There’s not much to report today. I met a creeler this morning who admitted to having underestimated the weather, then met the mechanic from the Tobermory Lifeboat, Jock. He was walking with his family right by my tent while I was cleaning up after lunch. He asked if I was the guy who was paddling the west coast and I replied ‘Yes I am’ before I even wondered how he knew. It’s amazing how matter of fact you can become about something that is not matter of fact. Are you that serial killer? ‘Yes I take great pleasure in killing!’
It turns out the RNLI had sent an email round their stations saying what I was up to. So Jock kindly offered me the use of his station’s shower, which I nearly at first turned down. Why would I want to stay in my camp and smell like a tramp?
I walked into town, along the harbour and then called Jock to say I was there. ’20 mins? That’s perfect, I’ll go to the Mishnish for a cup of tea.’ Now anyone that knows either me or the Mishnish will know that statement was at best an underestimate and and worst an outright lie. So one pint later I went for a shower in the lifeboat station.
Jock checked the weather on the computer for me and I knew that early the next day I’d be heading round Ardnamurchan, which was good. So I went back to the Mishnish. Now a funny thing about the Mishnish on a Sunday. It would appear that some of the locals and the staff have a thing for cheese and biscuits. Which was really quite good, watch the Calcutta Cup on the gogglebox, eat some cheese and biscuits, have a halftime chat with the lifeboat’s coxswain (Phil) and then spend the second half wondering what the smell of strawberries was. There were no strawberries anywhere to be seen.
It wasn’t till I was getting my supplies for paddling round Ardnamurchan, in the shop after the rugby had finished, that I worked it out. It was me that smelled of strawberries, I forgot I had a decanted bottle of my daughter’s shampoo.
But didn’t I smell nice!
One Response to Day 14 – Strawberries