26 October 2019

from La Gaspésie to the Isle of Arran

26 October 2019

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Saturday 26 October 2019--Bit of a snafu with the ferry off Arran—I thought I'd booked us on the 11:00 today, but somehow we got booked on the wrong date—my fault or CalMac's, no way of knowing, but ultimately mine for not double-checking until the other day. The 11:00 is now booked up, and we're rebooked for 4:40 this afternoon, but that's really much too late. So we get into the standby line for the 11:00 at 9:00. We're the second of about eight cars in the line, and we're the last car allowed on.

On the mainland, we pass through a series of drab and depressing Ayrshire and Renfrewshire towns, and are relieved when we land in Houston (pronounced House-ton here) and find a charming little whitewashed village. The Houston Inn is an inexpensive place, with four rooms sharing a bath, but the rooms themselves are nice enough. The bar downstairs looks okay, but the Fox & Hounds down the street is really nice, and it's there we have dinner and pints. My flight is at 8:30 tomorrow, so we retire fairly early. I'm feeling really satisfied about having found such a nice place to stage for departure, just fifteen minutes from the airport, when the band downstairs begins to play.... Well, I won't stay on a weekend again.

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From Arran to Houston