more, but I'm glad I had chance to use one! Anyway my trip started and finished in Oban, I rode down to Tarbert (on Kintyre) with a side trip along thr Crinan canal, and got the ferry over to Portvadie then on over to the ferry to Bute. From Bute over to Wemyss Bay and then down to Ardossan for Arran. Got the ferry from Lochranza to Claonaig and then popped down to explore Gigha. Then back up to Kennacraig and on to Isla to explore there. I had a night on Jura (which was actually the best of the trip the weather was pretty grim) and then got the ferry to Colonsay. Some very careful reading of the CalMac timetable and the tide tables allowed me to time things so I could cross over the sands to Oronsay and spend a night camping there (which was rather special), then an early start to get back over the sands and get the ferry back to Oban. I then caught the ferry out to Coll and spent a few days visiting friends there and then on to Tiree. In general I spent a night (or more) on each island I visited, mainly camping (both wild and at sites) with a night at the Lochranze Hostel (to dry out!).

It was a pretty good trip, but the weather was not great. I was there early May which was a time I used to visit that part of the world a lot, but these days I tend to go early June and have generally had better weather and on the islands at least it has still been midge free. The islands seem to be increasingly popular and if you are not camping I'd be very tempted to book accommodation as it can be far flung and may impact the route you decide to take.

Have fun!

[Tinnishill]

About Oronsay. The causeway is just a gravel track, which is passible for about an hour or more either side of low water. It varies from day to day. You have a choice of either one hour or about eight hours on the island. There are no public facilities on Oronsay but it is a magical place.

When we visited we left our bikes at the Colonsay end so as not to get too much salt on them. We followed the falling tide over, spent an hour or so dossing just up from the beach and crossed back just in front of the rising water. While crossing Colonsay to Oronsay the farmer/RSPB warden came the other way, splashing in her landrover, going to the Post Office for her shopping; we got a nice “hallo” as we passed. Returning to Colonsay we were over half way back when a group of what turned out to be American tourists appeared and started for Oronsay. They cut the corner over the sands, so didn’t come close enough to speak. Just before we reached dry land the farm landrover came the other way, pretty fast, racing the rising tide. A couple of minutes later we heard the car horn blaring, looked back and saw the farmer standing on the roof of the landrover and heard her bellowing “GET IN THE [FFE] TRUCK NOW OR YOUR GOING TO [FFE] DIE !”

She got them onboard, put the foot down and made it to shore after the middle of the causeway closed over. The next low tide was at about 3 the next morning.

Anyway, top spot and the Colonsay bunkhouse was nice.

[Bearly_Able]

If you're travelling Arran to Islay direction, then the mainland ferry port is Kennacraig, which is basically a carpark and a waiting room. Tarbert, about 5 miles up the road, has a good range of accommodation, if required. On Islay, the ferry terminals are Port Ellen (the largest village on the island) and Port Askaig, which is also the port for the Jura crossing, but very small with limited facilities. There is a good range of accommodation in Port Ellen, and an hotel at Port Askaig. Jura really only has one village, Craighouse, which is about seven miles from the ferry terminal at Feolin and has a shop and an hotel. I'm not sure if it's sill the case, but camping used to be permitted in the hotel grounds.

There are two camp sites on Islay, at Kintra, near Port Ellen and Port Mor, at Port Charlotte. Kintra is open May to September, and Port Mor March to November. There is also a Youth Hostel at Port Charlotte, open March to September.

There is a good range of accommodation on Islay, but I would advise booking in advance. Although it's quieter out of main season, some B&Bs close over the winter, so there is less accommodation available.

I hope I'm not breaking the rules by saying that we run Islay Cycles in Port Ellen, which is primarily bike hire, but we can do emergency repairs, and carry a decent range of spares. Feel free to drop in and chat, even if (hopefully) you don't need our services.