Enjoying the Kyles once more

Escaping from the overpriced and overrated Portavadie, we pottered back around the Kyles of Bute to Holy Loch:

Why Holy Loch again? Well, it is a lovely spot, the folks there are great and this time we would be able to walk into Dunoon on a day that Livingstone's restaurant was actually open.

We had a gentle trip back around the Kyles of Bute once more lapping up the scenery.  Well, the captain did:

This modern generation and their smartphones.....

We passed this little headland and although the picture does not look at all interesting we have to include it here:

because it is the rather strangely named Rubha Dubh. For non native Scots, you don't pronounce it rub a dub though, with all the old connotations involved about three men in a tub.

We also felt for the good citizens of Tignabruaich. One of their number wanted to be a little too individual for our taste and painted his house in a strange bright pastel blue colour:

In reality it looks way worse than in this picture. The unusual colour made it stick out like the proverbial sore thumb in amongst the stone or white buildings in what is, mainly, a pretty village. Must be an incomer.....

Arriving at Holy Loch there was clearly something going on in the office. We called the marina on the VHF, got no reply. Tried again, got a response. Asked them if it was OK to pick a berth on the inside of their breakwater as usual - no response. Tried calling again, no response. Had the hopeless Portavadie management taken over we wondered? Anyway, we duly popped into a free space, trussed the boat up and the crew headed up to the office to make contact with the natives and pay.

Only they had a rally (known as a "muster" in Scotland) going on and so they wanted to move us. We then wriggled our way onto a berth between two pontoons alongside the main walkway. Getting in was fine, getting out might prove more challenging especially if the wind picks up.

That evening, the mad Anne wanted to go and scale the nearby hills. She has some strange disease that makes her a compulsive hill climber. We joined in for the easier start of the walk and retired before the midges came out to play:

Despite the morning drizzle, we all braved the walk around to Dunoon, the thought of an open Livingstone's restaurant spurring us on. The walk was worth it - an excellent and very relaxed lunch was enjoyed. Then we showed Anne the less enjoyable rest of Dunoon. Actually there was a fund-raiser going on for the paddle steamer Waverley down on the pier. You might have seen pictures of her in here before. Well, she needs new boilers and they are not cheap so she is out of service until the money is raised. See Waverley website. Sad indeed, she looks so at home plying up and "doon the watter"

The height addicted Anne walked back over the hills to Holy Loch marina. The comfort addicted captain and crew raided Morrisons and then got a taxi as there was too much to take on a bus (not that there are hundreds of those either). That evening, we damaged a rather wonderful bottle of Samos Doux dessert wine that Pat and Graham had given us:

We probably damaged our livers a little as well.