Five Ferries

Five Ferries Cycle Ride

The Five Ferries cycle route starts at Ardrossan by catching the Arran ferry to Brodick and then cycling north to Lochranza. At Lochranza you catch the ferry to Claonaig and then cycle north on the Mull of Kintyre to Tarbert. From Tarbert you board the ferry to Portavadie and then cycle north via Tighnabruaich to Colintraive. At Colintraive you make the short hop across the Kyles of Bute and cycle south to Rothesay to catch the final ferry to Wemyss Bay and home.The total cycling distance is about 55 miles and the ride can be done in one day but we elected to take a more leisurely two days with an overnight stop at Tarbert.

The trip began with us joining the merry throng on the busy ferry to Brodick. The aroma of Calmac breakfast was very difficult to resist and the balance of exercise and calorific intake was already swinging in the wrong direction. It was clear that the passengers were not all pensioners on cycling trips and a Calmac survey of passenger demographics must be very interesting.

Once we had disentangled ourselves from the traffic leaving the ferry at Brodick, the initial part of the ride was very relaxed and easy going as we made our way along flat roads past Corrie and on to Sannox. A stop for tea and scones was necessary after about 6 arduous miles and we stopped for this at Corrie golf club which is actually in Sannox.

The very friendly lady there told us about the local golfer who had recently had two holes in one in the same round and had been very modest about it, trying to slip away without telling anyone. This was presumably to avoid having to buy two rounds of drinks but his friends weren’t having any of it and told the local newspaper. Golf has often seemed like a very unfair sport to me and this simply re-enforced that view for me because in many years of golf I haven’t managed one hole in one and my declining ability at the game makes it increasingly unlikely that anything will change in that respect. I have since managed to rectify this.

The tea and scone made a less than perfect preparation for the seemingly endless climb out of Sannox. Every climb has the reward of a descent somewhere but the golf club lady had warned us not to become another casualty of the witches bridge on the descent down into Lochranza. Either we were too heavy on the brakes or our descending skills meant that none of us actually noticed the witches bridge and we all arrived safely in Lochranza just in time for the next ferry.

On arrival in Claonaig we had to contend with some more climbing as we made our way over from one side of the Mull of Kintyre to the other on the relatively quiet B8001 before enjoying the descent down to the busier A82 which heads north to Tarbert. The main road was the first good surface that we had been on and we made quick progress towards Tarbert where we found our accommodation and changed before heading off looking for more sustenance.

The little cafe on the front that we chose didn’t have any scones which was a disappointment until we had a look at the menu which was packed with all sorts of goodies that were much more interesting than scones. After a light bite we went off on an explore and climbed up to investigate the Royal Castle of Tarbert which stands over the town. Not much remains of the castle now but it dates back to the early 1300’s and Robert the Bruce rebuilt and extended the castle - presumably at a time when he didn’t have a cave available.

We looked into a fish landing station with tanks full of langoustine and crabs which put us into a state of excited anticipation of dinner. An aperitif was necessary before we tackled dinner so we found comfortable seats in one of the bars on the front.

There was another climb out of Portavadie and while avoiding a traffic jam at a passing place, we met a former BBC TV presenter called David Scott who was walking to Portavadie for some lunch. He asked where we were off to and asked to be reminded to the owner of the Colintraive Hotel where we intended to have lunch.

It was while we were talking with David that Robin treated us to one of his special dismounts. This involves finding a soft bank or a hedge and then falling into it in slow motion with his feet still strapped in the pedals. I haven’t managed to get this on camera - yet!

We made it to Tighnabruaich where we sought out somewhere for coffee, scones and empire biscuits. The place we found had taken us off route a bit but a friendly local (perched up a ladder) directed us to a shortcut back to the main road that involved pushing the bikes up a steep hill and then locating a hole in the hedge.

Another lengthy, steep climb followed but this time we were rewarded with a magnificent view of the Kyles of Bute and in the distance we could see the ferry that would take us over to Bute.

We were staying in rooms above the Starfish Restaurant www.starfishtarbert.comwhich as the name suggests, is a seafood restaurant and a very good one at that. The staff seemed a little bemused that their premises had become a care home for the evening - they didn’t seem to buy the suggestion that we were elite athletes undertaking an arduous cycle trip but we had an excellent meal never the less. A nightcap was called for before bed and so we tried a different bar where we solved most of the problems currently confounding world leaders before heading back for a good night’s rest.

We were up sharp at 8am in preparation for the 10.15 ferry (there is no point in rushing) but breakfast was needed first so we headed back to our favourite cafe where full Scottish breakfast was readily available.

The ferry from Tarbert to Portavadie was not exactly busy with only our group and one other couple. It was a shiny new electric and diesel vessel built in Ferguson’s yard (rather then Poland) only two years earlier and it moved almost silently. Once in Portavadie we investigated the brand new leisure complex www.portavadie.com built beside the marina there consisting of apartments, gym, swimming pools, spa and restaurant. The staff in the restaurant tried to tempt us to have something to eat but with iron will, we declined.

After a fast and exciting ride down, we made our way to Colintraive and the hotel www.colintraivehotel.com where we stopped for lunch and a chat with a couple of chaps who had sailed to the hotel for lunch. We passed on the message from David Scott and then took the incredibly short (about 2 minute) ferry ride across to Bute.

The ride down to Rothesay was a delight in beautiful sunshine on a flat seaside road.

The ferry back to Wemyss Bay was busy and as the trip drew to a close we exchanged details of our busy schedules of grandparenting duties, golfing trips, holidays and family visits.

At Wemyss Bay the cunning plan to reunite us with our cars in Ardrossan swung into place and all too soon the whirlwind 36 hour adventure was over.

“But pleasures are like poppies spread, You sieze the flower, its bloom is shed; Or like the snow falls in the river, A moment white--then melts for ever” - I doubt Robert Burns ever tried the 5 ferries cycle route but the sentiments expressed still apply.