The 2014 Challenge, day 1: Mulling It Over (2)

It only takes about a quarter of an hour to walk down to Kilchoan Harbour, which is a beautiful little sheltered bay, and the water was stunningly clear. However, when I arrived there was a noticeable lack of anything looking even remotely like the Tobermory ferry, either in the harbor or out in the Sound. This didn't exactly seem right. It was a quarter to 9, and the ferry should surely be in view by now. So I checked the ferry timetable again ... only to discover that the sailings were at 8 and 10.15.

Oh well!

The 8 o'clock ferry would always have been impractical. The hotel didn't start serving breakfast until 8, and I wasn't going to depart before breakfast. Besides which, the Challenge Register doesn't open for signing until 9 on the first morning of the Challenge (and yes ... I know they allow the Oban starters to sign a little early in order to make the 9 o'clock Lismore ferry; but I wasn't about to start any such tradition for Kilchoan starters and the Tobermory ferry!).

So, I had an hour and a half to wait. Not really a problem. It was a nice morning, and the harbour was a pleasant enough place to bide a while. I had already walked something like a kilometre, so a short rest was probably in order in any event ...