After the excitement of the plane landing and taking off at Barra airport, we made our way to the ferry terminal at Ardmhor to set sail for Eriskay and South Uist. We were sad to be leaving such a lovely island, but excited to be continuing our adventure in Hans. The Ardmhor terminal has a fab otter statue hidden around behind the toilet / information block. It's worth searching out. The girls had a good look round before we were back to Hans to await the ferry crew finishing their lunch and allowing us on board. We were settled on board, just about to set sail, when suddenly - disaster struck! And no, I'm not being overdramatic! My first sign of trouble was a wail from TT2 - she was with Tommy, looking for signs of wildlife in the water. Her treasured friend, Raffy the giraffe, had been safely tucked under her arm until she borrowed Tommy's binoculars. As she lifted the binoculars, Raffy slipped out and tumbled over the side of the boat and into the sea, many metres below us! When we looked over the side, Raffy was bobbing about in the water, smiling up at us without a care in the world as our holiday plans came tumbling round us - without Raffy, TT2 was distraught. I belted down the stairs to the car deck and pleaded with the crew for help. They went straight into action - I was very impressed as bikes were moved aside for better access and a grappling hook was used to retrieve the sodden giraffe from the sea and back to a very grateful little girl. There was even a cheer from the other passengers. We honestly couldn't thank the crew enough - their training and expertise was obvious and it is a real comfort to know how quickly and easily they preformed the rescue, which they treated with utter seriousness. They made TT2 a very happy and relieved little girl! Thankfully, the trip over to Eriskay was without further drama. We spotted a few seals watching us from the water as we travelled. Before we know it (and before Raffy was dry) we were approaching Eriskay, which was looking stunning in the sun. The trip across Eriskay didn't take long but we were very impressed by what we saw. It had a real Scandinavian feel about it, with colourful houses and roofs. It's a pity there's no campsite there! And not many photos, I'm afraid, we were too busy enjoying the views! We had to travel over to South Uist, via the mile long causeway, to get to our stop off at Kilbride, but both Tommy and I would love a visit back to Eriskay to soak up the atmosphere there. Read more about our travels in the Outer Hebrides.
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