Day 8 Lochgilphead to Troon

Rain. Rain is what greeted us this morning. And rain was the theme for the first half of the day.
We packed our wet tents (two attempts needed as first time left phone inside tent, d'oh!), and headed for a cafe in town for bacon rolls and all day breakfasts, before moving on.
Much of the beauty of the countryside was lost on us with the "weather"as ruining our moods and soaking us through within 10 miles. Somehow we kept going, probably the fact that a ferry would take the strain soon enough. We stopped in Talbert for elevenses, and pushed on. Somewhere after, the road for the arran ferry becomes a single lane affair and undulates heavily as it climbs to over 450 foot. This road took some climbing, but once done the downhill was rewarding and our first view of arran was had from the top.
Once at the coastline it became clear that the ferry had recently left and we had to wait an hour for the next. Whilst we waited in the freezing cold, some motorcyclists arrived, but none would swap their triumphs for my surly no matter how much I begged. So we opted to eat some lunch instead. More cyclists arrived. One couple from cumbria were touring the scottish islands , and offered some advice and warnings about Tuesdays route.
Once the ferry arrived we boarded and huddled around the radiators trying desperately to dry off. On the island it became clear that early on, the last and biggest climb had started. 660 feet we got to, a large climb but somehow easier than days past, it was a nice climb in that it was a straight up climb without too much downhill in the middle. Still middle aged men in lycra  continued to fly past us, un hindered by camping equipment. All were polite though, and as we reached the summit the sun arrived. An extreme downhill followed the climb, 40mph plus, with brakes on. Fantastic fun, and the road after rounded the island on the coast so was very flat. The scenery on the island with the good weather and the general feel of the area was soul lifting. Easily the best,albeit short, segment of the journey so far. Well worth the visit.
At the second ferry terminal we got chatting to a mountain biker who was visiting the island, and recieved a new tip for portable energy rich snacks. Jelly squares! Cheap, packable,  marvelous. Will definitely be trying that out in days to come.
in the end we boarded the ferry with perhaps 40 other cyclists, and headed to the onboard cafe for...chips! Also fruit, flapjack and drinks. The ferry crossing took an hour and to my relief did not make me seasick. A pleasant way of catching a rest, sad to see Arran go but happy to be closer to england.
Back on the mainland civilisation appeared. Shops for everything, pubs clubs, almost like being in portsmouth. Our route took us onto a great network of off-road cycle routes which led us comfortably to our destination just outside Troon. Our campsite, glenburn dairy is essentially someones back yard, no showers (were currently minging ) and one toilet that has more spiders than I'm comfortable with. But tents are up, dinner andctea devoured, and england is just a day and a half away.
This morning was enough to drive us to despair, but the afternoon was a vision of things to come (pretty please!)

Miles cycled: 73 (ferry might have helped)
Motorcycles procured: none.