"Take me to the river. Wash me in the water..."

After a splendid night's sleep at Loch Awe House ( thank-you for your kind donation to H4H) and a good breakfast I head off to the end of the Loch where the kayak leg will commence. A very bumpy ride later along the twisty turny loch side track and we all arrive in Ford for launching. This sheltered cove at the end of Loch Awe is a beautiful point from which to set off on the 26 plus mile journey to the finishing point by the Castle......just 6 or 7 hours away!!! Final preparations and Joanne and Marjorie sre off. The promised gale force winds have failed to turn up...so far, and they beat a course out on to the Loch and out of sight, disappearing into the mist and drizzle.....surely you didn't think the conditions had improved that much!!! A quick shower, change out of cycling gear and check out of the accommodation and I'm back at the loch side with John, searching for two needles in a very fuzzy haystack. After about two and a half hours we finally make contact: the conditions had deteriorated considerably with an increasing wind whipping up a tidy swell and chop on the water. Rain! The intrepid pair manage to stick to their schedule, stopping to feed and stretch out every hour and a half or so. Our final point of contact is with about 6 miles to go: a six mile stretch, during which visibility is down to about 150 yes so the end is never in sight. If you've ever been stuck out in near "white out" conditions you'll know what it does to perspective. Scale is lost and tufts resemble distant copses. It was a fairly desolate last few miles. We spot them from the Caste and rush to make sure they head for a suitable exit point. Out they leap.......well, stagger by then. Joanne unsure that her arms will ever recover, let alone in time for a Windermere swim in two days. Marjorie declares that that distance is just about her limit!! A good bit further than a channel crossing ( especially hugging the bank rather than straight lines)....if you're going to have a limit it may as well be a proper one!! Top effort. My turn again and after a false start....I heade off with the car keys in my pocket....I climb from the Loch, over the top and descend to Loch Lomond. Rain! Pretty foul for cycling as well but decent time is made and just under three hours later I arrive at our overnight stop in Dumbarton. The pub over the road is beckoning, so we put the showers on hold in search of food.....we'd had one of those adventure dried meals the night before.... The good news, they serve food until 9:30..we're in! Bad news...they've run out. Then more good news.....beer @ under £2:50 a pint. So, a swift half(ish) and we're raiding the M and S food store at the adjacent garage. Fed, bathed, alarm set......bed. The delights of Glasgow await first thing in the morning.