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.

Tarbert

Just a few more details about our B&Bs near Tarbert. The first point is that 'near' is a bit of a euphemism. Tigh An Eilein in Gaelic means 'in the middle of nowhere' and Rodean is 'at the end of the universe'. This is a desolate part of the world, isn't it? Try looking for a bit of green on the OS map! It's all brown contour lines and blobs of blue! Do people really live here? 
I jest, of course: in fact, Rodean is probably less than 2 miles from Tarbert (I make the grid ref NG 147 984 but I'm not sure I've got the right house) but Tigh An Eilein is somewhat further, at Flodabay on the C79 (yes, they have C-roads!) I make the GR there NG 099 888. Two or us will be at Rodean (twin room with en suite) and 3 at Tigh An Eilein (double and a single in one room with en suite; and a double with a separate bathroom). There is very little difference in the prices any of the beds (they are all either £40 or £35). Breakfast is of course included with all of them. I volunteer for the double plus separate bathroom at Tigh An Eilein.
For an evening meal, we could hang around at Leverburgh to eat, before carrying on (and maybe take some extra snap in case we get the munchies during the night), altho the lucky ones at Rodean may wish to live it up in Tarbert in the evening - yippie! The good thing is that the next day we don't have to hurry to catch any ferries, so the 'Tiggies' don't have to rush out of their B&B too early to meet up with the others! (or to put it another way, the 'Rodeaners' can have another hour in bed) Just let the weather be kind!
PS I have been asked: does anyone have any dietary requirements?

Dunard Hostel, Castlebay

Hi, all.

Happy New Year.
Dunard Hostel has responded to my query and have confirmed 5 bunk beds are available. Accordingly I have sent a deposit. All we have to hope now is that the Calmac 2013 timetable for Oban/Castlebay is suitable.

pcf

2013 Ride (Bonnie View)

A postcard from Bonnie view as confirmation - Quite unusual don't you think.

Hebridean Ride, May 2013

At the meeting last night in the Flowerpot, kindly attended by Les Sims to allow us to benefit from his considerable experience of Scotland, it was quickly agreed that we would take up Maldwyn's suggestion of a ride from Castlebay on Barra to Stornoway on Lewis with intermediate stops at Carinish and Tarbert. We would travel back via the Ullapool ferry and a ride from there to Inverness.
A provisional date of Thursday 23rd May was agreed as the day to arrive at Castlebay - a trip finishing with about 5 hours on a Calmac ferry from Oban. This is based on 2012 summer timetables. The national Rail 2013 summer timetable should take effect from Mid May and so should be available by February.We would hope to have the Calmac 2013 summer timetable by then as well.
It seems sensible, therefore, to have a next meeting in Mid February when we should have enough data to make final plans but with the maximum booking-ahead time still available. Perhaps we can agree a date early in 2013 when Clyde is likely to know when he will be in the UK.