A Saturday at Melfort always contains a certain amount of stress where we have to get 32 cottages ready for our new guests and this Saturday started with the extra excitement of an extremely low weather system moving in from the Atlantic.

It was getting to around 3 o’clock when on my way to our Pier cottages I noticed the above mentioned Atlantic was making its way gaily across the field opposite the Farms and heading for the road, so I took a quick detour and headed off along the road to the village hall to see what my possibility was of getting home that evening. I got about halfway and knew that further progress would be risky as waves were lapping around my wheels and a couple of locals were  watching me with the usual expressions of mild amusement reserved for lost tourists.

One of the wags said it  probably wasn’t that bad as “it only seemed to be coming half way up those ducks”!

It was obvious that with the imminent arrival of our guests and owners there could be trouble ahead.

After executing a million point turn in the sea, I returned to the office and was immediately called to a huddled meeting where I was told that the first guests had arrived at the hall and were waiting for us to turn the tide back so they could  complete their journey.

A plan was formulated and John the Head gardener and myself set off up the old
Melfort pass which runs behind the field opposite the club, passing the hydro-electricity station it winds its way up the precipitous river gorge to the main Oban road just above our boating loch. We got up and back down the main road to the village hall and greeted our first arrivals.

John was stationed at the hall to meet, greet and explain the situation to arrivals and my job was to assemble a convoy of about five or six cars a time and lead them back up the road and through the pass back to Melfort.  On one particular visit to the hall, John told me an intrepid family had decided that they would attempt the journey without waiting for the convoy. I made a couple more circuits and the lone explorers still had not turned up at Melfort. They did eventually turn up and  while the arrival committee were checking their temperatures for our pandemic procedures the driver was heard to say that it was a good thing we didn’t have to take their blood pressure as well!

Through the next three hours I made the journey about six times. It got darker and darker and at one point the rain was lashing down as well just to make things a little more exciting. But by about seven o’clock we got the last guests safety to their cottages and as far as I know, there was no damage to the cars and nobody took an unexpected flight down into the murky depths of the gorge. Next morning many of the guests expressed their thanks and most said they had enjoyed the adventure.

It could only happen at Melfort but let’s hope it doesn’t happen again soon!