My Proposed Ferry Schedule?

 I have played around with the calmac website hopscotch planner and come up with the following schedule.  I think its the best option to ensure we have time for a hearty breakfast before setting off each day and getting to our destination in time for dinner. Please feel free to comment if you think alternative sailing might be better. Perhaps everyone could print off a copy for reference to help plan daily start times. Travelling distances are easy to calculate based on google maps and various websites based around hostel/b & b name.

Trains

Had some problems booking the Culrain to Inverness train. You guys have taken all of the bicycle places on that train!! Had to look at an alternative  - I found that I can catch a train to Inverness from Garve (a 32 mile ride from Ullapool) which will mean riding down the A835. It gets into Inverness at 17.09 and I have booked the 17.30 train to Pitlochry.

All Sorted

Today I made all my (6) cycle reservations on various trains for the May trip and am now completely booked for my journeys there and back. I shall depart from Derby at 07:40 on Wednesday 22nd May and arrive into Glasgow a little after midday. If the weather is fine I intend to cycle along the north bank of the Clyde to reach Loch Lomond and then north to the station at Arrochar and Tarbet where I shall board the evening train to Oban. I am booked into the hostel there for Wednesday night (as is Clyde, I gather). On Thursday I will catch the semi fast ferry to Castlebay, arriving at 15:00. We are all booked into the Dunard Hostel although some of you may arrive later.
On the return, I have reservations on the 15:15 from Invershin to Inverness and then  onward to Aberdeen where I have B&B booked. The final leg is Tuesday's 09:52 Aberdeen to Kings Cross East Coast service (as far as York) on which I sincerely hope to be spoilt rotten. I have some concerns about Monday's ride as we have about 43 miles to ride from Ullapool in around 5 hours. Its not a severe average but does leave little margin for punctures or seriously adverse weather. My fall back, if we miss the 15:15, is the next service which arrives into Inverness at 20:10 and I have a 21:30 departure for a rather late arrival at Aberdeen. Clyde is going on to Edinburgh and there is a departure from Inverness at 20:15, arriving at Waverley at 00:05 on Tuesday.
Invershin station is less than a mile from Culrain and appears to just service the Invershin Hotel (about the only other building in Invershin) but is more accessible from our route and, if all goes horribly wrong, we can repair to the said Hotel for sustenance.