Isle of Seil

[Hilde]

Dear members of this forum,

according to German news, the Isle of Seil is no longer subsidized because it is not a classified as an island anymore: http://www.tagesschau.de/schlusslicht/inselseil100.html

This calls for morale support and I am considering to make this year's bicycle trip to Scotland.

Now my questions:

1. as far as I could see there are no campsites on Seil. But maybe wild camping is possible? Or someone of you knows of a hotel or B&B which invites campers (for a fee).

2. How could I proceed after this support action? Is there a link to Jura or other islands (I mean officially acknowledged ones)?

This would not be my first cycling tour in Scotland, but I will be grateful for any advice.

Best regards
Hilde

[sloe]

http://www.hostelsinscotland.com/

http://www.scottishcampingguide.com/cat ... direction=

http://www.scottishcampingguide.com/category.php?n=33&page=1&sort=&direction=

To get to Jura you take the ferry from Oban to Islay, then a much smaller one from Islay to Jura.

Hope this helps.

[Hilde]

http://www.hostelsinscotland.com/

http://www.scottishcampingguide.com/cat ... direction=

http://www.scottishcampingguide.com/category.php?n=33&page=1&sort=&direction=

To get to Jura you take the ferry from Oban to Islay, then a much smaller one from Islay to Jura.

Hope this helps.

Hello and thank you for the useful links,
so, there are no campsites and no hostels on Seil.

Ok, is it possible and legal to pitch up a tent at the beach? What about hotels or B&Bs which offer pitches for hikers etc.? In Germany or Poland I would simply ask at farm houses or churches. Is this realistic in Scotland?

I can afford a hotel accommodation, however, I have made bad experiences in Britain (England) with everything booked, people just sending me around without really helping etc. - and I will not prebook. My holidays are unscheduled.

[BeeKeeper]

There is a company, http://www.webcraft.co.uk, who are based on the island. You could try asking them what facilities there are on the island but in general there is no law of trespass in Scotland so normally wild camping is not a problem as long as you don't camp in peoples' gardens or in fields under cultivation etc.

However, I am not sure your project is going to get a lot of support other than locally. There are lots of bits of the Highlands which are cut off and as a result things are expensive but a real island which need a ferry to be reached is a special case. The Isle of Seil has a road bridge connecting it to the mainland so how is it different to any other remote bit of the mainland in Scotland? Look at the island just south of Seil, Luing, this can only be reached by ferry and is the sort of place which needs the help with the limited funds available.

[Hilde]

There is a company, http://www.webcraft.co.uk, who are based on the island. You could try asking them what facilities there are on the island but in general there is no law of trespass in Scotland so normally wild camping is not a problem as long as you don't camp in peoples' gardens or in fields under cultivation etc.

However, I am not sure your project is going to get a lot of support other than locally. There are lots of bits of the Highlands which are cut off and as a result things are expensive but a real island which need a ferry to be reached is a special case. The Isle of Seil has a road bridge connecting it to the mainland so how is it different to any other remote bit of the mainland in Scotland? Look at the island just south of Seil, Luing, this can only be reached by ferry and is the sort of place which needs the help with the limited funds available.

Hello Beekeeper,

oh, sorry I forgot you Brits might put my "reason for a cycling trip" into the "fund-raising frame". No, no, there will not be anything like this. No record of hopping from Y to Z in 14 days and collecting money from all kinds of colleagues and friends on the internet . The reason for this goal is simply the story, which is really funny and reminds Germans of German bureaucracy (in January, there were many comments of solidarity aligned to this report and people made funny creative suggestions of how to circumvent the cuts). However, my "morale support" will just consist in buying at the local grocery store , maybe getting a room in a B&B on Seil.

Yes, the island looks like a rather remote place and so it is attractive for me, but it will be just one goal. I have been in Scotland quite often, know where I do NOT want to go again (e.g. Arran, Oban, Fort William, Loch Ness), but would like to fill some "gaps", eg. complete Kintyre, Jura?, Islay? Skye? . Maybe cycling with more literature would be nice - but I had "Kidnapped" by Stevenson already three summers ago (including Mull and Lettir Moor) and have no time for Boswell's complete tour. I am open to suggestions.

[bogmyrtle]

There is another ferry to Jura from Tayvallich.
http://www.jurapassengerferry.com/

Some B&B's here
http://seil.oban.ws/bandb.html

[Hilde]

There is another ferry to Jura from Tayvallich.
http://www.jurapassengerferry.com/

Some B&B's here
http://seil.oban.ws/bandb.html

Thank you, bogmyrtle,
this was very useful. It is always so good to get the advice of locals.

They take bicycles for free , but the passage seems to be bumpy, as they write your back and neck should be ok.

Depending on my day of arrival on Kintyre, which I wanted to cycle anyway, I can decide to go first over Jura and Islay, and then to the Mull of Kintyre, or the other way, or first to Islay, then to Jura. Super. I like those unplanned trips with many options and weather surprises. Maybe there is even a connection to Luing or Seil of which I will learn during traveling.

I guess I will book a flight to Edinburgh tomorrow, hurrah.