Close Encounters of the Wild Kind!!

Oo what a long day today has been - up at 6.30 am to feed and walk Megan and then off to Craignure at 7.30 to catch the first ferry over to Oban on the mainland - Josh had a follow up appointment at the fracture clinic to make sure his arm was healing properly. He's had his cast off 3 weeks now, and fortunately everything is going according to plan.

The drive to Craignure is along 37 miles of single track road which meander around lochs, through mountainous glens and pine forests. The road (there's only one) is just about wide enough for a bus to travel along; the road looks like a patchwork quilt as it has been 'repaired' so many times over the years, it has unexpected cambers, bumps and potholes it's enough to make your teeth rattle and roll inside your head and you wear out more brake pads than you have hot dinners! (Now you know why there is a car rally here every year.)

The drive can take 45-60 minutes depending on the following:

1) whether or not you left in time to catch the ferry (helps);
2) your speed;
3) the weather;
4) how many oncoming vehicles you meet on the way (and have to reverse back for);
5) whether or not you can swing a vehicle round a 90 degree bend at 60 mph or not;
6) and how many suicidal sheep, cow and deer decide to cross your path.

The drive is not unlike a 'white knuckle ride' you see at some of these adventure theme parks (you know the ones - people pay a lot of money to go on the ride and scare themselves silly!). Very often guests arrive down here off the ferry with that 'startled bunny in the headlight' look, hair standing on end, a crazed manic look on the faces and gritted teeth. We usually have to prise their fingers off the steering wheel and reassure them that they have finally arived.

I love driving - to me it's great fun and the roads on Mull are without a doubt challenging, fun and exciting......well, most of the time, anyway.

Today the drive was more of a challenge than usual. Why?

1) Well, it was dark when I left the house to start with so visibility was a bit of an issue;
2) I had left later than usual because I couldn't find the car keys and Megan thought it would be great fun to run off with my shoes;
3) there was low cloud cover so visibility became an even bigger issue;
4) it was raining and the window wipers left smears on the screen (even on super fast speed) so visibility was now a monumental issue;
5) the amount of surface water meant that the car was dancing and sliding all over the road as we aquaplaned our way to Craignure;
6) and then finally there were the suicidal sheep..........................the suicidal cows...........................................and oh yes, the suicidal deer!

Today I managed the drive in 47 minutes. Woo Hoo!

I arrived in Craignure just in time to catch the ferry (just as well because there wasn't another one leaving the island until 5 pm), with that 'startled bunny' look, hair standing on end, gritted teeth and cramp in my fingers as I prised them off the steering wheel!

And then after taking all day to recover from my ordeal, I travelled back to Mull on the 4 pm ferry, to do it all again on the way home!!!

Aaahhhhhhhhhhhh ............................................................

I finally arrived home at 6 pm this evening and was met by my husband who offered me a cup of tea and a slice of cake. I didn't have the heart to tell him I actually needed a bottle of Gin and not much tonic.