RTG Cloverleaf WH 1 - Daily Dispatch - Flipbook - Page 3
22 to 25 June 2021
Day 2
Glenfinnan, Arisaig and Ardnamurchan (177 miles) 23 June 2021
Last night was quite a night and, as the curtains
were gently pulled open, it became apparent that
what the rally would be dealing with today, could
best be described as dreich.
We were on our own great journey though and, after a swift
coffee in Glenfinnan, the rally raised its own head of steam
and set out for a beachside lunch in the Arisaig Hotel, where
plates of local mussels and home made fish pie were the dish
of the day.
The plan for the afternoon had to be reworked slightly as
the far flung Ardnamurchan lighthouse had been declared
out of bounds to all visitors thanks to urgent and ongoing
roadworks. The ever nimble duo of Mark Appleton and
local fixer Andy Jardine got their heads together, and
delivered an amazing gravel Regularity in the hills above the
Ardnamurchan Distillery where, much of the track we used
didn’t even appear on any map.
A Passage Control in the small port of Kilchoan and a quick
visit to the distillery was all that stood between the rally and
the final Test back at Laudale House where, once the engines
had cooled, a whisky tasting session had been arranged
before a BBQ dinner on the top deck of the boathouse.
Photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
The Jacobite steam train works its way across the Glenfinnan viaduct
A good old fashioned Scotch mist hung in the air and probably
added to the brain fog that several members of the rally
found they were suffering with, thanks in no small part to the
attentions of the Laudale House sommelier. A stout breakfast
went some way to rebalancing any equilibrium which might
have been a bit out of kilter, but what the rally needed most,
was a blast through the extensive grounds.
Two early morning Tests had been set to blow the cobwebs
away. The Laudale Splash featured a water crossing, whilst
the Laudale Long took the cars along the waterfront and
back onto the remote and rugged highways of the Morvern
peninsula for the first Regularity. The views would, no doubt,
have been stunning if it wasn’t for the mist which was to cling
to every hillside for the rest of the day.
Nonetheless this was another epic section of motoring after
which we struck northwards along the western shore of Loch
Linnhe towards a Passage Control and a Time Control at the
impressive Glenfinnan Viaduct which were timed precisely to
allow the rally to see the famous ‘Jacobite’ steam train chuff
its way across the ancient arches on its way to Mallaig, on
what has been described as the greatest railway journey in
the world.
Keith and Norah Ashworth with 1955 Jaguar XK140 at Laudale
Tomorrow morning we’ll need our sea legs for real though.
We set sail for a full days tour of the Isle of Mull!
Gerardus Mercator, Dispatch reporter
www.rallytheglobe.com